Zak Montgomery

Zak Montgomery serves as Associate Dean of Academic Affairs and holds the Harry and Polly Slife Professorship in Humanities at Wartburg College. His academic appointments focus on Hispanic and Lusophone studies within the liberal arts framework of the institution.

Dr. Montgomery's research centers on U.S. Latinx identity formation in educational contexts and comparative Luso-Hispanic literary studies. His work bridges literary analysis, cultural studies, and service-learning pedagogy, with particular emphasis on identity navigation among heritage language learners and anti-colonial discourse in Iberian and Latin American literature. His scholarly output demonstrates sustained engagement with Portuguese Enlightenment proto-feminism, 19th-century Iberian literary movements, and contemporary Latino cultural representation.

His publication trajectory reveals evolving focus from foundational work on Portuguese literary reception (2006) through examinations of anti-colonial discourse in Lusophone African literature (2013), toward increasingly community-engaged scholarship on Latinx identity in educational settings (2016-2020). The research consistently intersects literary studies with sociocultural analysis, particularly regarding American Dream narratives across multiple age groups and educational contexts.

• Harry and Polly Slife Professorship in Humanities

Dr. Montgomery actively mentors students through service-learning courses including SP315 Latinos in the United States and May Term programs in Costa Rica. His leadership as Associate Dean of Academic Affairs demonstrates institutional commitment to integrating community engagement with academic rigor. He has secured support for initiatives connecting classroom learning with local Latino communities through service-learning pedagogy.

His academic leadership extends to directing the Slife Professorship in Humanities, which supports interdisciplinary humanities programming at Wartburg College. Dr. Montgomery's work bridges institutional administration with hands-on teaching and community engagement through Spanish immersion courses and service-learning initiatives.