Campus Administration

Mark Overmyer-Velázquez is Professor of History and the founding Director of El Instituto: Institute of Latina/o, Caribbean & Latin American Studies. Among his publications is, Beyond la Frontera: The History of Mexico-U.S. Migration (Oxford, 2011), which he completed as the Peggy Rockefeller Visiting Scholar at Harvard University. His most recent book, Global Latin(o) Americanos: Transoceanic Diasporas and Regional Migrations (Oxford, 2017), emerges from his work as a Fulbright Scholar examining the history of Peruvian migrants in Chile. His current research explores the field of US Latinx Studies from geographic vantage points outside of the United States. He received his Ph.D. in history from Yale University and his B.A. in history and German literature from the University of British Columbia.

The first Latino elected official in West Hartford, in 2017 Overmyer-Velázquez concluded a six-year term as a member and Chairman of the West Hartford Board of Education. He currently serves on a number of Hartford Boards including, Connecticut Students for a Dream; Hartford Foundation for Public Giving; Hartford Public Library; Greater Hartford Arts Council; Hartford Consortium for Higher Education; MetroHartford Alliance; and iQuilt. In 2019, he received the Vision Award in Social Justice from the Charter Oak Cultural Center.