Joanna M. Bauza, Bus Ad ’97, was elected to the Marquette University Board of Trustees in 2016.

Joanna, president of The Cervantes Group, is well-versed in technology having been in the industry since graduating in 1997 from Marquette University where she obtained her business degree in management information systems and marketing. Later, she received her MBA from DePaul University in eBusiness and entrepreneurship. She has worked in technology startups, nonprofits and multi billion dollar corporations throughout her career. In 2004 she and her husband, Tim Mullen, Comm ’96, created The Cervantes Group. Today The Cervantes Group is a multi million dollar company and one of the largest in Puerto Rico with offices in Boston, Chicago, Madrid and Queretaro, Mexico. The company was recognized in 2011 by Inc. Magazine as one of the fastest growing private companies at No. 1,465 and was also named one of the “Top Hispanic or Latino-run Companies on the Inc. 5000” that same year.

Joanna has many ties to the Puerto Rico community in the IT banking and web development sectors and was recognized by the San Juan Star newspaper in 2007 and 2008 as part of the “Women in Leadership.” She was featured in “Women Who Rule” in 2009 for her successes by the leading Caribbean publication Caribbean Business. She was a member of the board of directors of the Puerto Rico Chamber of Commerce of Illinois.

Joanna is from Guaynabo, Puerto Rico, and was the No. 1 ranked Puerto Rican women’s tennis player for more than five years, three-time MVP of Marquette University’s women’s tennis team. She led the Marquette women’s tennis team to their first NCAA Tennis Championship her senior year. She is the former tennis champion of Puerto Rico in both singles and doubles, and represented Puerto Rico in the first Federation Cup tennis team in Puerto Rico’s history in 1992. Joanna met her husband at Marquette University and they have two children, Sofia and Nicolas. The couple won the “Spirit of Marquette Award” in 2015.

Joanna is a member of the Marquette University President's Society.