An Educator and Advocate.

Elizabeth Diane Torres-Velásquez holds a Ph.D. in education and a lifelong commitment to Democratic values. She believes deeply in the principles of equality, justice, and opportunity for all, and she has spent her career fighting to turn those values into meaningful change for New Mexico families. Education has always been at the center of her work because she believes it is the key to unlocking opportunity and building stronger communities. Throughout her tenure as an associate professor at the University of New Mexico, she played important roles in university governance, including service on the Academic Freedom and Tenure Committee and the Faculty Senate. Her work in research, curriculum development, and social justice has helped shape graduate students, educators, and the broader conversation around public education in New Mexico. Her academic focus has spanned bilingual and multicultural education, learning disabilities, and Latino education, and her interdisciplinary research has reflected a strong commitment to innovative and community-centered approaches to learning.

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A Leader for Educational Equity.

In her advocacy efforts, Dr. Torres-Velásquez has been a leading voice for Hispanic education in New Mexico. In 2010, she served as the state’s Hispanic Education Liaison and authored the first report on the Status of Hispanic Education, fulfilling an important requirement under the Hispanic Education Act. Her work has consistently focused on making sure New Mexico’s education system better serves students and families who have too often been overlooked. That commitment has continued in public office. As a member of the House Education Committee and an advisory member of the Legislative Education Study Committee, she has worked to strengthen literacy, mathematics, and special education programs, improve accountability in distance education, and support teachers facing rising health insurance costs. Her work reflects a clear belief that educational equity requires not only strong policy, but steady attention to the real challenges students, educators, and families face every day.

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A Record of Community Leadership.

Dr. Torres-Velásquez has also been deeply involved in community efforts to advance educational equity and civil rights. She has worked alongside organizations such as the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund and the Latino Education Task Force to help elevate public education as a fundamental right and support the landmark Martínez and Yazzie education lawsuits in New Mexico. That work helped drive systemic changes in the state’s education system and reflected her long-standing commitment to ensuring that every child, regardless of background, has access to the opportunities promised under the New Mexico Constitution. In recognition of her years of service and advocacy, she received MALDEF’s Excellence in Community Service Award in 2022. Her public service has also extended well beyond the classroom. In the Legislature and during the interim, she has worked on issues tied to health care access, land grant communities, and the practical needs of neighborhoods across New Mexico. Through her service on the Legislative Health and Human Services Committee and the Land Grant Committee, she has engaged directly with health center leaders, examined barriers to care in rural and urban communities, and helped push for resources to respond to fire and flood impacts in affected areas.

 

Focused on New Mexico's Future

Her involvement with organizations such as LULAC and the Higher Education Committee reflects that same enduring commitment to expanding opportunity and promoting fairness for underserved communities. Whether in the classroom, in the community, or at the Roundhouse, Dr. Torres-Velásquez has built a record defined by service, advocacy, and results. In addition to education, she has focused on the broader issues that shape quality of life in New Mexico. She has supported efforts to expand health care affordability, improve access to providers, strengthen the medical workforce, and make thoughtful changes to state policy in ways that continue to protect patients and families. She has also backed public safety measures, including stronger privacy protections, and has advocated for immigrant safety and dignity in state policy. She has also made it a priority to deliver tangible results for House District 30. Her work has helped secure funding for neighborhood parks, library and facility upgrades, affordable housing support, animal care services, beautification projects, and the North Domingo Baca Aquatic Center. Those efforts reflect a broader approach to public service, one focused not only on legislation, but on bringing visible improvements home to the community she represents.

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