Dr. David Maldonado, Jr. Retires
Dr. David Maldonado, Jr. retired on May 31, 2011, as founding director of the Center for the Study of Latino/a Christianity and Religions. Reflecting on his service, Maldonado stated, “Engaging the faculty to look at the broader Latino reality has been one of the most satisfying elements of my work.” Associate Professor of Christianity and Cultures Hugo Magallanes, who has been named Maldonado’s successor, praised the Center’s accomplishments under Maldonado’s leadership: “The Center has done an extraordinary work in promoting and providing excellent resources for theological reflection and by creating opportunities to discuss issues that are relevant not only to the Hispanic community but also to the U.S. society in general.”
Maldonado previously served at Perkins from 1984 to 2000 as professor of Church and Society, and as associate dean for Academic Affairs from 1993 to 1997. He was selected as president of the Iliff School of Theology in Denver in 2000, where he served until his “first retirement” in 2004. Maldonado has also taught at the School of Health and Human Services of California State University, Los Angeles, and the Graduate School of Social Work at The University of Texas at Arlington.
In 2009, Maldonado received the Perkins School of Theology Distinguished Alumnus Award. Other honors and awards include a Whitney M. Young, Jr. Foundation Fellowship and a W. K. Kellogg Foundation Fellowship. The Dallas Mexican Chamber of Commerce named him Educator of the Year in 1977. Maldonado was elected to the University Senate of The United Methodist Church by the 2004 General Conference. A noted speaker, he has given the Glover Lectures at Southwestern University, the Sikes-Melugin Lecture in Religious Studies at McMurry College, and the Kellogg Lectures at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He has served on the editorial board of “The Gerontologist” and as a reviewer for The Journal of Social Service Research.
A native of Seguin, Texas, Maldonado is an ordained elder in the Rio Grande Annual Conference. After receiving his Bachelor of Arts degree from The University of Texas at El Paso and his Bachelor of Divinity degree from Perkins (‘68), Maldonado earned both Master’s and doctoral degrees in social work from the University of California at Berkeley. Prior to his work in higher education, he served as pastor of a United Methodist congregation in Fort Worth, Texas; in the Social Program Department of the mayor’s office in San Francisco, California; as a community organizer for the Fort Worth Metropolitan Board of Missions; and as executive director of the Office of Economic Opportunity Migrant Project in Wichita County, Kansas.
He is the author of Crossing Guadalupe Street (University of New Mexico Press, 2001), as well as numerous articles, and has contributed chapters to several books. He is the editor of Protestantes/Protestants: Hispanic Christianity Within Mainline Traditions and co-editor with Paul Barton of Hispanic Christianity Within Mainline Protestant Traditions: A Bibliography.
Maldonado’s wife Charlotte is retired, having taught third grade for fifteen years. The Maldonados have two sons, Dr. David Maldonado, III and Carlos Maldonado. In retirement, David and Charlotte plan to continue residing in New Mexico.