Associate Vice President for Health Sciences at Yavapai Community College
Dr. Marylou Mercado
Dr. Marylou Mercado, Associate Vice President for Health Sciences at Yavapai Community College, was selected by the 2024 Arizona Women in Higher Education organization as its 2024 Woman of the year. Dr. Marylou Mercado is a Hispanic first-generation community college graduate and recently completed a Doctor of Education in 2018.
In its announcement, AWHE said the following about Dr. Mercado:
Throughout Dr. Mercado’s journey as a non-traditional student, she has had women in the roles of professors and administrative assistants walk alongside and stand with her through every challenge, offering encouragement so that she could complete her educational goals for quality of life. After spending 28 years in the community college environment, Dr. Mercado believes that education is the empowerment and equalizer of overcoming societal inequalities. Helping students achieve their educational goals and fostering leadership qualities and abilities in women are paramount to her role and responsibilities in higher education. She is passionate about seeing women become all they desire to be by investing time with them, hearing their concerns, understanding their visions and goals, and providing resources so that they may achieve all they are meant to achieve in fulfilling their destiny. For Dr. Mercado, there is no greater joy.