| District 11, one of the most diverse communities in Arizona, has been my home my entire life. I believe a legislator must maintain close contact with the community and must be available to the people at any time. From the devotion of time my mother, Ysabel Hernandez, spent at St. Catherine of Sienna Parish, to the time spent at American Legion Post 41, where my father Robert, a Korean War Veteran was a member, to my involvement in sports in the South Mountain Community, this community has always been there to support me in all my endeavors, and I look forward to giving back.
Raised in the Jorgenson neighborhood near Bishop Henry Barnwellfs Missionary Baptist Church where her athletic talents took her from all-star fame, to East High basketball and scholarship offers from South Mountain Community College and Arizona State University.
Miranda credits her sports experience for the development of strong leadership skills. gI learned when I need to be aggressive,h she explains, gand I learned when I should pull back. I discovered and honed my ability to take charge and lead a team.
Experience-
ARIZONA STATE SENATOR │ 2010 - 2018
Senator Miranda represents Arizona Legislative District #27, covering downtown Phoenix, Laveen, South Mountain, and parts of Phoenix), where she daily champions the Latino/Hispanic issues.
Catherine served 3 terms as Senator (2014 - to-date) and was Ranking member of the Education Committee. The Senator also sat on the Commerce and Public Safety Committee.
Senator Miranda's priorities are education (with special focus on Dream Act students), veterans, health, and immigration.
Catherine is optimistic that the critical issues facing Arizona can be addressed by focusing on priorities and rejecting partisan distraction. That is why, when needed, she is not afraid to reach across the aisle in order to achieve results.
Senator Miranda has become the beacon of education in the state. She is committed to improve the current level of education in Arizona and symbolizes support for all children. Catherine works hard daily for the rights of students, especially of those in low-income areas, the very same areas she represents.
When a Senator she single-handedly struck down an anti-immigration intro-set, similar to SB-1070, before it became a bill and was the bridge to incorporate the business community to defeat such measure. Fighting this type of law and maintaining the good relationship between our two countries is another challenge daily faced by Catherine.
In 2017, Senator Miranda founded the bipartisan Arizona Legislature Business/Education Forum aimed to guide the Business and Education communities to transform new technology into a new paradigm for education.
Furthermore, she is co-founder of the new Manzana/TOCC (Tohono O'odham Community College) Phoenix Extension, the first college offering DACA recipients in-state tuition after the recent Program suspension by President Donald Trump.
ARIZONA STATE REPRESENTATIVE │ 2010 - 2014
TEACHER & SCHOOL ADMINISTRATOR │ 2002 - 2005
SCHOOL ADMINISTRATOR │ 2005 - 2008
MEMBER OF THE ROOSEVELT SCHOOL DISTRICT BOARD │ 2008
Memberships-
LEGISLATIVE ADVISORY COMMITTEE (LAC) FOR THE WESTERN INTERSTATE COMMISSION FOR HIGHER EDUCATION (WICHE)
In 2017, Senator Miranda was appointed member of Legislative Advisory Committee of the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education, a 16 members committee working collaboratively to expand educational access and excellence for all citizens of the West region of our nation.
NATIONAL HISPANIC CAUCUS OF STATE LEGISLATORS (NHCSL)
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF LATINO ELECTED OFFICIALS (NALEO)
Education-
B.A. in Elementary Education 2001 Arizona State University Phoenix Arizona
M.A.in Educational Leadership 2004 Northern Arizona University Flagstaff, Arizona.
Awards-
Valle Del Sol Profiles of Success Exemplary Leadership Award (2017)
NFL Hispanic Heritage Leadership award 2017
U.S. Term Limits Champion Award
The John S. Martinez Excellence in Leadership Award
From the National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators (2013)
The Rio Salado Presidentfs Award
For leadership and support of Arizonafs Adult Basic Education Programs (2014)
Champion of Education award 2017 Arizona School Administrators
The Dream Act Award
For her support to Dreamers recipients in Arizona (2011)
The Arizona School Public Relations Association (Aspra) Award of Excellence To A Government Official
For her contributions to Pubic Education (2015)
League Of Arizona Cities and Towns Leadership Recognition (2017 & 2018)
Laveen Elementary School Leader of Education Recognition Award (2017)
Mujeres en Conexion award for community and women of Arizona 2018
Arizona Public Universities Board of Regents Recognition (2016)
For her support to higher education in Arizona.
St. Thomas More Award 2018 Red Mass
Best Democrat, Arizona Legislature (July, 2014) |