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Dr. Peña earned her Ph.D. in Education with a concentration in Higher Education in 2007 from the University of Southern California (USC).  After teaching graduate level courses at USC for several years, Dr. Peña joined the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ faculty in 2009. As a Professor in Higher Education Leadership at Cal Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ, her research currently focuses on social justice issues for students with disabilities, particularly autism, in the preschool through higher education pipeline. Dr. Peña is a co-founder of the Autism and Communication Center and has been the Director since 2016. Her scholarship and advocacy around communication access and suppoert for autistic college students has reached international aud at Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ.