Dr. Macias consults on research and policy projects that focus on increasing excellence and equity in STEM education, information technology, and for women, especially Latinas. Dr. Macias was previously at the University of Southern California, where she focused on data-based decision-making to increase excellence and equity in student outcomes, organizational learning and change, and diversity in higher education. Prior to that, Dr. Macias held a long tenure at the Tomás Rivera Policy Institute (TRPI) where she oversaw the research agenda on information technology policy and established a national reputation as an expert on the use and diffusion of technology into diverse populations.

Dr. Macias has briefed elected officials at the federal, state, and local levels, including the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. She is the immediate past-CoChair of the Social Science Advisory Board of the National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT), and she was recognized in the annual HITEC 100 list (Hispanic IT Executive Council) of the nation’s top Hispanic executives and rising stars within information technology for 2008 and 2009. Her research has been funded by the National Science Foundation, the W. K. Kellogg Foundation, IBM, Verizon, and the U.S. Department of Commerce, among others.