Ortega, Sonia
Sonia Ortega
Dr. Sonia Ortega, now retired, is a leader in strategic planning, program and partnership development, mentoring innovations, educational outreach, and funding innovations for increasing the diversity of ecologists. Her career included roles at the University of New Mexico, the American Institute of Biological Sciences, and, most recently, at the National Science Foundation (NSF). Before retiring, Dr. Ortega was the Program Director of the East Asia and Pacific Group in the Office of International Science and Engineering. She joined the NSF in 1989 as an Embassy Science Fellow at the U.S. Embassy in Malaysia. In 2013, the Ecological Society of America recognized Dr. Ortega for her work to support and promote diversity in ecology with the ‘Commitment to Human Diversity in Ecology Award.
“There is more than academia; there are many options. You can do anything that you want to do.” - Sonia Ortega, 2005
Ortega, Sonia. 2010. Introduction about graduate education training and overall goals of the GK-12 program. 95th ESA Annual Convention 2010.
Ortega, Sonia. 2009. Looking into the crystal ball: NSF and the future of ecology education. 94th ESA Annual Convention 2009.
Ortega, Sonia. 2008. Broader impacts: Linking research, education and outreach. 93rd ESA Annual Convention 2008.
Sonia Ortega was born in Nicaragua on May 19, 1953, to Emilio, a diplomat, and Grisela, a seamstress and government employee. She and her three sisters grew up in Honduras and attended college in Costa Rica. As a child, Dr. Ortega constantly interacted with nature – she watched Jacques Cousteau films, caught butterflies, and went to the ocean on family vacations. Her family trips to the beach in Nicaragua allowed Dr. Ortega to collect and classify seashells and explore tidepools. At home, she also collected insects and bird nests. The combination of these childhood experiences and later ones influenced her decision to pursue a career in natural resources.
After graduating high school, Dr. Ortega took her first formal steps toward an environmental career. She notes that students in Central America are encouraged to choose their career path before college. As a result of her lifelong love of nature, she decided to study natural resources and biology. Dr. Ortega attended the University of Costa Rica, where she received her undergraduate degree in biology in 1975. She then moved to the United States to pursue her Master’s in Zoology at Duke University. She received her doctorate in biology from the University of South Carolina in 1986.
After she graduated from Duke, she returned to Central America and became Program Director with the Department of Research and Technology at the Central Bank of Nicaragua. Although she enjoyed her work supervising an experimental shrimp project on the Pacific Coast of Nicaragua, violent conflict kept her from staying long - “I could only do it for a year because there was a war going on, so I left, and I decided to go back to school” (2016). She returned to the U.S. to study marine ecology and earned her doctorate in biology from the University of South Carolina in 1986.
After receiving her doctorate, Dr. Ortega became a research associate at Duke University, where she conducted a project analyzing oyster populations on the North Carolina coast. In 1989, while working at Duke, Dr. Ortega’s mentor shared with her an opportunity to work for the National Science Foundation (NSF). Hesitant, she applied for the temporary position, and after being accepted, she began working on women and minorities in science programs in Washington, D.C.
Dr. Ortega did not expect to stay in Washington, D.C., but after her husband got sick and died from brain cancer, she decided to stay in the city to focus on science funding.
In 1993, when she was the Director of the NSF Presidential Faculty Fellows Awards, she had the opportunity to meet President Clinton when Dr. Ortega accompanied the Fellows to the White House to receive their awards. Another career highlight came when she spent a month in Antarctica as an NSF representative. While there, Dr. Ortega experienced being in a boat for five days, celebrated Christmas in Antarctica, and was able to observe the scientists and their fieldwork. “I had a great time,” she says. “It was a unique opportunity that few people get, and I would have gotten the chance without the background that I have” (2016). In 2012, she served as an Embassy Science Fellow at the U.S. Embassy in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where she spent two months representing the NSF and the U.S. at meetings and activities related to science and education in Malaysia.
During her time with the NSF, Dr. Ortega shifted her focus from solely biology to several areas. She directed the NSF Graduate Teaching Fellows in the K-12 Education Program. Dr. Ortega was also involved in other programs that focus on minority and female faculty. Additionally, she worked with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) post-doctoral program. Dr. Ortega also led in her roles at the NSF, Ecological Society of America (ESA), the Long Term Ecological Research Network Office at the University of New Mexico, the Association for the Advancement of Science, and the American Institute of Biological Sciences.
Dr. Ortega is active with the ESA. She also worked with the Education and Human Resources Committee on several initiatives, most recently the Strategies for Ecology Education, Development and Sustainability (SEEDS) project. This ESA effort aims to connect minority undergraduate students with educational opportunities in the ecological field. In 2013, the ESA recognized Dr. Ortega for her outstanding contributions to increasing current and future diversity in the ecological community with the Commitment of Human Diversity Award.
Dr. Ortega is also a member of an aviation organization, stating, “I am a private pilot. I belong to an international women’s pilot organization called the Ninety-Nines. I don’t teach other women how to fly, but we encourage them to fly by providing fellowships” (2016). Dr. Ortega notes that holding positions where she can help others achieve their personal goals gives her a great sense of accomplishment. She considers her most significant achievements those that are related to helping others succeed - “I think that’s when I [most] feel that I’ve made a difference in someone’s life or career. It’s a series of achievements, not just one thing” (2016).
Her most recent position before retirement was as the Program Director in the East Asia and Pacific Cluster in the Office of International Science and Engineering. In this role, Dr. Ortega engaged with science funding organizations internationally to advance collaboration and funding opportunities. She was involved in various programs related to supporting students and faculty at U.S. institutions interested in collaborating with researchers abroad. She was formerly involved with the Graduate Research Opportunities Worldwide (GROW), an opportunity for NSF funded Graduate Research Fellows to conduct research at foreign institutions. She would host foreign delegations and travels abroad to represent the NSF and is in many ways a ‘Science Diplomat,” following in her father’s steps.
One of Dr. Ortega’s greatest challenges was her first year of graduate school. “I didn’t speak the language [English],” she says. “Some of my professors didn’t think I could do well in grad school, so it was very hard, and I had to work very hard to stay on track” (2016). Dr. Ortega says she was determined and stubborn in the face of hardship because she realized she might not have another opportunity to study, so she did not want to throw it away. “I thought if I kept at it, I’d achieve my goals,” she says. “I eventually met a mentor that believed in me and helped me stay with it” (2016).
Dr. Ortega says that without that mentor’s guidance, she would likely not have completed graduate school. “I couldn’t have gotten here without mentors,” Dr. Ortega says. One such mentor was a professor who helped her find ways to attend graduate school. “If not for him… I would not have gotten my Masters or Ph.D.” She cites numerous other mentors who encouraged her to continue her studies and believed in her ability to pursue an environmental career.
Knowing the importance of role models to the development of young students and professionals, Dr. Ortega serves as a mentor herself. She is involved in the Society for the Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS), which recognized her in 2008 with a Distinguished Professional Mentor award.
Dr. Ortega notes that another crucial part of the mentoring process is discovering good learning opportunities and passing them along. “I always keep an eye out for these things… for things that other people might be interested,” she says, recalling the mentor who informed her of the NSF position (2016). “I know a lot of young people who want to get involved with these careers, so I write letters of recommendation for them, make phone calls for them… those kinds of things” (2016).
Dr. Ortega advises minorities interested in the environmental sciences to keep an open mind, look for opportunities, and be prepared to take risks. “There is more than academia; there are many options,” she says, “You can do anything that you want to do. Your decisions are not forever; they aren’t etched in stone, and there is always a chance to change fields, careers, or interests. Basically, be open-minded” (2016).
Sonia Ortega. LinkedIn. (n.d.). Retrieved September 2023 from https://www.linkedin.com/in/sonia-ortega-40410a26/
Sonia Ortega. Nature Bridge. (n.d.). Retrieved September 2023 https://naturebridge.org/about-us/leadership/sonia-ortega
Interview conducted by Multicultural Environmental Leadership Development Initiative staff. 2016. University of Michigan – School of Natural Resources and Environment. Ann Arbor, MI.
Sonia Ortega [Photo]. Wingspan. 2021, May 7.https://www.wingspans.com/story/sonia-ortega/
Taylor, Dorceta (Ed.). 2005. The Paths We Thread: Profiles of the Careers of Minority Environmental Professionals. Minority Environmental Leadership Development Initiative, University of Michigan School of Natural Resources and Environment.
Sonia Ortega [Photo]. Wingspan. 2021, May 7.https://www.wingspans.com/story/sonia-ortega/