Dr. María Célleri is a transnational feminist scholar, a dedicated educator, a committed mentor, a passionate community organizer, and in her free time, a rock climber and lover of the outdoors. Born in Venezuela to Ecuadorian parents, and raised in New York City, she has forged a hemispheric connection throughout the Americas that is critical of bounded nation-states. As a first-generation queer Latinx migrant, raised between two countries, cultures, and languages, she has committed her scholarly career to investigating issues of identity, national belonging, and social justice in Latin America and throughout the diaspora.
Her obligation to social justice diversity and equity work led her to pursue a Ph.D. in Ethnic Studies from UC San Diego. She also has master’s degrees in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies from Ohio State University and in Hispanic Languages and Literature from Stony Brook University. She’s currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Gender, Women’s, and Sexuality Studies at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC).
María Celleri, Ph.D. 