Azara Santiago-Rivera, PhD

Professor Emerita
Merrimack College

Dr. Santiago Rivera, PhD, NCC is Professor Emerita and  formally the Director of the Clinical Mental Health Program at Merrimack College, North Andover, MA.  She has held academic and administrative appointments at Felician University, NJ, The Chicago School of Professional Psychology, Washington, DC and Chicago, IL, The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, WI and the University at Albany, NY.  Among outcomes of her administrative work were initiatives to advance early career faculty with a focus on publishing, teaching strategies and tenure and promotion processes. Her professional and leadership positions in professional organizations include President of the National Latinx Psychological Association, president of the Latino Mental Health Association of New Jersey. She is the Founding Editor of the Journal of Latinx Psychology and is a Fellow of Divisions 45 and 17 of the American Psychological Association (APA).  She served as committee member and chair of the American Association of Hispanics in Higher Education’s Outstanding Dissertation Awards Committee. Prior to serving as chair-elect of AAHHE, Dr. Santiago Rivera was the chair-elect of the Finance Committee. In 2014 Dr. Santiago-Rivera received the APA Presidential Citation for outstanding contribution to the profession.