Featured Video

Meet Maria-Elena Ochoa

With the desire to make a difference for underserved populations on a statewide level, Maria-Elena Ochoa entered into the nonprofit sector

With the desire to make a difference for underserved populations on a statewide level, Maria-Elena Ochoa entered into the nonprofit sector. She first earned a bachelor's degree in psychology from Arizona State University in 1993, followed with an MBA, with an emphasis in health care administration, from the University of Phoenix in 2000. She has since worked with Valle Del Sol as its chief operating officer, and with Marc Behavioral Health Services serving as its program administrator. Possessing 35 years of experience, she has dedicated the past six to Mountain Health and Wellness, where she holds the position of chief of medical operations.

Over the years, Ms. Ochoa has honed her skills in systems integration and development, contract negotiations, business development, and strategic planning. Her primary roles with Mountain Health and Wellness, a nonprofit behavioral health service agency, include facilitating collaboration among state agencies and community-based organizations; integrating primary care into behavioral mental health substance abuse services; and overseeing the division for women in The Governor's Office for Children, Youth and Families. She is also charged with coordinating and staffing the governor's commission to prevent violence against women, grants management and statewide outreach, negotiating contracts and representing the governor at community events and presentations.

Prior to joining Mountain Health and Wellness, Ms. Ochoa served as a part of the executive leadership team at Valle del Sol from 2003 to 2007, starting as the vice president of prevention and family services. She was later promoted to chief operating officer and spearheaded an organizational assessment and corporate cultural change initiative from 2005 to 2007. She worked with a team of directors and developed Valle del Sol's first annual outcome evaluation in 2005 and 2006, as well as the first agency-wide business plan in 2004. She also worked at Marc Behavioral Health Services for more than 24 years, where she obtained funding for, developed, licensed, accredited and managed $8 million of new business from 2001 to 2003, for critical services in areas such as general mental health, serious mental illness, and co-occurring disorders.

Ms. Ochoa is the executive vice president for the Phoenix Chapter of the National Society of Hispanic MBAs and Gamma Alpha Omega, and also serves as a member of the Board Development Committee of the Mountain Park Health Center. In 2006, she was given the Latina Excellence Award for Science and Medicine from Arizona State University. She attributes her success to her passion, work ethic, education, resilience, innovation, and ability to establish strong and authentic relationships. As she continues to advance in her field, Ms. Ochoa hopes to become the chief executive officer or executive director of an organization focused on underserved populations.

For more information about Mountain Health and Wellness, visit http://www.mhwaz.org.

About Worldwide Who's WhoWith over 500,000 members representing every major industry, Worldwide Who's Who is a powerful networking resource that enables professionals to outshine their competition, in part through effective branding and marketing. Worldwide Who's Who employs similar public relations techniques to those utilized by Fortune 500 companies, making them cost-effective for members who seek to take advantage of its career enhancement and business advancement services.

Worldwide Who's Who membership provides individuals with a valuable third-party endorsement of their accomplishments, and gives them the tools needed to brand themselves and their businesses effectively. In addition to publishing biographies in print and electronic form, it offers an online networking platform where members can establish new professional relationships.

For more information, please visit http://www.worldwidewhoswho.com.

Contact: Ellen CampbellDirector, Media Relationspressrelease@worldwidebranding.com