Dr. Timothy Steigenga is a professor of political science and named Professor of Community Engagement at the Wilkes Honors College of Florida Atlantic University (FAU). He is the author/editor of six books and numerous other publications on topics ranging from social movements in Latin America to immigration and religion and politics. Since moving to South Florida in 1999, he has worked closely with non-profits and local government authorities to do outreach and education on behalf of Palm Beach County’s Mayan immigrant community and has collaborated with civil society organizations in Guatemala to educate policy makers on immigration issues and foster positive transnational linkages. He has also volunteered as a fundraiser, grant-writer, public spokesperson, consultant, and conference organizer for multiple local and international non-profit organizations and academic institutions. In 2006, Dr. Steigenga served for six months in Guatemala as a Fulbright Visiting Scholar. For the past 10 years, he has also served as co-principle investigator on multiple Ford Foundation grants focused on the lives of Latin American immigrants in Florida and Georgia. During the summers of 2010 and 2011 he served as a public policy fellow in Washington D.C. at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.
Dr. Steigenga received his Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill in 1996 and served as a visiting professor at Colby College, Davidson College, and the University of Massachusetts prior to coming to FAU. Since 1999, he has been honored with multiple awards for his service and research, including a Dwight Allison Fellowship (2004), the Presidential Leadership Award (2005), the Florida State Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Chairman’s Award of Excellence (2007), and the FAU Researcher of the Year Award (2008).