Mr. Maldonado was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and lived there until the age of 4, when his family moved to Utuado, Puerto Rico. His formal schooling includes a B. A. Degree in Fine Arts from the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee, and a M.S. in Educational Foundation of Education (Ed Policy) also from UW-Milwaukee. While completing his Master’s, Mr. Maldonado also completed a Certificate Program through the Latino Non-Profit Leadership Certificate Program (RHC/Cardinal Stritch University).

Alberto J. Maldonado is the Director of the Roberto Hernández Center at the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee. He also serves as the Special Assistant to the Vice-Chancellor for Diversity Equity and Inclusion. As Director of the Roberto Hernández Center, Alberto is the chief executive and administrative officer of the Center. Responsibilities include overall management and planning, including personnel, budget administration, and program development and implementation. In addition, since 2016 Alberto has co-led the Chancellors Committee for Hispanic Student Initiatives (CCHSI), with the intention to grow and expand opportunities for Latinx students at UWM, areas of engagement with the community and implementation of commitments made by the Chancellor.
In his 25+ year trajectory at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Mr. Maldonado has championed numerous initiatives in the areas of Pre-College, Community Outreach, Admissions, Multicultural enrollment, and Academic Advising. Among the many things he has helped create coordinate includes, the Annual Bilingual Open House & Parent Orientation, the Milwaukee National Hispanic College fair, the creation of the Undocumented Student Campus Task Force and the establishment of the growth of the RHC Exito scholarship & emergency fund. Alberto actively serves on a few Boards including Carmen School of Science and Technology, All of Us with the Medical College of Wisconsin and Hispanic Professionals of Greater Milwaukee. Alberto also serves in several key UWM campus committees including Moonshot for Equity, the 2030 Think Tank, and the Multi-cultural Network. He also enjoys volunteering his time in the Milwaukee community as a mentor and providing insights and education about college access and affordability to parents and students. Recently Alberto was elected as chair of the HSI Network of Wisconsin.

Alberto began his post-secondary education at the University of Puerto Rico, where he was admitted on a full ride scholarship for Track and Field. At the beginning of his sophomore year, he moved back to Milwaukee where he continued his academic journey at the Milwaukee Area Technical College (MATC) and later at the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee.

In his professional trajectory at UWM Maldonado has served as the Assistant Director for Recruitment and Community Relations in the Office of Undergraduate Admissions, as well as the Coordinator for The Wisconsin Covenant Program. Prior to his work in then Admissions Office Mr. Maldonado worked as Senior Advisor for the College of Health Sciences and as a Senior Academic Advisor in the TRIO and Pre-College programs. In his extensive career at UW-Milwaukee Mr. Maldonado has collaborated with multiple communities and school districts in Southeastern Wisconsin, as well as with hundreds of students and their families. In those years his has helped develop programs and initiatives to prepare students and their families for post-secondary admission, select their courses and eventually graduate from college.