Mellon Humanities Pathways Program Mentors (2016-2023)
Liliana Saldaña, Ph.D.
Dr. Saldaña is an Associate Professor and Program Coordinator of Mexican American Studies in the Department of Race, Ethnicity, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at UTSA.
Research Interests: Chicana/x/o Studies methodologies; Chicana feminist thought; Decolonial studies; Teacher identity and consciousness; Epistemic struggles in education; and Colonial/decolonial schooling practices.
Education: Ph.D., Human Development & Family Studies. University of Wisconsin-Madison (2010).
Dr. Saldaña is a four-time Mellon Humanities Pathways Program Mentor. She has mentored Fellows Julie Leyva (2017-2018), Lisa Sosa (2019-2020), Rodney Dominguez (2020-2021), and Jennifer Grace Lopez (2020-2021).
John Philip Santos
John Philip Santos is a Distinguished Senior Lecturer in the Honors College at UTSA.
Research Interests: Media, culture, and identity.
Education: English Literature and Language, Oxford University; Philosophy and Literature from the University of Notre Dame.
John Philip Santos is a four-time Mellon Humanities Pathways Program Mentor. He has mentored Fellows Eric Pitty (2016-2017), Arlette Perez (2017-2018), Kristel Orta-Puente (2018-2019), and Ruby Castro (2020-2021).
Jerry Gonzalez, Ph.D.
Dr. Gonzalez is an Associate Professor of History at UTSA. He has also served as the Director of the Mexico Center at UTSA since 2018.
Research Interests: Chicana/o History; Metropolitan History; Borderlands History.
Education: Ph.D., History. University of Southern California (2009).
Dr. Gonzalez is a four-time Mellon Humanities Pathways Program Mentor. He has mentored Fellows Matthew Hinojosa (2016-2017), Sarah Vegerano (2017-2018), Alicia Moreno (2019-2020), and Christopher Garcia (2020-2021).
Patrick Gallagher, Ph.D.
Dr. Gallagher is an Assistant Professor of Anthropology at UTSA.
Research Interests: Cultural anthropology; Environmental anthropology; Science and technology studies; Political anthropology and the anthropology of Mesoamerica and the Caribbean.
Education: Ph.D., Anthropology. Stanford University (2015).
Dr. Gallagher is a two-time Mellon Humanities Pathways Program Mentor. He has mentored Fellows Hannah Sullivan (2019-2020), and Adrian Melendez (2020-2021).
Terrence Hill, Ph.D.
Dr. Hill is an Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology at UTSA.
Research Interests: Medical Sociology; Social Epidemiology; Biodemography; Social Psychology; Research Methods
Education: Ph.D., Sociology. University of Texas (2006).
Dr. Hill mentored Mellon Humanities Pathways Fellow Dmitri Rodriguez (2020-2021).
Veronica Luna, M.A.
Veronica Luna is a Lecturer in the Department of Sociology at UTSA.
Research Interests:
Education: M.A., Education, Social, and Cultural Studies. University of California, Berkeley (2013).
Veronica Luna mentored Mellon Humanities Pathways Fellow Joshua De Leon (2020-2021).
Melinda Lundquist Denton, Ph.D.
Dr. Denton is an Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology at UTSA.
Research Interests: Family; Adolescence and Youth; Religion and Culture
Education: Ph.D., Sociology. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (2006).
Dr. Denton mentored Mellon Humanities Pathways Fellow Alexa Granados (2020-2021).
Sylvia Mendoza, Ph.D.
Dr. Mendoza is an Assistant Professor of Mexican American Studies in the Department of Race, Ethnicity, Gender & Sexuality Studies at UTSA.
Research Interests: Chicanx/Latinx education; Chicanx/Ethnic Studies in K-12 schools; Anzaldúan/Border pedagogies; Chicanx/Latinx & Black feminisms & research methodologies; Critical youth studies
Education: Ph.D., Education, Culture, and Society. University of Utah (2015).
Dr. Mendoza mentored Mellon Humanities Pathways Fellow Lillian Cervantes (2020-2021).
Sharon Navarro, Ph.D.
Dr. Navarro is a Professor in the Department of Political Science and Geography at UTSA.
Research Interests: Latino/a politics, women in politics, and race in American politics.
Education: Ph.D., Political Science. University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Dr. Navarro mentored Mellon Humanities Pathways Fellow Arlae Gamez-Luna (2020-2021).
Michael Newell, Ph.D.
Dr. Newell is a Lecturer in the Department of Academic Inquiry and Scholarship at UTSA.
Research Interests:
Education:
Dr. Newell mentored Mellon Humanities Pathways Fellow Roland Matthew Mori (2020-2021).
Kenneth Walker, Ph.D.
Dr. Walker is an Assistant Professor in the Department of English at UTSA.
Research Interests: Environmental and Ecological Rhetorics, Rhetorical Theory and Practice, Rhetoric of Science, Technical and Scientific Communication, Science and Technology Studies, Writing Studies.
Education: Ph.D., Rhetoric, Composition, and the Teaching of English. University of Arizona (2015)
Dr. Walker is a two-time Mellon Humanities Pathways Program Mentor. He has mentored Fellows Gabriel Aguilar (2016-2017), and Kayla Valadez (2020-2021).
Catherine Nolan-Ferrell, Ph.D.
Dr. Nolan-Ferrell is an Associate Professor of History at UTSA.
Research Interests: Migration, citizenship, and national identity in Modern Mexico and Guatemala; The history of gender in Latin America.
Education: Ph.D., History. University of Texas (2000).
Dr. Nolan-Ferrell is a three-time Mellon Humanities Pathways Program Mentor. She has mentored Fellows Alejandra De Maar (2018-2019), Ted McFly (2019-2020), and Tomas White (2019-2020).
Sonya Aleman, Ph.D.
Dr. Aleman is an Associate Professor of Mexican American Studies in the Department of Race, Ethnicity, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at UTSA.
Research Interests: The intersections of race, racism, and whiteness in the media.
Education: Ph.D., Mexican American Studies. University of Utah.
Dr. Aleman mentored Mellon Humanities Pathways Fellow Analisa Sulaica (2019-2020).
Michael Cepek, Ph.D.
Dr. Cepek is a Professor in the Department of Anthropology at UTSA.
Research Interests: The relationship between environmental change, cultural difference, and political power at the margins of global orders.
Education: Ph.D., Anthropology. University of Chicago (2006)
Dr. Cepek mentored Mellon Humanities Pathways Fellow Tyler Reed McCardle (2019-2020).
Whitney Chappell, Ph.D.
Dr. Chappell is the Lutcher Brown Distinguished Professor of Spanish Linguistics in the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures at UTSA.
Research Interests: Hispanic linguistics; Language variation and change; Sociolinguistics; Phonetics; Sociophonetic production and perception; Heritage Spanish; Language attitudes; /s/ phenomena; Spanish in contact with other languages; Bilingualism; Second language acquisition; and Forensic linguistics.
Education: Ph.D., Hispanic Linguistics. The Ohio State University (2013).
Dr. Chappell is a two-time Mellon Humanities Pathways Program Mentor. She mentored Fellows Crystal Hernandez (2017-2018), and Christine Martinez (2019-2020).
Teresa Eckmann, Ph.D.
Dr. Eckmann is an Associate Professor in the Department of Art and Art History at UTSA.
Research Interests: Modern and Contemporary Latin American Art; 19th-20th Century Art of Mexico; Graphic Arts of Latin America and the Caribbean; Public Art; Art of the Borderlands.
Education: Ph.D., Latin American Studies. University of New Mexico (2004).
Dr. Eckmann is a three-time Mellon Humanities Pathways Program Mentor. She mentored Fellows Nicole Poole (2016-2017), Jessica Vargas (2017-2018), and Victoria Mihalik (2019-2020).
Henry Meade, M.P.A.
Henry Meade is a Lecturer in the Department of Health, Community, and Policy at UTSA.
Research Interests:
Education:
Henry Meade mentored Mellon Humanities Pathways Fellow Elias Conde in 2019-2020.
Ellen Riojas Clark, Ph.D.
Dr. Ellen Riojas Clark is Professor Emerita in the Department of Bicultural and Bilingual Studies at UTSA.
Research Interests: Ethnic and cultural identity and cultural studies topics
Education: Ph.D., Curriculum and Instruction. University of Texas (1981).
Dr. Clark mentored Mellon Humanities Pathways Fellow Waverley Reyes in 2019-2020.
Sonia Alconini, Ph.D.
Dr. Alconini is now Professor of American Archaeology at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia.
Research Interests: The rise of sociopolitical complexity in ancient pre-Columbian societies.
Education: Ph.D., Archaeology. University of Pittsburgh (1993).
Dr. Alconini mentored Mellon Humanities Pathways Fellow Virginia Gwyn Hartung in 2018-2019.
Karla Broadus, M.A.
Karla Broadus is now retired as of 2020. She was a lecturer at UTSA for 24 years, and from 2016 to 2020 she served as the Director of the African American Studies Program in the Department of Race, Ethnicity, Gender, and Sexuality Studies.
Research Interests: Education
Education: M.S., Literacy Education, Educational Leadership and Administration. University of Texas at San Antonio (1995).
Karla Broadus mentored Mellon Humanities Pathways Fellow Sydnee Garcia in 2018-2019.
Favor Campbell, M.S.
Favor Campbell is a Lecturer in the Department of Sociology at UTSA.
Research Interests: Race and ethnicity; Gender; Health and Sport; Family and Marriage
Education: M.S., Sociology. University of Texas at San Antonio (2015).
Favor Campbell mentored Mellon Humanities Pathways Fellow Olivia Comas Wood in 2018-2019.
Jeffrey Halley, Ph.D.
Dr. Jeffrey Halley is Professor Emerita in the Department of Sociology at UTSA.
Research Interests: Rationalization and resistance in society; Cultural movements and social change; Sociological theory; Sociology of culture; Sociology of art; Mass media and communications studies; Qualitative sociology; Mexican American music and arts institutions
Education: Ph.D., Sociology. City University of New York Graduate School.
Dr. Halley mentored Mellon Humanities Pathways Fellow Timothy Perez in 2018-2019.
H. Paul LeBlanc III, Ph.D.
Dr. H. Paul LeBlanc III is a Professor and Department Chair in the Department of Communication at UTSA.
Research Interests: Interpersonal and Small Group Communication; Family Communication; Communication Education.
Education: Ph.D., Communication. Southern Illinois University at Carbondale (2000).
Dr. LeBlanc mentored Mellon Humanities Pathways Fellow Roberto Martinez in 2018-2019.
Stacey Passalacqua, Ph.D.
Dr. Stacey Passalacqua is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication at UTSA.
Research Interests: Health Communication and Interpersonal Communication.
Education: Ph.D., Communication Studies. University of Arizona (2010).
Dr. Passalacqua is a two-time Mellon Humanities Pathways Program Mentor. She mentored Fellows Rose Kelly in 2017-2018, and Mayte Arredondo in 2018-2019.
Susana Ramirez, Ph.D.
Dr. Susana Ramirez is now an Assistant Professor in the Department of English at Evergreen Valley College in San Jose, California.
Research Interests: Global and U.S. Women Writers of Color; Multicultural Womanist and Feminist Theorizing; Chicana, Indigenous, and African-based Spirituality; Chicana/o Literature; African American Literature; Queer People of Color Theories; Critical Pedagogies; Speculative Fiction; Prison Studies; U.S. Ethnic Children’s Literature; Radical and Decolonial Love Theories; Anzaldúan Studies
Education: Ph.D., English. University of Texas at San Antonio (2016).
Dr. Ramirez mentored Mellon Humanities Pathways Fellow Jennifer Soto-Uribe in 2018-2019.
Harriett Romo, Ph.D.
Dr. Harriett Romo is now retired. While at UTSA, she held the rank of Professor in the Department of Sociology, and she was also the Director of both the Child and Adolescent Policy Research Institute (CAPRI) from 2005-2019, and the Mexico Center from 2006-2019.
Research Interests: Children and Youth; Immigration; Education; Race and Ethnic Relations; Qualitative Research.
Education: Ph.D., Sociology. University of California, San Diego (1985).
Dr. Romo mentored Mellon Humanities Pathways Fellow Iesha Bullock in 2018-2019.
Armando Trujillo, Ph.D.
Dr. Armando Trujillo is an Associate Professor in the Department of Bicultural and Bilingual Studies at UTSA.
Research Interests: Bicultural studies foundations; Ethnographic and qualitative research methods; Cultural adaptation; Mexican American culture; Latino biculturalism.
Education: Ph.D., Anthropology. University of Texas, Austin.
Dr. Trujillo mentored Mellon Humanities Pathways Fellow Monica Edman Avila in 2018-2019.
Elaine Turney, Ph.D.
Dr. Elaine Turney is an Associate Professor in Practice in the Department of History at UTSA.
Research Interests: Environmental and Cultural History
Education: Ph.D., History. Texas Christian University (2007).
Dr. Turney mentored Mellon Humanities Pathways Fellow Eugene Alviar in 2018-2019.
Kinitra Brooks, Ph.D.
Dr. Kinitra Brooks is now an Associate Professor and the Leslie Endowed Chair in Literary Studies in the Department of English at Michigan State University.
Research Interests: The study of black women, genre fiction, and popular culture; Black women in science fiction, fantasy, and horror.
Education: Ph.D., Comparative Literature. University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (2008).
Dr. Brooks mentored Mellon Humanities Pathways Fellow Alexis Jackson in 2017-2018.
Jill Fleuriet, Ph.D.
Dr. Jill Fleuriet is a Professor in the Department of Anthropology and the Associate Dean of the Honors College at UTSA.
Research Interests: Cultural Anthropology; Medical Anthropology; How and why cultural practices, discourses, and structures shape health outcomes and health care experiences; Theories of structural violence and social suffering; Feminist and borderlands theories of intersectionality.
Education: Ph.D., Anthropology. Stanford University (2003).
Dr. Fleuriet mentored Mellon Humanities Pathways Fellow Moureen Kaki in 2017-2018.
Dylan Jackson, Ph.D.
Dr. Dylan Jackson is now an Assistant Professor in the Department of Population, Family, and Reproductive Health at Johns Hopkins University.
Research Interests: Child health; Adolescent health; Crime; Violence; Criminal legal system; Justice-involved families; Incarceration; Policing; Adverse childhood experiences; Trauma-informed policy; Mental health; Social support; Prevention science; Life course; Health equity
Education: Ph.D., Criminology. Florida State University (2015).
Dr. Jackson mentored Mellon Humanities Pathways Fellow Yesenia Yañez in 2017-2018.
Erin Madden, Ph.D.
Dr. Erin Madden is now an Assistant Professor in the Department of Family Medicine and Public Health Science at Wayne State University.
Research Interests: Healthcare access among marginalized populations; Substance use, harm reduction, and social factors affecting healthcare for people who use drugs; Primary care programs for people with co-occurring mental and substance use disorders; Racial and ethnic differences in naloxone prescriptions; Stigma related to substance use and harm reduction; Professional attitudes towards medications for opioid use disorders; Interdisciplinary qualitative and mixed methods research and community-engaged research.
Education: Ph.D., Sociology. University of Wisconsin, Madison (2014).
Dr. Madden mentored Mellon Humanities Pathways Fellow Karina Chowdhury in 2017-2018.
Alexis McGee, Ph.D.
Dr. Alexis McGee is now an Assistant Professor in the Department of English at the University of Alabama.
Research Interests: Ethnic rhetorics; 20th and 21st century Black music and literature; Black women’s literacy and intersectionality; Hip hop as pedagogy
Education: Ph.D., English. University of Texas at San Antonio (2018).
Dr. McGee mentored Mellon Humanities Pathways Fellow Taylor Waits in 2017-2018.
Sonia Saldivar-Hull, Ph.D.
Dr. Sonia Saldivar-Hull is the Brackenridge Endowed Chair in Literature and the Humanities in the Department of English at UTSA
Research Interests: Chicana/o literature; Latina/o literature; feminist theory and literature; American novel; borderland studies.
Education: Ph.D., English. University of Texas, Austin (1990).
Dr. Saldivar-Hull is a two-time Mellon Humanities Pathways Program Mentor. She mentored Fellows Emily Hemmitt in 2016-2017, and Gabriella Alderete-Cruz in 2017-2018.
Gabriel Acevedo, Ph.D.
Dr. Gabriel Acevedo is now a Researcher in the Office of Institutional Research at Yale University.
Research Interests: Social context of health and mental health disparities.
Education: Ph.D., Sociology. Yale University (2005).
Dr. Acevedo mentored Mellon Humanities Pathways Fellow Irene Escobar in 2016-2017.
Jackie Cuevas, Ph.D.
Dr. Jackie Cuevas is now an Associate Professor in the Department of English at the University of Texas in Austin.
Research Interests: Questions of gender and sexuality in Latina/o literature
Education: Ph.D., English. University of Texas, Austin.
Dr. Cuevas mentored Mellon Humanities Pathways Fellow AJ Marroquin in 2016-2017.
Jill Hernandez, Ph.D.
Dr. Jill Hernandez is now the Dean of the College of Arts and Humanities and Professor in the Department of Philosophy at Central Washington University in Ellensburg, Washington.
Research Interests: Ethics; Early modern philosophy; Existentialism.
Education: Ph.D., Philosophy. University of Memphis (2006).
Dr. Hernandez mentored Mellon Humanities Pathways Fellow Amanda Hernandez in 2016-2017.
Viviana Rojas, Ph.D.
Dr. Viviana Rojas is an Associate Professor in the Department of Communication at UTSA.
Research Interests: Communication theory; Intercultural and International Communication; Hispanic television; Media and immigration; Migrant families and new technologies; Cultural adaptation of U.S. retirees in Mexico and the Philippines.
Education: Ph.D., Journalism. University of Texas, Austin (1997).
Dr. Rojas mentored Mellon Humanities Pathways Fellow Monica Pepping in 2016-2017.
Patricia Sánchez, Ph.D.
Dr. Patricia Sánchez is a Professor and Chair in the Department of Bicultural-Bilingual Studies at UTSA.
Research Interests: immigrant education; Latinx transnationalism; and the preparation of bilingual teachers.
Education: Ph.D., Education. University of California, Berkeley (2004).
Dr. Sánchez mentored Mellon Humanities Pathways Fellow Vanessa Sandoval in 2016-2017.
William Short, Ph.D.
Dr. William Short is now a Lecturer in the Department of Classics and Ancient History at the University of Exeter in the United Kingdom.
Research Interests: Latin language and literature; Roman cultural history; cognitive semantics; cultural anthropology; the intersection of language, culture, and cognition; language pedagogy.
Education: Ph.D., Classics. University of California, Berkeley (2007).
Dr. Short mentored Mellon Humanities Pathways Fellow Bianca Pulido in 2016-2017.
Jason Yaeger, Ph.D.
Dr. Jason Yaeger is the UTSA President’s Endowed Professor in the Department of Anthropology at UTSA.
Research Interests: Mesoamerican civilizations; the organization of ancient households and communities; urbanism; landscapes and environments; the relationship between climate change and culture change; material culture and identity; ethnohistory; the politics of archaeological research; Maya epigraphy and iconography.
Education: Ph.D., Archaeology. University of Pennsylvania (2000).
Dr. Yaeger mentored Mellon Humanities Pathways Fellow Darla Messina in 2016-2017.
