MACLAS Executive Committee-
The MACLAS Constitution calls for an 11-member Executive Committee consisting of four officers (president, vice president, secretary, and treasurer); the immediately preceding ex-president; six at-large members; and the webmaster. We are always looking for interested volunteers and new ideas, so please be in touch if you might be interested in serving.
MACLAS Needs You!
The 2025-2026 Executive Committee is constituted as follows:
Richard Balzano, President (2026-2027). Assistant Professor of History at Simmons University and Instructor of History and Political Science at Springfield College, Richard completed his Ph.D. in History with the University of Reading (UK). His doctoral research examined US-Guatemalan petro-diplomacy in the twentieth century, while his ongoing research encompasses inter-American petro-diplomacy, media bias, and the relationship between human rights, foreign aid, sanctions, and international law.
Frank Argote-Freyre, Vice President (1016-2027). A Latin American history professor at Kean University, Argote-Freyre received his Ph.D. from Rutgers University in 2004. His first book, Fulgencio Batista: From Revolutionary to Strongman, was published in 2006. His second book, A Brief History of the Caribbean, coauthored with Danilo Figueredo, was published in 2008 with a second edition in 2024. He is the author of dozens of scholarly works, journalistic articles, and public policy papers on a wide variety of topics from mental health to housing to public education. Argote-Freyre is involved in many social causes, including the struggle for immigrant rights, affordable housing, and social justice. He was recently named Director of CRECE: The Hispanic Leadership Center at Kean University. In addition, he serves as Chair of the Latino Action Network Foundation, Chair of the Fair Share Housing Center, and Chair of the Argote Foundation. Argote-Freyre served as Director of the Latino Coalition of New Jersey for 22 years and is past of Chair of the New Jersey Commission on New Americans. Earlier in his career, he worked as a journalist and columnist for 10 years and as a congressional press secretary. He is currently working on his next book, Fulgencio Batista: From President to Dictator.
Meghan McInnis-Domínguez, Past President (2026-2027). Associate Professor of Spanish at the University of Delaware, Meghan’s research interests include medicine and literature in the early modern period, early modern Spanish novel, colonial Latin American historiography, Hispanic Transatlantic and Postcolonial Studies, and teaching with technology in the Hispanic Studies classroom. Aside from her research interests, she serves as a director of study abroad programs, leading winter and summer programs to Argentina, Mexico, and Spain.
David Mongor-Lizarrabengoa, Secretary (2026-2027). Assistant Professor of Spanish at Wor-Wic Community College in Salisbury, MD, David holds a BA & MA in Spanish from Montclair State University, two MA degrees in English and films studies from San Diego, and a Ph.D. in comparative literature at Western University in London, Ontario. His research primarily focuses on contemporary Latin American and Lusophone literature and film. Currently, he is editing a volume titled Hispanic & Lusophone Voices of Africa. He has taught Spanish, English, Portuguese, and Basque language courses at Wor-Wic, Montclair State, and Western University and has been a MACLAS member since 2011.
Michael J. Schroeder, Treasurer (2026-2027). Professor Emeritus of History at Lebanon Valley College in Annville, PA, Michael specializes in 20th century Nicaraguan history, especially the period of US military intervention in the 1920s & 30s. A member of the Academia de Geografía e Historia de Nicaragua, he is author & administrator of the digital historical archive www.SandinoRebellion.com, co-author of a widely-used textbook on 20th century world history, and author of numerous articles & chapters in his areas of expertise (online vita here). schroede@lvc.edu.
Ann Warner Ault (2024-2027). Assistant Professor of Spanish at The College of New Jersey, Ann received her M.A. and Ph.D. in Spanish from Columbia University with a focus on Latin American literature and culture. She has presented and published on a range of topics including avant-garde art and literature, community-engaged learning, digital humanities, and study abroad. Ann is currently collaborating with Dr. Robert McGreevey, Isabel Kentengian and several community organizations in Trenton to implement a large-scale oral history project with Trenton’s Latinx community.
Carlos Mamani (2024-2027). Peruvian and Aymara by birth, Carlos Mamani has special interest in indigenous cultures, particularly in the Andes, as well as globalization, popular culture, and relationships of power. A Latin Americanist with a focus on the colonial and twenty and twenty-first centuries, Carlos completed his bachelor’s degree from Brown University and his master’s and Ph.D. at the University of Cincinnati. His research also includes Latino cultures in the U.S. centered on issues of immigration, cultural representation, and marginalization. He has taught at Gannon University since 1991.
John (Jay) Dwyer (2026-2029). Associate Professor of Latin American history at Duquesne University, Jay Dwyer served as chair of the Department of History from 2013 to 2019 and is currently a member of the Faculty Senate. He was recently given the Excellence in Service to the Mission award for Duquesne’s Liberal Arts College. From 2011 to 2014, he served on the Executive Committee of the Middle Atlantic Council of Latin American Studies (MACLAS). He received his BA in history and political science from Rutgers University and his MA and PhD in Latin American and U.S. history at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. He was a Fulbright Fellow in Mexico, a Guest Scholar at the Center For U.S.-Mexican Studies at the University of California, San Diego, and a CIC Fellow in the Department of History at the University of Chicago. He has taught as a visiting assistant professor at Ohio University, the University of Utah, and UCSD. His book, The Agrarian Dispute: The Expropriation of American-Owned Rural Land in Postrevolutionary Mexico, was published by Duke University Press and won the Alfred Thomas Book Prize from the Southeastern Council on Latin American Studies (SECOLAS) and was runner-up for the Thomas McGann Book Prize from the Rocky Mountain Council on Latin American Studies (RMCLAS). He has also published articles in leading journals and book chapters. His current research focuses on Mexican militarism in the late 1920s, agrarian activism in the 1930s, and environmental degradation along the California/Baja California Norte border in the late 20th century.
Maria Alejandra Aguilar Dornelles, Outreach & Communications Chair (Non-Executive Committee Position). maguilardornelle@fau.edu