Professor Natalie Lira was recently elected to leadership positions within two professional associations, joining other Department of Latina/Latino Studies faculty serving in leadership positions within professional associations in their fields.
Lira was elected to serve as secretary on the Executive Council of the Latina/x/o Studies Association, a non-profit academic organization dedicated to promoting and cultivating Latina/Latino studies. Lira was also recently elected to the Board of Trustees for the Berkshire Conference of Women Historians, a non-profit academic association dedicated to advancing intersectional and justice-driven research in women, gender, and sexuality history.
Several other faculty members in the Department also currently serve in leadership positions within professional organizations in their fields. Professor Mirelsie Velázquez is a member at large for the Puerto Rican Studies Association Executive Committee. Professor José A. de la Garza Valenzuela is an elected member of the Executive Committee of the Chicana and Chicano Literatures, Languages, and Culture Forum for the Modern Language Association. Professor Gabriela G. Corona Valencia is vice president of the Southwest Oral History Association. Professor Isabel Molina-Guzmán is chair of the Research Awards Committee of the International Communication Association. Professor Aja Y. Martinez serves on the Exemplar Award Committee of the Conference on College Composition and Communication (CCCC) and the CCCC Taskforce to Revise Scholarship in Rhetoric, Writing, and Composition: Guidelines for Faculty, Deans, and Chairs, 2024-2025.
The Department of Latina/Latino studies is one of the nation’s exemplary interdisciplinary departments exploring the U.S. Latina/o experience from a sociological, historical, and cultural perspective. The scholarship of Latina/Latino studies faculty is influential in their diverse range of disciplines, including anthropology, ethnic studies, history, literature, education, rhetoric studies, media studies, performance studies, public health, and sociology.