National Advisory Board

Dr. Mari Castañeda is Dean of Commonwealth Honors College and Professor of Communication at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

In her 24 years with UMass Amherst, Dr. Castañeda has served as a Chancellor’s Leadership Fellow and Chair of the Communication Department. Over the course of her career, she has received the UMass President’s Public Service Award, Distinguished Outreach Award, College of Social and Behavioral Sciences Outstanding Teaching Award, and Lilly Fellowship. Both the state Senate and House of Representatives have issued citations and a commendation to Dr. Castañeda in recognition of her engaged scholarship and community contributions. 

Dr. Castañeda’s research interests include the study of digital media and telecommunication policy, Latina/ethnic media studies, and academic cultures of care. Her work promotes engaged scholarship and aims to address inequality, power, community voices and the role of intersectionalities in shaping media and cultural spaces.

Her engaged scholarship has appeared in multiple journals/monographs, and she has published three co-edited books: Civic Engagement in Divers Latinx Communities: Learning from Social Justice Partnerships in Action; Mothers in Academia; Telenovelas and Soap Operas in the Digital Age: Global Industries and New Audiences.

A 1993 graduate of the University of California, Los Angeles, Dr. Castañeda earned a B.A. in communications, with an emphasis on Chicana/Latino studies and media studies. In 2000, she earned her Ph.D. in communication from the University of California, San Diego.