Ph.D. University of Colorado, Denver, 2008

Associate Professor and Director of the Masters of Public Administration (MPA) Program

Biography

Christina A. Medina, PhD, is an Associate Professor in the Government Department at New Mexico State University (NMSU).  A proud Chicana/Mexican-American, she grew up in Denver, Colorado and was the first person in her family to graduate from College.  She earned a bachelor's degree in Communication and Theatre with a minor in Political Science from the University of Colorado (UC-Denver) in 1997.  After graduating, she pursued a career in broadcast media and worked for four years for the ABC news affiliate (7NEWS) in Denver as a community affairs liaison. She returned to UC Denver and completed her Master’s in Public Administration (MPA) in 1998.  Prior to working in academia, she worked as a program evaluator and for several nonprofit organizations, a private consulting firm, and a foundation.  She earned her doctorate in Public Affairs with a concentration in nonprofit management from the University of Colorado Denver in 2008.  

Dr. Medina began her academic career at the community college level and taught for four years as an adjunct instructor of Political Science at the Community College of Aurora.  Since coming to NMSU in 2007, she has served NMSU students in a variety of capacities.  She has served as the Director of the Master of Public Administration (MPA) program since 2011 and has seen the program through international reaccreditation.  The NMSU Master of Public Administration (MPA) program is NASPAA accredited and nationally ranked. 

Dr. Medina is committed to the success of all of her students but especially has a passion for working with first generation Latino/a college students like herself.  She teaches courses in American politics, public administration, public policy, program evaluation, qualitative research methods, and public human resource management.  Her research interests include education policy, program evaluation, qualitative research methods, and community engagement.  Dr. Medina has published articles on Latino parental involvement, school choice, diversity, equity and inclusion, public administration, education policy, immigration policy, and on issues regarding higher education and the Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) mission.  She also serves as an affiliate faculty member of NMSU's new Borderlands and Ethnic Studies (BEST) program and is the 2022-2023 Hispanic Faculty & Staff (HFSC) President.

Courses Taught

Dr. Medina teaches courses in both political science and public administration. She has taught American National Government, Introduction to Political Science, Introduction to Public Administration, Public Policy, and Qualitative Research Methods.

Contact Information

Email at camedina@nmsu.edu
Breland Hall, room 357
575-646-4353