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Community Relations Coordinator

Lipman Family Farms

A lifelong resident of Immokalee, Maria Munguia-Cortes’ community involvement started in high school, when she was a reading and math tutor for at-risk elementary-age students. After becoming the first member of her family to graduate from college, she began working for Lipman Family Farms, North America’s largest open-field tomato grower and distributor. Serving as a connection point between the company and the community, Munguia-Cortes said she wants to continue giving back.

“I would not be where I am today had it not been for all the incredible mentors in my life. I credit the Guadalupe Center for providing me with my first mentors,” she says. “My experience in development programs like the Guadalupe Tutor Corps, Redlands Christian Migrant Association’s daycare and The Immokalee Foundation have all shaped my desire to give the same opportunities I received to the generation coming up behind me.”

In 2021, Munguia-Cortes was elected to the Guadalupe Center Board of Trustees, becoming its youngest member and the first Tutor Corps alumna to join its governance board.

In 2022, she was selected for Associate Leadership Collier, a program of the Leadership Collier Foundation of the Greater Naples Chamber of Commerce.