Elizabeth R. Ortiz, PhD

Elizabeth R. Ortiz, Ph.D., is a media and communication consultant and celebrated media literacy educator who helps organizations and individuals critically analyze and challenge the narratives that shape our society and culture. With over 20 years of experience, her mission is to empower historically marginalized groups to reject the stereotypes and limitations that media and society impose on them and to use their voices—online and in real life—to make the world a more just place. Ortiz earned her Ph.D. in Teaching, Learning, and Technology from Lehigh University, where her research focused on how Black and Latina women navigate media and negotiate mediated representations of race, gender, sexuality, and class. Her recent study highlights how elementary-age Black, Latinx, and multiethnic learners use storytelling as a form of counternarrative, asserting their agency to critique dominant narratives and author their own identities.

She and her husband, Adam, co-own the popular Cactus Blue Mexican Restaurant, where she leverages her expertise to connect with the local community and support local nonprofits. Beyond her professional work, Ortiz is actively involved in several community-based efforts including serving on the boards of the Boys and Girls Club of Allentown and the Rising Tide Community Loan Fund, and mentoring emerging leaders through the Chamber’s Women 2 Women program.