Elizabeth Ortiz

Elizabeth R. Ortiz is a media & communication consultant and celebrated media literacy educator who helps organizations and individuals critically analyze and challenge the media messages that shape our society and culture. With over 20 years of experience in media and communication education, her mission is to empower historically marginalized groups to reject the stereotypes and limitations that media & society impose on them, and to use their voices online and in real life to make the world a more just place. Ortiz is currently pursuing a PhD in Teaching, Learning & Technology at Lehigh University, where her research focuses on how Black and Latina girls navigate media and negotiate mediated representations of race, gender, sexuality, and class.

Ortiz is also co-owner and marketing director of the popular Cactus Blue Mexican Restaurant, where she leverages her experience to connect with the local community and serve local nonprofits. Ortiz is driven by community work and currently serves as Vice President on the Board of Directors for the Boys and Girls Club of Allentown Foundation and Secretary of The Rising Tide Community Loan Fund. She also dedicates her energies to the work of The Allentown Symphony, The Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce and The Kindness Project. She has been named a Woman of Influence by Lehigh Valley Business, Lehigh Valley’s Finest by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, Board Member of the Year by the Boys and Girls Club of Allentown and was awarded the Cedar Crest College Alumnae Award for Teaching Excellence.