Marlene De La Cruz-Guzmán, Ph.D. is the Vice President for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Viterbo University. With a doctorate in English Literature from Ohio University, Marlene is passionate about all the arts. A published poet in English and Spanish, she has written a book of poetry in English entitled The Old Folks’ Child: Poems Inspired by Sister Thea Bowman, FSPA (Franciscan Institute Publishers). Her Spanish language book of poetry entitled Caminitos will be published in May 2026 (Valparaiso Ediciones). She is currently editing a poetry anthology in Spanish entitled EL Alma De Poeta: Poemario del Medio Oeste en Español which brings together more than thirty Latina/o/x poets’ work and is scheduled to be released in the fall of 2026. Marlene has held poetry readings across the nation and the globe. A well-published academic and literary scholar with extensive executive administrative experience, Marlene is also an accomplished facilitator and keynote speaker and serves as a tenured faculty member at Viterbo University and on various community boards.