2024-25 WCPSS School Leadership Mtgs.

Dr. MariaRosa Rangel has over twenty-five years of educational experience. She obtained her Bachelor’s Degree in Bilingual/ Bicultural and Elementary Education from the Northeastern University of Chicago, Illinois, and her Master’s Degree in School Administration and Doctoral Degree in Education from North Carolina State University. She has served as a third-grade Bilingual teacher, a GED instructor, a Spanish / ESL Teacher, an Assistant Principal, a district-wide LEP/ Dual Language Coordinator, and a Senior Administrator for Latino Outreach.

Dr. Rangel is the Director of Family and Community Engagement in the Office of Equity Affairs for the Wake County Public School District (WCPSS). She is responsible for the planning, developing, and coordinating family and community activities/events and programs to improve student's academic achievement; oversees the District Family Academy which offers FREE workshops and educational events for WCPSS families in various schools and community sites throughout Wake County. Dr. Rangel also provides Cultural Proficiency staff development to WCPSS faculty and staff.

Dr. Rangel is active and well-respected within the Latino community. She serves as the Vice Chair for the North Carolina Society of Hispanic Professionals, Vice Chair of the Hispanic Latino Action Coalition, and Chair for the NC. Governor’s Advisory Council on Hispanic/Latino Affairs, Chair for the Wake PTA Council DIE Subcommittee and member at large, Board of Directors Member and Secretary for the NC Education Corp, Board of Directors Member for the Marble Museum, Board of Directors Member of the Kramden Institute, Member for the N.C. Adelante Education Coalition, Member of the Consulate General of Mexico Local IME Scholarship Committee, Member of ALPES (Alianza Latina Proeducación en Salud), and Member of the Capítulo Raleigh Red Global MX (Raleigh Mexican Global Chapter).

Dr. Rangel’s work within the Latino community is to be noted in October 2013, she was honored with the Latino Diamante Award in the education category. In addition to the Latino Diamante honor, she received the “Orgullo de Nuestra Comunidad” (the Pride of Our Community) award given by Univision 40 to recognize the outstanding Hispanic leaders in the community. On December 2017, she was recognized as the Latino Leader for the Week by WARL- HOLA NC – FOX 50. Her most considerable recognition was issued on September 7, 2018, when she was awarded the Ohtli Award by the Consul General of Mexico Remedios Gómez Arnu for her longstanding contribution to the NC Latino families. In July 2022, Dr. Rangel received the LIFT Innovator Award for Equity and Inclusion, and in October 2022, she was highlighted during Hispanic Heritage Month on ABC11 for her outstanding work with NC families. In March 2023, she was nominated to become a National PTA Healthy Mind Ambassador. On March 2023, the Hispanic-Latino Ecosystem partners named Dr. Rangel the Hispanic-Latina Woman of the Year. Recently on June 5, 2025, Dr. Rangel was awarded the Innovative Academia Leader Award for the WCPSS Family Academies Parent Workshops by Lieutenant Governor.