Hortensia Soto is a Professor and Graduate Director in the Department of Mathematics at Colorado State University. Her research is at the intersection of K-16 mathematics, education, and cognitive science. She adopts an embodied cognition perspective which argues that learning is body-based. Specifically, she has used this lens in teaching and researching the learning of geometry, linear algebra, abstract algebra, combinatorics, and complex analysis. Hortensia has mentored young women and promoted mathematics via summer outreach programs and frequently facilitates professional development for K-16 teachers. She recently published the book, Bodies in Motion, Minds on Math: Body Based Activities for K-6 Classroom.

Hortensia is a working member of the Mathematical Association of America (MAA) where she has served as the Associate Treasurer, the Associate Secretary, President, and as an editor of the MAA Instructional Practices Guide. She is a proud recipient of the MAA Deborah and Franklin Tepper Haimo Award for Distinguished College or University Teaching of Mathematics. In her spare time, Hortensia enjoys hiking, snowshoeing, practicing yoga, meditating, and spending time with her son Miguel.