Dr. Marcela A. Chaván-Matviuk

mmatviuk@gmail.com

For more than seventeen years, Dr. Marcela Chavan-Matviuk has developed an extensive career as lecturer, consultant, director and facilitator of communication, ethics and leadership projects, which has allowed her to teach courses, conferences, workshops and seminars in Argentina, Spain, Chile, Ecuador, Peru, Guatemala, Mexico, and in the U.S. In addition, Dr. Matviuk is experienced in mass media production.

Her topics of research and interest include the social influence of artists and sportsmen, the testimonial communication as vehicle of persuasiveness, the long term impact of leadership training centered on values and women in leadership. Dr. Matviuk has recently been awarded by the OAS and the IDB for the course "How to Teach Ethics, Social Capital and Development in the University Context."

Dr. Matviuk has a Ph.D. in Intercultural and International Communication, a master's degree in both Counseling and Social Communication. Currently, Dr. Matviuk serves as Director for the Center for Latino Leadership at Regent University .

Dr. Mavel Velasco

mvelasco@hispaniclf.org 

Mavel is a native of Bolivia where she was exposed to the Quechua and Aymara indigenous communities, and where she first developed an understanding and the desire to fight for human rights. Mavel maintains strong ties with her native country.  She is a member of Los Libros del Sol an organization that aims to provide better educational opportunities to the indigenous communities of the Isla del Sol, Bolivia.  Mavel was brought up in a multi-cultural, multi-lingual family and has raised two bilingual, bicultural sons. Mavel has traveled extensively around the world and has lived in Saudi Arabia, Spain, and Japan. She moved to the United States during her teen years and currently holds a Ph.D. in Latin American Literature from Rutgers University in New Jersey. Her doctoral dissertation dealt with feminine archetypes in the literary works of Uruguayan writer Cristina Peri Rosi. As a nationally and internationally known lecturer and writer she has given numerous  lectures on Spanish Literature and Culture and Civilization of South America and has published several articles on Contemporary Latin American Literature journals. She is presently a professor of Spanish at Virginia Wesleyan College where she teaches Spanish language courses and Latin American Literature, Civilization, and Latin American Music and Dance courses.

Wellinthon Muñoz Burgos

wmunoz@hispaniclf.org  

Wellinthon was born in the Dominican Republic and first came to the United States when he was a teenager.  He attended high school in the Bronx, New York for several years.  After serving in the United States Navy, he attended and graduated from Virginia Wesleyan College with a dual degree in Criminal Justice and Spanish. He is very proud of his Dominican roots, particularly of music and dance, and is always willing to share his knowledge on this subject. He has been as guest instructor of the Latin American Music and Dance course at Virginia Wesleyan College for the past seven years where students enjoy his energy, dance talent, and teaching techniques. His artistic gifts expand beyond dance. He has played parts in theaters, amateur films and is an accomplished painter.   He currently teaches for the Virginia Beach City Public Schools in Virginia. His pedagogical abilities are widely recognized by administrators, colleagues, and students alike. Here he is not only an effective instructor of the Spanish language, but he is also a mentor and a role model to his students.  He is also an advocate for minority students making sure they are giving the educational opportunities they deserve regardless of their race or ethnic background. When he is not teaching, Wellinthon enjoys dancing, building furniture, or working on his garden.

Pastor Juan Daniel Gonzales

juandgonzales@gmail.com