Olivia Garcia, PhD
Director of Public Policy, Esperanza United
Olivia Garcia, PhD is the Director of Public Policy at Esperanza United formerly Casa de Esperanza: National Latin@ Network. Prior to her current position, she served as an American Political Science Association (APSA) 2021-2022 Congressional Fellow and received the honor of a William A. Steiger Fund for Legislative Studies. Dr. Garcia served as a staff member for Senator Cortez Masto’s office from the great state of Nevada. She has a background in advocacy, training and research related to gender-based violence that spans 10 years. Dr. Garcia completed her doctorate in Political Science from UCLA with an emphasis on Race and Ethnicity Politics, Gender Studies and Political Theory. Her research focuses on the Violence Against Women Act and the ways in which the theory of intersectionality is absent from policy, although it is a necessary consideration when on-the-ground advocates are helping survivors of intimate partner violence. Before joining Esperanza United, Dr. Garcia worked as the Underserved Populations Director for the National Center for Victims of Crime.
Dr. Garcia is an affiliate lecturer for the University of Colorado Denver Graduate School of Public Affairs, University of Texas at El Paso’s Criminal Justice and Chicano Studies Departments. She has taught American Government and Texas Government at the El Paso Community College District in her hometown of El Paso, Texas.