Dr. Verenice Gutiérrez is a nationally recognized leader on Bilingual Education, Special Education, diversity and inclusion, racial equity and educational leadership. Working directly with school and district administrators, Dr. Gutierrez leads a national dialogue on the intersectionality of bilingual and special education. Directing research based workshops and training in bilingual education, special education and the intersectionality of the two, Dr. Gutierrez continues to pave the way for new teachers to benefit from her own experience and study. She has directed research based workshops and training in bilingual education and special education program development & evaluation, instructional design for bilingual and special education programs, policy development and bilingual and special education program evaluation and assessment.
Dr. Verenice Gutiérrez is also a Racial Equity & Healing Fellow, W.K. Kellogg Foundation and a first generation Mexican-American born and raised in El Paso, TX. A graduate of the El Paso Independent School District Dr. Gutierrez was exposed early in her own childhood to the subtractive schooling experiences that considered her Spanish speaking abilities, blue collar background and immigrant parents reasons to label her an "at risk" student. Numerous marginalizing experiences throughout her K-16 educational experience led Dr. Gutierrez to a vocation and career as a bilingual educator.
Dr. Gutierrez received her B.A. and M.A. from the University of Texas, EL Paso and her Ph.D. from New Mexico State University. She received postgraduate training in Women's Leadership Development from Harvard University, Kennedy School of Government. Dr. Gutierrez's spent the early years of her career teaching in rural southern New Mexico in a colonia . Dr. Gutierrez worked with 3rd graders during the day and taught their parents English in the evenings. She assisted the principal in bringing the first two-way Spanish dual language program to the Chaparral, NM colonia.