OUR TEAM

Marlene joined ILI in 2011 as President & CEO, and has since rebranded the organization, led the expansion of existing health and education programming, and added leadership and advocacy as focus areas.  Prior to this work, Marlene served as President & CEO of the National Latino Tobacco Control Network (NLTCN) and spent more than a decade as the Immigrant Affairs Liaison for Indiana’s Seventh Congressional District. In this position, she became the first Latina to assist a Member of the Indiana Congressional Delegation of the United States Congress.  Committed to volunteering, Marlene founded the Indiana Latino Coalition Against Domestic & Sexual Violence. She has also served on many committees, task forces, and boards.  Ms. Dotson earned her Master of Public Affairs from the School of Public and Environmental Affairs (SPEA) at Indiana University.

Enrique Mares-Villicana joined ILI in 2022 as an Education Policy Fellow  where he supports the Advocacy & Systems Change initiatives.  Through that role he focuses on gathering data for ILI’s multiple annual published reports on Latino education attainment and related issues to inform ILI’s legislatve agendas and priorities.  Enrique is a recent graduate from the University of Indianapolis with a degree in Psychology and concentrations in Clinical and Counseling studies.  His goal is to continue his education at UIndy by pursuing an M.S. in Psychology.  He one day hopes to earn a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology or Prevention Science. 

As the Director of Workforce Development, Andrew will be leading ILI’s statewide workforce development programming including internships and professional development. Andrew has worked in education in different capacities since 2006. From working with ESL students in Indianapolis to teaching high school in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, he has continued to serve the Latino community in their pursuit of higher education and workforce development. Andrew earned a B.A. in Political Science from Indiana University, an M.S. in Inclusive Education from Nyack College in New York, and is currently working on a doctoral degree in Organizational Leadership and is an alumnus of the ILI Latino Leadership Circle.

Maria Quiroz-Southwood has her Bachelor and Master’s in social work from Indiana University.  She has dedicated her 22+ years of professional life, using her bilingual skills and working in the non-for-profit sector with a focus on the Latino community in health, education, volunteer and social services.  She has a broad range of skills and experience in program development, grant writing, training, and community collaboration with a passion to serve non-for-profit, mission driven organizations.  Maria has worked in both the health and education programs at ILI, focusing her current work on assisting Latino college students throughout their higher education paths.   Maria is a key contributor to ILI’s grant-writing team, and facilitates the partnerships between ILI and 40+ universities in supporting Latino college student recruitment and retention.

Rachel Santos is a servant leader who prioritizes community engagement with a history of organizing community forums, advocating for minority communities, and education equity. She has experience in local government, non-profit management, and higher education. With a passion for civic engagement, Rachel pursued a B.A. in Political Science from Indiana University South Bend.  Rachel then went on to earn her Master of Public Affairs with a concentration in Policy Analysis from IUPUI’s O’Neil School of Public and Environmental Affairs. As a first-generation college student, Rachel values the importance of quality education for all students and began her work at ILI as Education Program Coordinator in 2019. Rachel recently achieved a significant milestone by earning her Doctor of Education (EdD) from the University of Dayton, becoming the first Dr. Santos in her family, a testament to her unyielding pursuit of knowledge and impact.

Annice Willard earned her BS from Purdue University West Lafayette.  Before joining ILI in 2022, Annice worked in finance and student workforce development.  Her Hoosier Latino heritage goes back to the 1950’s when her grandparents came to Indiana to work as migrant laborers from a border town in Mexico.  As a lifetime eastside Indianapolis resident, she has used her family and corporate experience to assist students to navigate college and career preparation.  After four years working with an urban youth corporate workforce development program, she moved on to college workforce development. With a focus on providing cultural competency training to Marion County higher education institutions, she found her passion is to teach the next generation to advocate for their needs.  During her time off she enjoys being with her daughters and their dog, Harold.