Iliana Molina Estrada (she/ella)

Director, Thriving Neighbors and Student Formation

Additional languages spoken: Spanish and French

 

As Director, Iliana works to strengthen connections between the university community and local communities, fostering reciprocal partnerships, transformative learning experiences, and collective social impact. In addition, she is responsible for developing formation strategies for students across all community engagement programming, and she is exploring how SCU can develop a shared approach to student formation that connects diverse experiences, perspectives, and opportunities.

Iliana holds an EdD in Social Justice Leadership from Santa Clara University, a Master’s in Social Business Management from Mondragon University, and a Maîtrise in Sociology from the Sorbonne. Her doctoral research explores how social justice, human-centered skills, and experiential learning can cultivate ethical leadership. With over 20 years of experience in social development, economic inclusion, and educational technology across the US and Latin America, Iliana is passionate about connecting people, bridging perspectives, and advancing collective social change.

Originally from Mexico, she moved to the Bay Area with her family in 2019. She enjoys traveling, meeting people, exploring cuisines, and photography.