Dr. Arturo Chávez, Ph.D., Director of Programs, The Mexican American Cultural Center

An expert on Immigration and Poverty, Dr. Arturo Chávez, Ph.D. is the Director of Programs for the Mexican American Cultural Center. He has worked for over twenty five years in a variety of ministries - teacher, youth minister, chaplain to incarcerated youth, community organizer and activist, and as a CEO of a social justice, faith-based organization. He was instrumental in establishing and raising funds for various nonprofit organizations and coalitions to address the urgent needs of families who are poor and disenfranchised. These include JOVEN, the Peace Center, Merced Housing, the Center for Public Policy Priorities, and the Peace Initiative.

He is a coauthor, with his wife Mary, of a new curriculum for Latino Youth Leadership Formation called RESPETO, implemented in parishes around the country. He is a national speaker and workshop facilitator in leadership in multicultural communities and Hispanic ministry; Latino youth and family ministry; Immigration; social and religious history of Mexican Americans; and Catholic Social Thought. Dr. Chávez holds a Master in Theology from Oblate School of Theology and a Ph.D. in Religion from the University of Denver and the Iliff School of Theology.