Catalina Rodriguez Lima is the Director of the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs (MIMA) in Baltimore City. As the Director of MIMA, Catalina is responsible for promoting community well-being, economic development and the inclusion of immigrant and refugee communities in the City of Baltimore. Her office oversees the city’s compliance with federal regulations related to serving the Limited English Proficient (LEP) constituency. In addition, MIMA staffs Boards and Coalitions such as the Baltimore City Hispanic Commission, The Baltimore City Hispanic Advisory Council for Public Safety, and the New Americans Task Force –these last two created under Catalina’s leadership-to craft programs and policies to target the city’s estimated 50,000 foreign born.
She recently collaborated on a report with the Abell Foundation, entitled the “Role of Immigrants in Growing Baltimore, Recommendations to Retain and Attract Immigrants.” The report is one of few in the country highlighting the importance of retaining and attracting immigrant communities to cities in America.
Catalina’s efforts on messaging and enhancing infrastructure have further placed Baltimore as a Welcoming City for immigrants and refugees nationwide. She is a member of the Community University Collaborative Council (CUCC) of Johns Hopkins Urban Health Institute (UHI), Providers by the Maryland Office of Refugees and Asylees, Johns Hopkins Centro Sol, Legal Aid Language Access Task Force, The Open Society Leadership Institute and The Baltimore City Hispanic Advisory Council for Public Safety.
In 2013, she was named as one of 50 Women to Watch by The Baltimore Sun. In 2014, she was recognized by the Baltimore Business Journal’s 40 under 40 list. In the same year, she was named “Professional of the Year” by The Maryland Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.
Catalina received a Bachelor’s Degree in International Studies with a concentration in Latin America Studies and Spanish Literature from Towson University.
Catalina’s free time is devoted to her husband and to improving her immediate neighborhood by serving on the Friends of Patterson Park Board. A native of Ecuador, Catalina moved to the United States in the year 2000.
