Rutgers, The State University of New JerseyUnited States
Jason Cortés is an Associate Professor and Program Director in American Studies at Rutgers University-Newark, with affiliations in the Department of Classical and Modern Languages and Literatures, Africana Studies, Spanish and Portuguese Studies, and the Program in Women's and Gender Studies. His research focuses on Caribbean, US Latina/o, and Spanish American literatures through the lenses of cultural studies and critical theory. Education: Ph.D., Spanish American Literature, Pennsylvania State University M.A., Comparative Literature, PSU B.A., Comparative Literature, University of Puerto Rico (Mayaguez, PR) His scholarship explores intersections of masculinity, authorship, and cultural identity in Latino-Caribbean narrative. Current projects include Loving Death: The Necrophilic Imagination in Latin/o America and Tales of Disposability: Puerto Rico in the Post-911 Era .
Natalia Villanueva-Nieves is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Chicana and Chicano Studies at Sonoma State University. Her interdisciplinary scholarship bridges literary studies, affect theory, and digital humanities, with a focus on Latinx, Chicanx, Central American, and Caribbean expressive cultures. Her academic background includes a doctoral degree in Chicana and Chicano Studies from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and a master’s in Comparative Literary Studies from Utrecht University. Dr. Villanueva-Nieves' research explores Latinx emotional geographies, transnational feminisms, hemispheric race studies, and digital storytelling. She investigates how affect, space, and racialization intersect in Latina narratives, particularly through relational and hemispheric frameworks. Her work emphasizes collective archives of care and hope in Latinx testimonial writing. Her recent publications reflect a strong trend toward interdisciplinary and public-facing scholarship, combining literary analysis with digital tools and social justice engagement. The articles span themes such as affective spaces, digital archives, transnational feminisms, and geocritical approaches to Latinx literature. Her scholarly work has appeared in Chiricú Journal , Ex-Centric Narratives Journal , Zócalo Public Square , American National Biography , Aztlán: A Journal of Chicano Studies , and edited volumes from UNAM and the University of Alcalá de Henares. Dr. Villanueva-Nieves is currently developing a digital monograph that uses interactive maps and digital storytelling to present Latinx testimonial writing as living archives. She is also completing her book The True Colors of Feeling Brown: Affect and Space in Latina Narratives , under contract with Palgrave in the Geocriticism and Spatial Literary Studies series.
Carmen Lamas is an Associate Professor at the University of Virginia, jointly appointed to the Department of English and the Department of American Studies. Her work bridges Latinx literary traditions with hemispheric American and Latin American studies, focusing on 19th-century to contemporary scholarship. PhD, University of Pennsylvania M.A., Georgetown University B.S./B.A., Florida State University Lamas specializes in Latinx literary cultures, translation practices, and historiography of the Americas. Her research interrogates the intersections of race, migration, and transnational identity through 19th-century texts, digital humanities projects, and collaborative editorial work. Her recent publications highlight the enduring relevance of 19th-century Latinx literature, emphasizing translation as both a creative and political act. Themes include hemispheric transformations, Afro-Latinx representation, and archival recovery of marginalized voices. LASA 2022 Latinx Studies Book Award MLA 2023 Book Prize All-University Teaching Award, 2022 Buckner W. Clay Award, 2021 Henry Luce Project Course Development Award, 2018 As co-founder of the Latina/o Studies Association and editor of Pasados , Lamas champions interdisciplinary collaboration. She has presented widely, including plenary addresses at MACLAS and the MLA Conference, and serves on editorial boards like J19 and Recovering the US Hispanic Literary Heritage .
Rita E. Urquijo-Ruiz is a Professor at Trinity University in the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures. She is the first Latina faculty member to achieve full professorship at Trinity, specializing in Chicanx/Latinx and LGBTQ+ studies. Her work bridges Mexican, Chicanx, and Latinx literatures, theater, and gender studies. Ph.D. in Literature from UC San Diego Advocate for marginalized communities through interdisciplinary teaching Founder of Global Latinx Studies major and Latinx Leadership Institute Her research focuses on borderlands culture , queer narratives , and transnational Mexican studies . She has received Trinity’s highest service award and multiple Mellon research grants. Her publications and conferences emphasize LGBTQ+ Chicanx identity , undocumented experiences , and performance as activism . She mentors under McNair Scholars and Alvarez Internship programs, while leading committees for MALCS and AJAAS conferences. Key community roles include Board of Directors at Jump-Start Performance Company and Esperanza Peace Center collaborations.
Sarah D. Wald is an Associate Professor in the Department of Environmental Studies & English at the University of Oregon's College of Arts and Sciences. She also serves as Director of Graduate Admissions for the English program. Her research focuses on environmental justice, Latinx and Asian American cultural studies, and food systems, with a particular emphasis on farmworker rights and migration narratives. She holds a Ph.D., M.A., and B.A. in American Studies from Brown University and Reed College respectively. Wald's academic work bridges environmental humanities with critical race theory, examining issues like decolonial frameworks in outdoor spaces, food justice, and the intersection of labor and citizenship. She has published extensively, including co-editing volumes such as Latinx Environmentalisms and authoring The Nature of California . Her research collaborations include the Tierra Viva Collaborative and the Northwest Forest Plan Just Futures initiative. Her teaching focuses on inclusive pedagogy and community-based learning, including developing the UO Common Reading Program's Under the Feet of Jesus guide. She actively engages in public scholarship through symposia like the Race, Environmental Justice and Public Lands Symposium and digital humanities projects like Racial Ecologies of Mt. Hood National Forest . Wald's scholarly contributions span peer-reviewed articles, edited collections, and interdisciplinary projects addressing environmental equity, transmedia narratives, and racialized access to natural spaces. Her work consistently integrates activism, literature, and policy analysis to advance justice-centered environmental scholarship.
Karen Jaime is an Associate Professor at Cornell University within the College of Arts and Sciences, jointly appointed in Performing and Media Arts and Latina/o Studies. An interdisciplinary scholar, her work bridges performance studies, queer studies, and Latinx studies to analyze racialized sexualities and aesthetics in Loisaida (Lower East Side) communities. Education: Ph.D., Performance Studies, New York University M.A., Performance Studies, New York University B.A., History and Spanish Literature, Cornell University Karen's research interrogates queer nightlife cultures, minoritarian aesthetics, and spoken word poetry as political acts. She explores how marginalized communities use performance to challenge norms and preserve cultural memory, particularly in Latinx and Afro-Caribbean contexts. Her award-winning monograph The Queer Nuyorican reclaims the Nuyorican Poets Cafe as a historically queer space. Other publications in journals like TSQ: Transgender Studies Quarterly and anthologies such as Flicker and Spark further expand these themes. Scientific Awards: 2023-2024 Schomburg Center Fellowship 2023 Cornell Faculty Champion Award 2022 Victor Villaseñor Best Latino Focused Nonfiction Book Award 2019-2020 Career Enhancement Fellowships Karen also curates courses like Nightlife and Performance Studies: Theories and Methods , emphasizing intersectional pedagogy. As a spoken word artist and co-editor of Memorias de Miguel , she actively bridges academia and community engagement.
David L. Leal is a Professor in the Department of Government at the University of Texas at Austin's College of Liberal Arts, where he has taught since 2002. He is also a Faculty Affiliate in the School of Civic Leadership, a Senior Fellow at the Civitas Institute, and a Senior Fellow (adjunct) at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University. Leal earned his Ph.D. from Harvard University. His academic journey includes being an Associate Member at Nuffield College, University of Oxford (2017-2020), a Fellow at the Rothermere American Institute, University of Oxford (2021-22), and a Fulbright Distinguished Lecturer in Japan (2014). His primary academic interest is Latino politics, with recent work exploring the political and policy implications of demographic change in the United States. Leal's research spans British politics, political institutions, voter behavior, and the intersection of literature and politics, particularly focusing on P.G. Wodehouse's political humor. He argues against the 'demography as destiny' theory, demonstrating that Latino voters are politically heterogeneous and increasingly open to conservative messages as they acculturate. His publications show a consistent trend analyzing how demographic shifts affect electoral politics, with particular attention to the complexities of Latino voting behavior. Rather than following a predetermined path, Leal's work reveals that Latinos' political views increasingly reflect mainstream American political dynamics as they acculturate—a concept he terms 'the politics of similarity.' Senior Fellow, Hoover Institution, Stanford University (2018-) Council Member, American Political Science Association (2019-2022) Distinguished Career Award, Latina/o Caucus of the Midwest Political Science Association (2021) Adaljiza Sosa-Riddell Award for Exemplary Mentoring (2017) Fulbright Distinguished Lecturer (Japan, 2014) Leal has served as an American Political Science Association Congressional Fellow in a US senator's office and has been actively involved in editorial boards for journals including Social Science Quarterly, Education Next, Nations & Nationalism, and Journal of School Choice. He has written one book, edited eight volumes, and published over fifty articles in political science journals. At the Hoover Institution, he participates in the Center for Revitalizing American Institutions and the Socialism and Free Market Capitalism: The Human Prosperity Project.
Maritza E. Cardenas is an Associate Professor of English and Director of the Global Studies Program at the University of Arizona. She holds affiliate appointments in Gender and Women’s Studies, Latin American Studies, the Social, Cultural, and Critical Theory (SCCT) Program, the Institute of LGBTQ Studies, and serves on the Executive Committee for the Human Rights Practice Program. Education: Ph.D. and M.A. in American Culture, University of Michigan B.A. in Comparative Literature, University of Southern California Her research centers on US Central Americans, Latinx cultural productions, and the intersections of disability, race, gender, and sexuality. She explores how marginalized identities are formed through transnational community networks and how cultural narratives challenge dominant ideologies of normalcy and belonging. Her work bridges literary analysis, cultural theory, and social justice advocacy. The body of her recent publications reflects a strong interdisciplinary focus, combining insights from Latinx studies, postcolonial theory, disability studies, and media criticism. Her work appears in leading journals and anthologies, emphasizing diasporic memory, resistance, and the politics of representation in 21st-century U.S. contexts. Scientific Awards and Honors: Woodrow Wilson Postdoctoral Fellowship CMAS-Benson Latin American Research Fellowship Elected Delegate, Latina and Latino Literature Section, Modern Language Association Dr. Cárdenas advises emerging scholars in Latinx and Central American studies and leads the Global Studies program, shaping curricula around transnational justice and human rights. She has secured competitive fellowships supporting her research on identity, dislocation, and cultural production. Her leadership extends into interdisciplinary collaboration across gender, sexuality, and Latin American studies. She contributes to several research collectives and intellectual communities, including the Institute of LGBTQ Studies and the Human Rights Practice Program, where she collaborates on projects addressing inequality, representation, and inclusion.
Silvio Torres-Saillant is a Professor in the English Department and Dean's Professor of the Humanities at Syracuse University's College of Arts and Sciences. He previously founded the CUNY Dominican Studies Institute and led the Latino-Latin American Studies Program. His research focuses on Caribbean literature, Latino cultural studies, and Dominican identity. Torres-Saillant has held visiting positions at Harvard, Amherst, and institutions in Colombia. He co-founded La Casita Cultural Center to bridge Syracuse University with local Latino communities and has contributed to editorial boards for major academic projects like the Recovering the U.S. Hispanic Literary Heritage initiative. Affiliations: Latino-Latin American Studies Program, Editorial Board of Latino Studies (Palgrave) Key Roles: Former Director of CUNY Dominican Studies Institute, William P. Tolley Distinguished Teaching Professor (2019-2021) His publications analyze Caribbean intellectual traditions, Hispanic poetry, and diaspora dynamics. He has served on national committees for the MLA and Fulbright programs, emphasizing marginalized knowledges in academic discourse. Torres-Saillant’s work integrates literary analysis with sociopolitical critique, addressing colonial legacies and cultural resilience.
Karma R. Chávez is the Bobby and Sherri Patton Associate Professor and Chair of Mexican American and Latina/o Studies at the University of Texas at Austin's College of Liberal Arts. She holds cross-affiliations with the Department of Communication Studies, Department of Rhetoric and Writing, Center for Women's and Gender Studies, Center for Mexican American Studies, and the LGBTQ Studies Program. Research Interests: Centered on queer of color critique, coalition-building, and rhetorical analysis of social movements through text and fieldwork methodologies. Teaching: Offers courses in Mexican American Studies including Rhetoric of Ethnic Studies, Queer Migrations, and Interpretive Methods. Key Publications: Authored The Borders of AIDS: Race, Quarantine, and Resistance (2021) and co-edited volumes on rhetorical methods, gender studies, and feminist practices. Current projects include community-university collaborations in Wisconsin and creative non-fiction on Midwestern race dynamics. Media Contributions: Regular host of LatinXperts and Feminist Keywords podcasts, with radio work at WORT-FM. Academic Collaborations: Co-authored with scholars like Eithne Luibhéid, Cindy L. Griffin, and the Against Equality collective.
Lucia Cardenas Curiel is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Teacher Education at Michigan State University's College of Education. She holds a Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin. Her research focuses on literacy practices for culturally and linguistically diverse students, particularly Latina/o bilingual children, emphasizing multicultural literature, social justice, and identity development. Dr. Curiel explores innovative pedagogical strategies rooted in community language practices and teacher preparation for diverse classrooms. She is affiliated with the College of Education and Department of Teacher Education. Her work bridges theory and practice through studies on translanguaging, multiliteracies, and bilingual education. Recent research includes community-based learning initiatives, linguistic identity exploration, and critical pedagogies in multilingual settings. She has published widely on topics such as dual-language classroom practices, preservice teacher development, and historical analyses of bilingual education materials. Dr. Curiel’s publications span translanguaging in science education, art museum co-teaching, and sustaining bilingual identities. Her work consistently advocates for culturally responsive teaching and equitable educational practices. She actively prepares teachers to engage linguistically diverse learners through field experiences and community partnerships.
Yolanda Padilla is an Associate Professor in the American & Ethnic Studies program within the School of Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences at the University of Washington Bothell. She also contributes to the Latin America and Caribbean Studies program at the University of Washington. As Co-Director of the First Year and Pre-Major Program, she plays a significant role in student academic pathways. In 2024, she received the University of Washington Outstanding Undergraduate Research Mentor Award, recognizing her exceptional commitment to student development. Dr. Padilla earned her B.A. in English from the University of California, Davis, and completed her Ph.D. in English at the University of Chicago in 2004. Her academic journey reflects her dedication to interdisciplinary scholarship at the intersections of Latinx, American, and Latin American studies. Her research focuses on transnational approaches to understanding Mexican American experiences within the broader context of US-Mexico relations. Padilla examines how early twentieth-century Mexican Americans navigated their local experiences while engaging with larger cultural and political dynamics between the United States and Mexico. A significant portion of her work centers on Mexican American engagements with the Mexican Revolution, exploring how these interactions shaped border knowledge and political subjectivities. She is currently working on a book manuscript titled 'Revolutionary Subjects: The Mexican Revolution in Mexican American Cultural Politics, 1910-1959.' Padilla's scholarly output demonstrates a consistent focus on recovering marginalized voices and examining transnational Latinx contributions to American history. Her publications reveal an evolution from early work on Mexican American literary responses to the Revolution toward contemporary explorations of Chicanx indigeneities and feminist recovery work. This trajectory shows her expanding focus from historical literary analysis to current theoretical frameworks addressing identity, power, and representation. University of Washington Outstanding Undergraduate Research Mentor Award (2024) As a first-generation college graduate (and high school graduate), Padilla is deeply committed to inclusive teaching practices and mentoring. Her courses examine power, inequity, and culture in the Americas through the lens of race and ethnicity, with strong historical components that connect past power structures to present-day realities. She emphasizes agency among minority and subaltern groups while helping students develop analytical methods to discern such instances. Her teaching philosophy centers on enabling students to apply classroom learning to real-world issues in their communities. Padilla serves on the national advisory board for the Recovering the U.S. Hispanic Literary Heritage Project and was appointed as a contributing editor for the Heath Anthology of American Literature in 2011. These roles reflect her commitment to recovering and examining little-known source materials vital to innovation in thought.
Manuel R. Cuellar is an Associate Professor of Spanish Literature at The George Washington University, specializing in Mexican literary and cultural studies with emphases on race, gender, sexuality, and performance. He holds a Ph.D. in Hispanic Languages and Literatures from UC Berkeley and combines ethnographic fieldwork with archival research on Nahuatl language and culture. His book *Choreographing Mexico* (2022) examines dance’s role in national identity formation (1910–1940). Dr. Cuellar is affiliated with the Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Program and the Cisneros Hispanic Leadership Institute. He co-founded DC’s Corazón Folklórico Dance Company, merging academic research with community-engaged performance. His teaching spans Latin American literature, queer studies, and transnational migrations. Research interests include Indigenous knowledge systems, Afro-Mexican cultural production, and interdisciplinary methodologies. Podcast appearances like *Imagine Otherwise* highlight his work on dance as community-building and queer embodiment.
Ricardo F. Vivancos-Pérez is a tenured Associate Professor at George Mason University , specializing in Hispanic and Latinx cultural production in the United States. His work bridges Chicana/o/x Studies , Migration Studies , Gender & Sexuality Studies , and Transatlantic Scholarship . Education: B.A., University of Málaga (Spain) M.A., Texas A&M University Ph.D., University of California, Santa Barbara Professor Vivancos-Pérez's research focuses on: Archival and transdisciplinary approaches to Gloria Anzaldúa’s unpublished manuscripts Spanish exile intellectuals in the U.S. Gender and queer theory in transatlantic contexts Human rights and literary form intersections His publications span social movements, displacement narratives, and masculinities in Hispanic studies, with a critical edition of Anzaldúa’s Borderlands/La Frontera (2021) and Radical Chicana Poetics (2013). Awards include: Dr. David Powers Corwin Teaching and Scholarship Award (2023) Mason LGBTQ+ Resources Center Ally Recognition Teaching includes graduate courses on Exile & Displacement , Gender Representations , and Border Narratives , alongside undergraduate Mason Core classes like Borders & Migration and Introduction to Latinx Studies . His current projects prioritize unpublished Anzaldúa manuscripts and Spanish exile cultural studies .
Amanda Ellis is an interdisciplinary researcher and Associate Professor in the Department of English at the University of Houston , specializing in Mexican American Literature and Culture. Her work bridges Chicana Feminism , Medical Humanities , and Ethnic Studies . Education: Ph.D., English, Rice University M.A., English, Rice University M.A., Ethnic Studies, San Francisco State University B.S., Psychology, Barry University Research Interests focus on decolonial healing practices in Mexican American literature, particularly through the lens of curandera traditions. She examines intersections between medical humanities , Latina/o/x identity , and social justice movements , often analyzing how cultural trauma manifests in literary and artistic forms. Her scientific awards include the UH 2022 Provost’s Teaching Excellence Award and the NACCS 2020 Chicana Caucus Publication Award . Current Book Project: Letras y Limpias: Decolonial Medicine and Holistic Healing in Mexican American Literature (Arizona University Press, Fall 2021) expands these themes. She teaches courses in Mexican American Literature , Literature and Medicine , and Women Writers , with a focus on US Latina/o/x Literature and Young Adult Literature . Her publications span journals like Chicana/Latina Studies , Aztlán , and Western American Literature , often addressing decolonial aesthetics and health disparities .
