She is the author of Purposeful Educator Connections: Five Principles to Strengthen Relationships with Students. In the book, Marcela offers critical principles to deepen relationships with students, understand the importance of context beyond compliance, foster meaningful interactions, design high-quality learning environments, and partner with key stakeholders. Purposeful Educator Connections provides high-leverage practices, case studies, and reflection questions to help educators apply these principles to their practice, ultimately improving classroom culture and student outcomes.

Her sphere of influence spans multiple cities across the nation, where she oversees projects that are dedicated to cultivating culturally responsive program strategies, advancing organizational excellence, nurturing substantial relationships, and executing comprehensive evaluations to achieve targeted outcomes. Among her achievements, Marcela has pioneered the development of innovative programs and curricula that have effectively transformed the landscape of family engagement within the education realm.

Before establishing designEDengagement, Marcela served as the Program Director of Raising Family Partnerships, where she spearheaded the research, design, and execution of a groundbreaking statewide family engagement principal fellowship in Texas. Additionally, she served as the founding operations manager, supporting the successful establishment of four schools that collectively catered to the needs of over 1,800 students and their families.

Marcela's educational journey was initiated in Torreón, Coahuila, Mexico, where she served as a 3rd and 4th-grade educator at a bilingual elementary school. Before transitioning into education, Marcela garnered experience within the corporate insurance sector.

Marcela, proficient in her native Spanish and a source of pride as the daughter of immigrants from Cuba and Mexico, embraces her pursuits in globetrotting, real estate ownership, and an accomplished entrepreneurial trajectory. She is a member of various renowned programs, including but not limited to Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Business, Education Leaders of Color, Latinos for Education, The Alumni Society, Leadership Austin, Women's Business Enterprise Alliance, Catalyst’s Arc Collaborative, and 4.0. Marcela graduated with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance from Saint Edward's University and a Master's in Education from Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Driven by her journey from poverty to prosperity through high-quality education and strong community partnerships, Marcela is uniquely positioned to bridge gaps and support educators in fostering meaningful connections. Her vision for designEDengagement is to create an educational ecosystem where collaboration and partnership are at the forefront, ensuring every student has the support needed to succeed. Her core values of integrity, resilience, and community engagement guide her leadership, inspiring others to pursue impactful change.

Outside of her professional endeavors, Marcela enjoys cooking, traveling, investing in real estate, and embracing her entrepreneurial spirit. She is deeply committed to giving back to the community and supporting initiatives that promote educational equity and family engagement.