Dr. James M. MacLaren, President of Lebanon Valley College, announced the appointment of Michelle Gonzalez Maldonado, Ph.D., as Provost. She comes to LVC after serving as Professor of Theology and Religious Studies at the University of Scranton and as Provost and Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs at the University of Scranton immediately before. Dr. Maldonado will assume the College’s senior academic leadership role on July 1, 2025.

“Dr. Maldonado brings extraordinary leadership and vision to Lebanon Valley College at a time when enrollment, retention, and graduation rates are strong,” said MacLaren. “We are excited to add her knowledge and experience as we move forward through the Imagine LVC strategic plan’s four imperatives. Her vast experience at schools of comparable size and the University of Miami will enable her to enhance our vision, creativity, and competitiveness.”

Maldonado will be a member of the President’s Cabinet, providing primary administrative leadership, direction, and evaluation for all the College’s academic activities and faculty affairs. She will oversee academic departments, the Vernon and Doris Bishop Library, Graduate and Professional Studies, the Suzanne H. Arnold Art Gallery, Institutional Research, Global Education, and other educational areas.

During her tenure as Provost at the University of Scranton, Maldonado led several critical initiatives, including work with faculty on steps to revise the core curriculum, a comprehensive environmental scanning project, a successful proposal to launch the Ethics Across the Curriculum initiative, and efforts to achieve Laudato Si (climate sustainability) recognition. She also championed transfer-friendly policies for students, strengthened academic support programs for first-generation students, and developed programs for non-traditional learners.

Maldonado designed the programming for the University of Scranton’s Center for Workforce Development and Applied Research. The building includes an emphasis on research and workforce development in the health sciences, cybersecurity, and cybercrime, and will feature an innovation space that incorporates traditional Maker Space elements with artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and augmented reality. The programming of the building led to a $10.5 million naming gift.

“I am thrilled to join the Lebanon Valley College community. As a student-centered College with a strong liberal arts foundation and growing professional programs, LVC’s mission and vision for the future resonates strongly with me. I look forward to partnering with faculty on many initiatives, including increasing student success, serving our first-generation and historically underrepresented students, developing in-demand academic programs, enhancing faculty development, and serving the LVC community and strengthening its regional presence.”

A nationally recognized scholar, Maldonado’s academic areas of specialization include Latino/a and Latin American theology, Afro-Caribbean and Latino/a studies, and constructive and cultural theologies. She has remained active as a scholar of religious studies recently editing The Oxford Handbook of Caribbean Religion, published by Oxford University Press this year. In addition to the nearly dozen books she has edited, co-authored, or authored, she has published over 50 articles in academic journals and book chapters. She has also presented at over 90 academic conferences and meetings and contributed over a dozen book reviews.

Before joining Scranton, Maldonado served as Assistant Provost of Undergraduate Education at the University of Miami. In that role, she implemented substantial revisions to Miami’s general education requirements and worked with their Enrollment Management division on recruitment strategies with an emphasis on historically underrepresented and first-generation students, among other duties. She also served as Executive Director of the Office of Academic Enhancement and held various teaching positions at the University of Miami, Barry University, Loyola Marymount University, and in San Lucas Tolimán in Guatemala.

Maldonado earned her bachelor’s degree from Georgetown University, her master’s degree from the Union Theology Seminary, and her Ph.D. from the Graduate Theological Union. She is Cuban American and was born and raised in Miami, Fla. She and her husband Byron, originally from Guatemala, have been married for 20 years. They have two sons: Byron Manuel is a sophomore at the University of Scranton, and Michael is a high school senior.

Lebanon Valley College selected Dr. Maldonado after a national search co-chaired by Joseph F. Rilatt ’91, Vice Chair of LVC’s Board of Trustees, and Dr. Thomas P. Dompier, Associate Professor of Athletic Training.