BIO

Ms. Nubia Peña is a Senior Advisor to Governor Cox and the Director for the Utah Division of Multicultural Affairs where their mission is to promote thriving and well-being for Utah's growing community through training, outreach, youth leadership development, community reinvestments, and policy and research efforts. Ms. Peña is immensely grateful for the extensive experience acquired during the past 20 years working as a community organizer and policy advocate for underrepresented populations. She has the great opportunity to facilitate dialogues amongst local and national leaders on complex topics of strategic and effective engagement that addresses disparities to create access for historically underserved communities. During the unprecedented pandemic, Ms. Peña was assigned by Governor Gary R. Herbert to oversee the Multicultural Advisory Committee of Utah’s COVID-19 Response in partnership with Byron Russell and Ze Min Xiao. The model has been nationally and locally uplifted as an example of culturally responsive cross-sector collaboration. Ms. Peña received her Juris Doctorate from the University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law in May 2016. Ms. Peña was named in Utah Business Magazine’s 2020 40 Under 40 award recipients, 2020 Heroes for Utah Philanthropy Day, selected as Sundance Film Festival 2021 Women’s Leadership Celebration honorees and awarded the Utah Business Magazine’s Living Color recognition for service in driving inclusion in the state. In 2022, she received the Utah Minority Bar Association (UMBA) Jimi Mitsunaga Excellence in the Law Award for significantly contributing to and promoting the provision of legal services to underserved communities, excelling in the practice of law, and contributing to UMBA's mission of inclusive social impact. In 2023, Ms. Peña was named the recipient of YWCA’s Outstanding Achievement Award and she received the 2023 Governor’s One Utah Rural Summit Champion recognition. She was also selected as a 2023 Presidential Leaders Scholars, a national development experience that hones leadership capabilities through interactions with former U.S. Presidents, key administration officials, world-renowned academics, and business and civic leaders. Most recently, she was selected as an inaugural awardee for the Martha Hughes Cannon Award for Policy Advocacy from Utah Women Run.