Emilia Ismael-Simental, (she/her) is the development & strategic partnerships director at El Centro Hispano (ECH) in Durham, North Carolina. She holds a PHd in theories and creation of culture and spent 15  years in Mexico as a professor and researcher specializing in cultural institutions and cultural policy before relocating to North Carolina and joining ECH. Her work is rooted in advancing accountability to history, context, and lived experience, guided by a central question: How do institutions shape the conditions under which people are able (or unable) to build community, exercise agency, and belong? Emilia initially joined ECH as manager for civic & community participation, where she led outreach and support initiatives serving diverse populations, including youth, women, and seniors. Today, she cultivates partnerships that advance ECH’s mission and most recently, she led the development of ECH’s Civic Resource Center. 

She has partnered with institutions such as UNC–Chapel Hill, Duke University, and county health departments, among others, to support research, expand access to care, and deliver direct services to underserved communities across North Carolina’s Triangle region. She explores the intersection of culture, policy, and community, with a sustained focus on how systems can either erode or foster belonging. She lives in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, with her husband, son, and mother-in-law.