Latina Voices Institute Is Turning Stories into Strategy for 2026 and Beyond
- Tyzza Macias
- Dec 10, 2025
- 6 min read
In 2026, Latina Voices Institute (LVI) isn’t just adding dates to a calendar. It’s formalizing something that has been building quietly for years: a network of rooms where Latina women are heard, believed, and invited to lead on their own terms.
From Dallas and Denver to New Jersey, San Diego, and beyond, the self-owned, Latina-led institute is rolling out a statewide and national program schedule that treats storytelling as both a cultural inheritance and a leadership strategy.
“This moment is urgent, Latina voices must be amplified louder, with more passion, and with absolute purpose,” said Dr. Mary Margaret Carrillo, founder and CEO of Latina Voices Institute. “Now is not the time to quiet ourselves or wait for change; it’s the time to step forward, share our stories, and lead boldly. We’re building spaces where Latina voices, creativity, and leadership are recognized and celebrated, and together, we are shaping the future we need.”
The Architect Behind the Institute
Dr. Mary Margaret Carrillo is a powerhouse Latina leader and educator dedicated to empowering Latinas through education, culture, and community engagement. With over 20 years of experience in community engagement and strategic program development, she is recognized for advancing diversity, inclusion, and belonging within higher education and the nonprofit sector, fostering environments where Latinas can thrive.
As founder and CEO of the Latina Voices Institute, Dr. Carrillo leads initiatives that provide learning opportunities and cultivate leadership among Latina women. She is the driving force behind the Latina Voices Forum, a platform dedicated to amplifying Latina voices and creating pathways to higher education and professional growth. She also leads the Amplify online series, which provides virtual learning, mentorship, and community-building for Latina professionals.
Her academic grounding deepens the institute’s foundation. At SMU, her dissertation, “Cultural Educational Narratives: An Exploration of Latina Stories,” examined how cultural narratives influence educational choices. She has presented this work internationally, connecting Latina stories in Texas with global conversations on identity and culture in places such as Tokyo and Paris.
For Dr. Carrillo, Latina narratives are not research subjects, but lived inheritance.
“My cultural stories have always been my compass. Growing up as a first-generation Latina in Texas, I watched my parents navigate work, language, and community with quiet courage, and those stories of sacrifice and persistence shaped the way I show up as a leader today,” she says. “In every community space, and now through the Latina Voices Institute, I treat stories as data, dignity, and direction, a way to design spaces where Latinas are seen not as exceptions, but as experts of their own journeys.”
This approach, treating storytelling as a strategy, has become the institute’s defining force.
From Sold-Out Forums to a National Expansion
The 2026 expansion is not a leap of faith. It’s a response to the women who filled the room.
“The turning point came after listening to hundreds of Latinas across Texas who carried so much brilliance and responsibility yet still felt isolated and underrepresented in decision-making spaces,” Dr. Carrillo recalls. “When our forums began selling out, women were driving hours to attend, and partners in other cities were asking, ‘When are you bringing this here?’ It became clear that staying local no longer matched the scale of the need or the scale of our responsibility.”
That responsibility now translates into a full ecosystem of offerings designed to keep Latinas connected throughout the year. Latina Voices Meetups will bring people together both locally and virtually, cultivating spaces for deep conversation, meaningful support, and community connection. These gatherings are intentionally structured so every voice feels welcomed, supported, and seen.
The Latina Voices Forum will continue elevating Latina leaders and changemakers, bringing participants together for panel conversations, shared meals, and storytelling that builds lasting relationships rooted in the diverse realities of Latina identity. And beginning in 2026, Latina Voices Experiences will introduce immersive cultural and wellness-centered programs, interactive interviews, cultural workshops, and restorative sessions that celebrate identity, strengthen community ties, and offer grounding amidst a rapidly shifting social landscape.
Redefining “The Latina Experience
The broad demographic shorthand often used to describe “Latinas” rarely matches lived reality. Dr. Carrillo’s work insists on nuance.
“One of the most misunderstood aspects is the idea that the Latina experience is the same for all Latinas and is primarily defined by struggle,” she notes. “What emerges in Latina narratives is complexity, joy, humor, intergenerational wisdom, professional excellence, spiritual and political diversity, and a constant negotiation of belonging across languages, geographies, and identities.”
This layered richness is what institutions often overlook, and what LVI seeks to restore.
“When Latinas are put into a single storyline,” she adds, “they miss the leadership, creativity, and problem-solving that come directly from that layered experience.”
What Belonging Actually Feels Like
Belonging is a widely used DEI term. At Latina Voices Institute, it is a measurable condition.
“Belonging, to me, is when a Latina does not have to shrink, translate her worth, or leave parts of herself at the door to be welcomed,” she explains. “In Latina Voices Institute spaces, belonging looks like walking into a room, or a virtual session, and immediately seeing your reflection in the programming, leadership, and stories being centered. Without belonging, leadership becomes performance; with belonging, leadership becomes rooted, sustainable, and shared.”
That dynamic becomes visible at the Latina Voices Forum.
“At the Latina Voices Forum, the impact often begins with a collective exhale. Women arrive holding titles, responsibilities, and stress, and you can almost see that weight lift as they sit down together,” Dr. Carrillo says. “Over a meal, pan dulce, and testimony, strangers become familia, trading resources, referrals, and authentic truths about work, motherhood, and identity. The outcomes are real: new collaborations, job opportunities, mentorships, and, just as importantly, a renewed sense of ‘I am not alone in this.’”
After two decades of listening, Dr. Carrillo has seen Latina concerns evolve.
“Over the years, the primary question has shifted from ‘How do I get in?’ to ‘How do I lead, stay well, and bring others with me?’ to ‘Am I using my voice in every space and place?’” she observes. “Today’s gaps are less about talent and more about access: true sponsorship beyond mentorship, mental health and caregiving support, equitable pay, and rooms where Latinas are shaping strategy, not just invited to speak during heritage month.”
At LVI, these gaps become blueprints, not barriers.
Balancing Roots and Innovation
LVI’s 2026 programming leans into a balance many Latinas know well: honoring heritage while navigating rapid change.
“Balancing preservation and innovation means honoring that our ancestors' wisdom is non-negotiable while also acknowledging that the world our daughters and nieces navigate is changing rapidly,” Dr. Carrillo says. “The goal is not to freeze cultura in time, but to let it evolve while staying anchored in our roots.”
This balance is why the institute’s programs feel at home both in community spaces and on international stages.
Some of LVI’s most profound impact stories begin with a single moment of recognition.
“A story that continually fuels my mission is that of a first-generation Latina student who almost left college her first semester because she never found a place where she truly belonged,” Dr. Carrillo shares. What follows is a journey marked by loneliness, pressure, and the belief that success required distancing herself from her culture until she encountered a Latina staff member who saw her, guided her, and connected her.
Years later, the same woman attended a Latina Voices Forum and said, “‘This is the first event I’ve attended as an adult where I felt fully welcomed.’”
It is one story among many. But it captures Dr. Carrillo’s mission: turning isolation into agency.
A Living Legacy, Not a Static Brand
As LVI prepares for its expanded 2026 slate, Dr. Carrillo is thinking generationally.
“The legacy I hope for is a living network of Latinas and allies who see storytelling as an essential tool for leadership, healing, and change, not an afterthought,” she says. “Ultimately, the legacy is a movement that normalizes Latina brilliance and authority in every room we enter.”
“All LVI events are open to Latinas, allies, family members, friends, and anyone who believes in the power of amplifying voices and fostering positive change,” the institute notes. “By joining the Latina Voices newsletter, individuals automatically become part of an energetic, growing movement with access to exclusive events, resources, and connections all year long.”
Dr. Carrillo’s closing message is unmistakably clear: “Our time is now. Every Latina voice deserves to be heard, loud, proud, and unstoppable.”