Maribel holds the Jim Griffith Chair in Public Folklore at the Southwest Center, University of Arizona. She has held positions at the University of Arizona as Associate Dean for Community Engagement in the College of Social & Behavioral Sciences and as Associate Provost for Diversity and Inclusion. Maribel is the founder of the Southwest Folklife Alliance and has served as Senior Director of Tucson Meet Yourself Folklife Festival since 2010. In 2018, the American Folklore Society awarded her the prestigious Americo Paredes Prize for “excellence in integrating scholarship and engagement with the people and communities one studies.” Maribel is currently serving as Secretary on SFA’s Board of Directors.