Pacific School of Religion is proud to announce the appointment of two outstanding new faculty: Dr. Alexandra Rosado-Román and Dr. Ish Ruiz. Following a rigorous faculty and community search process, these colleagues have been selected to help shape PSR’s distinctive reimagination of theological education.
Scholar-activist Dr. Alexandra Rosado-Román will continue serving as Assistant Professor of Gender Studies and Caribbean Decolonial Ethics, a position she’s held this academic year through an externship at The Program in Theology and Practice at the Graduate Department of Religion at Vanderbilt University.
Dr. Rosado-Román’s scholarship is focused on unraveling the intersecting workings of colonial constructs — including race, class, gender, sexuality, ethnicity, and citizenship — and chronicling their enduring impact on the lives of racialized women. Her work is inspired by the resilience of Afro-Caribbean feminists, queer activists, and leaders of organizations that provide vital anti-racist, anti-sexist, and anticolonial education along with the innovative practices of resistance they employ to foster values of sovereignty, freedom, justice, and healing.
Dr. Rosado-Román recently successfully defended her dissertation, “Decolonial Betrayals: Afro-Caribbean Feminist Activism in Puerto Rico,” and will graduate with her Ph.D. in Ethics and Society from Vanderbilt University in May. She also has M.A. degrees from Drew Theological Seminary (with an emphasis on women and gender studies) and the Evangelical Seminary of Puerto Rico. She also has an undergraduate degree in Communication from Universidad del Sagrado Corazon in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Dr. Ish Ruiz will begin serving as Assistant Professor of Latinx and Queer Decolonial Theology at PSR on July 1st. A native of Puerto Rico and a queer theologian, his research explores the intersection between queer theology, Latinx theology, ecclesiology, sexual ethics, liberation, human rights, and Catholic education. He integrates his academic work with leadership, scholarship, and activism around LGBTQ+ and Latinx inclusion and has actively ministered to queer Catholics in schools and parishes for over a decade.
Dr. Ruiz has published several articles on LGBTQ+ inclusion and is currently working on a book titled “LGBTQ+ Educators in Catholic Schools: Synodality, Inclusivity, and Justice,” which is under contract with Rowman and Littlefield Publishing Company.
Dr. Ruiz holds a Ph.D. in Theology and Ethics from the Graduate Theological Union, which allowed him to take PSR courses. He’s currently completing a post-doctoral fellowship in Catholic Studies at Emory University’s Candler School of Theology. Previously, he was on faculty of University of Dayton and spent 11 years working at the secondary school level.
In addition to his faculty appointment, Dr. Ruiz will serve as Coordinator of CLGS’s Latinx Roundtable. Through his teaching, research, and service, Dr. Ruiz hopes to see a world where Catholicism and Christianity embrace the diversity of gifts that people of all racial backgrounds and sexual identities bring to society and the Church.
Regarding the two new appointments, PSR’s president, Rev. David Vásquez-Levy, said, “We are delighted to welcome our new colleagues into PSR’s growing student community and global network of spirituality-rooted leaders. Together, we make up one of the most diverse communities in theological education. Alexandra and Ish both embody PSR’s commitment to making theological education more widely accessible and impactful: they are pursuing research and activism that seeks to transform congregations and communities by drawing on the wisdom of historically marginalized communities, and they both bring faith and conviction to bear on the creation of a world where all can thrive.”