group of faculty mingling

More than 80 researchers and instructors at AU focus their work in large measure on Latin America and/or Latino populations residing in the United States, and President Sylvia Burwell and Provost Peter Starr have identified Latin American and Latino Studies as a top priority for expansion during the years ahead. As a campus-wide Center, CLALS draws on scholarship and training activities undertaken in all of the university's Schools and Colleges. Please explore the profiles of our affiliate faculty; affiliates in the Washington College of Law are listed separately.

Last name starts with A

Rob Albro Research Associate Professor URC | Center for Latin American & Latino Studies

Trained in sociocultural anthropology, Dr. Robert Albro has maintained a long-term ethnographic focus on urban and indigenous politics in Bolivia. He is also an expert on Latin American social and ind

  albro@american.edu

  (202) 885-6174

Patricia Aufderheide University Professor SOC - School of Communication

Patricia Aufderheide is University Professor of Communication Studies in the School of Communication at American University in Washington, D.C. She founded the School's Center for Media & Social Impac

  paufder@american.edu

  (202) 885-2069

Last name starts with B

Horace Bartilow Professor SIS | Environment, Development & Health

Horace A. Bartilow is Professor of International Political Economy and American Foreign Policy. He is a Jamaican born social scientist who received his Ph.D. in 1994 from the State University of New Y

  bartilow@american.edu

Fernando Benadon Professor CAS - Performing Arts

I am a composer/theorist originally from Buenos Aires. I have released two albums, written a score for an indie feature film shown at Cannes, and been praised by The New York Times for my music’s “ear

  fernando@american.edu

  (202) 885-3452

Richard Bennett Prof Emeritus

Professor Bennett's research interests include comparative criminology and criminal justice as well as police organization and procedures. He has published extensively in the area of cross-national cr

Kim Blankenship Associate Dean of Research, CAS CAS | Sociology

Kim M. Blankenship, PhD, is Distinguished Professor in the Department of Sociology, Founding Director of the Center on Health, Risk and Society (housed in the department of sociology), Associate Dean

  blankens@american.edu

  (202) 885-6211

Robert A. Blecker Professor CAS | Economics

Professor Blecker’s research interests include international trade, open economy macroeconomics, global trade imbalances, economic integration in North America, the Mexican economy, the limits to expo

  blecker@american.edu

  (202) 885-3767

Marcelo Bohrt Asst Professor SIS - School of International Service

Marcelo Bohrt is a sociologist interested in racial politics and statecraft in the Americas. His primary area of research investigates the role of racial ideas and racial politics in the making and tr

  bohrt@american.edu

  (202) 885-6701

Philip Brenner Prof Emeritus

Dr. Philip Brenner has published widely on U.S./Cuba relations, U.S./Latin American relations, contemporary U.S. foreign policy, and the Cuban Missile Crisis. His most recent book is Cuba Libre: A

  (202) 885-1605

Robin Broad Research Professor-in-Residence and Professor Emerita

Dr. Robin Broad, Professor of International Development, established and heads SIS’s International Development Program’s two unique professional tracks: Rethinking Globalization & Development, and Env

  (202) 885-1478

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Marcy Campos Director, Center for Community Engagement & Service Ctr for Community Engagement and Svc

Marcy Fink Campos joined AU’s Center for Community Engagement & Service in 2004. As Director, she oversees all office programs and serves as the liaison to the Office of Campus Life, Academic Affairs,

  mfcampos@american.edu

  (202) 885-1551

Anny Cardenas Assistant Professor CAS | Biology

Dr. Cárdenas is a microbial ecologist interested in microbiome research. Her research has focused on understanding the diversity and function of microbial communities associated with corals and other

  acardenas@american.edu

Elizabeth Cohn Assistant Professor SIS | Foreign Policy & Global Security

Dr. Elizabeth Cohn is an Assistant Professor specializing in U.S. foreign policy and Latin America. Her research interests include the U.S. promotion of democracy and Latin America. She is also deeply

  ecohn@american.edu

Ken Conca Professor SIS - School of International Service

Dr. Ken Conca’s research and teaching focus on global environmental governance, environmental peacebuilding in war-torn societies, environmental politics and policy in the United Nations system, water

  conca@american.edu

  (202) 885-6391

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Maria De Jesus Professor SIS | Environment, Development & Health

Dr. Maria De Jesus brings to AU a wealth of research and teaching experiences in the area of global health, a critical area of focus in interstate and transnational relations. Her research focuses on

  dejesus@american.edu

Molly Dondero Assistant Professor CAS | Sociology

Molly Dondero is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology. Her research focuses on how immigration, race/ethnicity, social class, and place contribute to population-level inequality in he

  dondero@american.edu

  (202) 885-1492

Frank DuBois Associate Professor KSB | Information Technology & Analytics

Professor DuBois is Associate Professor of International Business and Chair of the International Business Department. His research focus is in global supply chain management, customs facilitation, cou

  fdubois@american.edu

  (202) 885-1967

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Todd Eisenstadt Professor, Research Director of CEP SPA - Government

Professor Eisenstadt serves as research director of the Center for Environmental Policy (CEP). He has worked on six continents, publishing multiple award-winning books and dozens of articles on climat

  eisensta@american.edu

  (202) 885-6493

Heather Elms Assoc Professor KSB - Management

Heather Elms, Ph.D. is Associate Professor of Management at the Kogod School of Business, American University, Washington, DC. She teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in business ethics, busine

  elms@american.edu

  (202) 885-1965

Noemi Enchautegui de Jesus Senior Professorial Lecturer CAS | Psychology

Dr. Enchautegui-de-Jesus received her MA and PhD in Community Psychology from New York University. She was a postdoctoral fellow with the NIMH’s Family Research Consortium III at the University of Mic

  enchaute@american.edu

  (202) 885-1773

Larry Engel Associate Professor SOC | Film & Media Arts

With more than 40 years of teaching and filmmaking, and 250 projects, his documentaries appear on PBS, the Discovery Channels, and National Geographic, among many other outlets. Awards include a Dayti

  engel@american.edu

  (202) 885-2688

Daniel Esser Associate Professor SIS | Global Inquiry

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Eileen Findlay Professor CAS | Critical RGC Studies

Eileen Findlay graduated from Oberlin College and the University of Wisconsin, Madison, where she held a Jacob Javits fellowship. Both her books, 'We Are Left Without a Father Here': Masculinity, Dome

  efindla@american.edu

  (202) 885-6264

Anthony Fontes Assistant Professor SIS | Peace, Human Rights & Cultural Relations

Anthony W. Fontes, geographer and ethnographer, writes and teaches about violence, migration and forced displacement, transnational illicit economies, mass incarceration, and the politics of security

  awfontes@american.edu

  (202) 885-6704

Scott Freeman Senior Professorial Lecturer SIS | Environment, Development & Health

Dr. Scott Freeman is an anthropologist whose work is at the intersection of the anthropology of the environment, critical development studies, and the anthropology of labor in Haiti and the Dominican

  freeman@american.edu

  (202) 885-6685

Max Paul Friedman Professor CAS | History

Max Paul Friedman joined the History Department at American University in 2007 and holds a joint appointment as Professor of International Relations in the School of International Service. From July 2

  friedman@american.edu

  (202) 885-2613

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Carolyn Gallaher Professor SIS | Peace, Human Rights & Cultural Relations

I do research in two distinct areas—organized violence by non-state actors and urban politicsIn the first area, on which I have spent more time, I examine the politics, internal dynamics, and patterns

  caroleg@american.edu

  (202) 885-6300

Bill Gentile Journalist in Residence SOC | Film & Media Arts

Bill Gentile is an independent, national Emmy Award-winning journalist and documentary filmmaker teaching at American University (AU) in Washington, DC. His career spans four decades, five continents

  gentile@american.edu

  (202) 885-2663

Brett Gilbert Assoc Professor KSB - Management

Dr. Gilbert is the inaugural Kogod Regional Innovation Chair and associate professor (with tenure). Her research spans economic geography, internationalization and performance streams of literature. C

  bgilbert@american.edu

Agustina Giraudy Professor SIS | Politics, Governance & Economics

Professor Giraudy's book, Democrats and Autocrats (Oxford University Press, 2015), explores the multiple pathways towards subnational undemocratic regime continuity within democratized countrie

  giraudy@american.edu

Louis Goodman Professor and Dean Emeritus, SIS SIS | Environment, Development & Health

Louis Goodman carries out research on social change and politics in Latin America and in Asia. His current research focuses on public goods, regional alliances and development. He has published widely

  goodman@american.edu

  (202) 885-1625

Garrett Graddy-Lovelace Provost Associate Professor SIS | Environment, Development & Health

Garrett Graddy-Lovelace researches and teaches agricultural policy and agrarian geography. Her work focuses on domestic and international contexts and impacts of US food and agricultural policy--from

  graddy@american.edu

Ludy Grandas Senior Professorial Lecturer CAS | World Languages and Cultures

Ludy Grandas’ research interests include issues of national identity in Latin America and in the Hispanic communities in the U.S. Her teaching interests include the Studies of Culture in Latin America

  grandas@american.edu

  (202) 885-2434

Sonya Grier Professor KSB | Marketing

Professor Grier is an interdisciplinary scholar with diverse expertise across private, government, and non-profit sectors. Her research examines marketplace topics related to race, with a focus on enh

  sonya.grier@american.edu

  (202) 885-1971

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Austin Hart Associate Professor SIS | Politics, Governance & Economics

Austin Hart is Associate Professor of Quantitative Methods in the School of International Service and serves as Graduate Research Methods Coordinator. Dr. Hart is a political scientist specializing

  ahart@american.edu

  (202) 885-1640

Eric Hershberg Professor Emeritus of Government and Latin American and Latino Studies

Eric Hershberg is a professor of government at American University, where he served as Founding Director of the university-wide Center for Latin American and Latino Studies from 2010-2022. From 2007-2

Last name starts with K

K. L. Knee Associate Professor and Department Chair, Environmental Science CAS | Environmental Science

My research is centered around two main themes: (1) understanding how human activities like oil and gas extraction, mining, agriculture, and urban development affect water quality, and (2) using the n

  knee@american.edu

  (202) 885-1093

Alan Kraut Distinguished Professor CAS | History

Alan M. Kraut is University Professor of History at American University and a non-resident fellow of the Migration Policy Institute. Specializing in immigration and ethnic history and the history of m

  akraut@american.edu

  (202) 885-2410

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Last name starts with M

Eric Macias Professorial Lecturer SOE | Online Partner Programs (OPM)

Eric Macias (He/Him/El) is an interdisciplinary scholar whose work focuses on minoritized and illegalized youth who have been pushed-out of the educational pipeline. Dr. Macias received his PhD from t

  emacias@american.edu

Juliana Martinez Associate Professor CAS | World Languages and Cultures

Professor Martínez focuses on the intersection of violence and body politics in Latin America. Her two main areas of research are: representation of historical violence recent cultural production; and

  jmartinez@american.edu

  (202) 885-2586

Sarah Menke-Fish Assistant Professor and Senior Director of Experiential Learning SOC | Film & Media Arts

Sarah Menke-Fish is a full-time professor of Film and Media Arts. She serves as Assistant Dean of Experiential Learning and Associate Director for the Center for Environmental Filmmaking. Menke-Fish l

  smenke@american.edu

  (202) 885-2026

Jeffrey Middents Associate Professor CAS | Literature

Jeffrey Romero Middents studies and teaches film and world literature at American University in Washington, DC, specifically focusing on Latin American narratives from the 1960s to the present. His sc

  middents@american.edu

  (202) 885-2979

Emily Morris Adjunct Professorial Lecturer SOE | General Academics & Research

Dr. Emily (Markovich) Morris is a scholar and educator of comparative education and international development whose research explores questions of social justice and equity through formal and nonforma

  emorris@american.edu

  (202) 885-8218

Last name starts with O

Amy Oliver Assoc Professor CAS - Philosophy and Religion

Professor Oliver's teaching and research on Latin America explore philosophical topics such as marginality, feminism, nepantlismo, and transfronterismo. She works on the Hispanic ess

  aoliver@american.edu

  (202) 885-2140

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Randolph Persaud Prof Emeritus

Randolph B. Persaud is Associate Professor of International Relations at American University in Washington D.C. He specializes in the areas of race and international relations, globalization, human se

Jennifer Poole Associate Professor SIS | Politics, Governance & Economics

Professor Poole’s research and teaching interests fall at the intersection of international trade, labor economics, and development economics. With an emphasis on Brazil, her broad research agenda con

  poole@american.edu

  (202) 885-6689

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Cathy Lisa Schneider Professor SIS - School of International Service

Professor Schneider teaches and writes on democracy, dictatorship and resistance; comparative social movements; collective violence; racial profiling, police violence and racial and ethnic discriminat

  cschnei@american.edu

  (202) 885-1666

Robert Sicina Professorial Lecturer KSB | Management

Professor Sicina has 30 years of experience in senior executive positions at Citibank, American Express and various entrepreneurial endeavors. He worked for fourteen years in Latin America for Citiban

  bsicina@american.edu

  (202) 885-1858

Last name starts with T

Matthew Taylor Professor SIS | Politics, Governance & Economics

Matthew Taylor is Professor of International Studies at the School of International Service.Taylor is the author or editor of five books and more than fifty articles on Latin America. His most recent

  mtaylor@american.edu

Amelia Tseng Assistant Professor CAS | World Languages and Cultures

Dr. Amelia Tseng is Assistant Professor in Spanish and Linguistics. Her research addresses how language shapes and is shaped by identity across immigrant generations in Latinx diasporic contexts, focu

  tseng@american.edu

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Ali Valenzuela Associate Professor SPA | Government

Ali is an expert on American politics, with a focus on Latino/a/x attitudes and voting behavior, demographic change and its political consequences, race and racism in politics, voter turnout, and surv

  alival@american.edu

  (202) 885-6176

Ximena Varela Associate Professor CAS | Performing Arts

Ximena Varela is a researcher, educator, and consultant with more than 25 years of experience in arts management curricular design (both on campus and online), museum management, international cultura

  varela@american.edu

  (202) 885-3883

David Vazquez Associate Professor Literature and CRGC, Program Director of Latinx Studies CAS | Critical RGC Studies

David J. Vázquez is Associate Professor of Critical Race, Gender, and Culture Studies and Director of the Latina/o/x Studies Program. He teaches courses on comparative Latina/o/x literature and cultur

  dvazquez@american.edu

Charly Verstraet Assistant Professor CAS | World Languages and Cultures

Charly Verstraet's research and teaching interests include Caribbean and Indian Ocean Studies, Environmental Studies, Graphic Novels, Soccer and Politics, and Translation. His co-translation of award-

  verstrae@american.edu

Salvador Vidal-Ortiz Assoc Professor CAS - Sociology

Dr. Vidal-Ortiz's scholarship cuts across racialization, sexuality, gender, migration and religion; his work is interdisciplinary. He coedited two award winning books:

  vidalort@american.edu

  (202) 885-2443

Nuria Vilanova Associate Dean of Undergraduate Studies and Associate Professor CAS | World Languages and Cultures

Núria Vilanova teaches Latin American Culture, Literature and Cinema. Her research is devoted to the impact of social change and migration on cultural production. She works on textual and cinematic na

  vilanova@american.edu

  (202) 885-2393

Last name starts with W

Earl Anthony Wayne Hurst Senior Professorial Lecturer and Distinguished Diplomat in Residence SIS | Foreign Policy & Global Security

In addition to his role at AU, Wayne is a Public Policy Fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and Co-Chair of its Mexico Institute Advisory Board. He is a Senior Non-Resident

  eawayne@american.edu

Brenda Werth Associate Professor and Director of Latin American and Spanish Studies CAS | World Languages and Cultures

Brenda Werth’s research interests include Latin American theater, performance, documentary film, memory studies, human rights, gender, social movements, and translation. She teaches courses on Latin A

  werth@american.edu

  (202) 885-1449

Last name starts with Y

Nina Yamanis Associate Professor and Assistant Dean for Faculty Affairs SIS | Environment, Development & Health

Dr. Nina Yamanis studies how social and structural determinants are linked to health disparities globally and locally, and designs community-based interventions to reduce these disparities. She has wo

  yamanis@american.edu

  (202) 885-6562

Joe Young Professor SPA | Justice, Law & Criminology

Professor Young's interests relate to the cross-national causes and consequences of political violence. He has published numerous peer-reviewed articles across academic disciplines, including politica

  jyoung@american.edu

  (202) 885-2618

Gay Young Professor Emerita of Sociology SIS | Other Operations and Administration

(Gloria A.) Gay Young has a longstanding focus on gender and development (GAD) which has led her to study a range of issues, including the nature and consequences of women’s labor force participation

  gyoung@american.edu

  (202) 885-2254