CREDENTIALS

• B.A., History of the Americas, Universidad Complutense de Madrid (Spain)
• M.A., Contemporary History, Universidad Complutense de Madrid (Spain)
• Ph.D., Contemporary History, Universidad Complutense de Madrid (Spain)

Dr. Carlos Madrid Álvarez-Piñer is an associate professor of Spanish Pacific history within the Micronesian Area Research Center. He came to UOG in 2019 from the Instituto Cervantes de Manila, where he served as director from 2014–2018. He has conducted research projects on Micronesia, Spain, and the Philippines since 1996 and has previously worked in the International Cultural Cooperation at the Ministry of Culture of Spain and curated exhibits on permanent display in the Museo de Baler in the Philippines and the Belau National Museum in Palau.

His master's thesis was on "Political Deportation to the Mariana Islands," and his doctoral thesis was on "The Siege of Baler and the Transmission of Perceptions About the Philippines in Spain. His areas of research include CHamoru cultural expressions in the 19th and 20th centuries, human exchanges in Micronesia (16^th–20^th centuries), cartography, the Manila Galleon Trade, heritage preservation and rehabilitation, and cultural tourism.

CREDENTIALS

• Ed.D., Instruction and Curriculum Leadership, Reading Concentration, University of Memphis
• M.Ed., Elementary Education, Lesley University
• Bachelor of Science - Human Resources Management, Boston College
• Strategic Data Project Fellow, Center for Education Policy Research, Harvard University

ABOUT

Theresa Magpuri-Lavell, Ed.D, joined the School of Education as an associate professor in January 2025. 

Dr. Magpuri-Lavell's professional experience spans from K-6th grade and higher education teaching to conducting multi-disciplinary research studies and leading capacity-building initiatives from development to evaluation. She served in a variety of leadership roles, including as the Executive Director of the Sandra Dungan Deal Center for Early Language and Literacy as a tenured faculty member at Georgia College & State University, Associate Dean of Outreach at Bellarmine University in Kentucky, and, most recently, Department Chair of the Education Department at Prince George's Community College in Maryland. 

Her research interests include scientifically based reading instruction for underserved populations and related research studies with publications in peer-reviewed journals. 

The mission of her work is to empower educators with an expansive knowledge of evidence-based literacy and the capacity for building transformative learning experiences for others to improve K-12 literacy achievement.