Elena Quiroz-Livanis is the deputy secretary of the Maryland Higher Education Commission, where she leads statewide higher education policy and fosters collaboration across state agencies, colleges, and national partners to build a stronger, more equitable postsecondary ecosystem. She is responsible for updating Maryland’s State Plan for Higher Education, including setting new attainment goals and shaping strategies to expand opportunity, strengthen credential value, and advance student success in partnership with institutions and stakeholders.
Previously, Quiroz-Livanis served as chief of staff and assistant commissioner of academic policy and student success at the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education. She was one of the principal architects of Massachusetts’s 10-year Strategic Plan for Racial Equity in higher education and also led efforts on transfer and developmental education reform while overseeing the department’s Equity Agenda. Beyond state government, she served on the executive board of the Massachusetts ACE Women’s Network and on PEAS — In Pursuit of Equity, Accountability, and Success, Latinx Students in Massachusetts Schools, advancing leadership and equity for historically underserved student populations.
Nationally, Quiroz-Livanis contributes her expertise as a member of the Beyond Transfer Policy Advisory Board and the CCRC Advisory Board. She is a doctoral candidate in the Higher Education Program at the University of Massachusetts Boston.