Maggie Rivas Rodriguez

Maggie Rivas-Rodriguez is a professor of journalism at the University of Texas at Austin, as well as the founder and director of the multi-faceted Voces Oral History Project. Since its inception in 1999, the project has recorded nearly 1,000 interviews with Latinos/as of the WWII, Korean War and Vietnam War generations. In 2013, it added a new collection on Latino Political and Civic Engagement. The project has produced five books, provided the basis for three plays, developed educational materials, created photo exhibits, and become a resource for scholars and others looking for photographs and interviews with Latinos of the WWII period and beyond. Rivas-Rodriguez worked as a journalist for more than 17 years in major market news outlets, including The Boston Globe, United Press International, WFAA-TV in Dallas and The Dallas Morning News. She was on the committee that created the National Association of Hispanic Journalists and served on its board. Since her years as a college student, Rivas-Rodriguez has been involved in developing and participating in programs to increase diversity in American newsrooms. She earned her Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, her masters from Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism and her bachelor of journalism from the University of Texas at Austin.