The North Central Council of Latin Americanists (NCCLA) has promoted Latin American studies in Wisconsin and the surrounding area since 1966 – and its organizational headquarters are right here in Milwaukee, at UWM’s Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies (CLACS). 

NCCLA recently hosted its annual conference September 26-27, 2025, at St. Olaf College in Northfield, MN – drawing over 70 faculty, graduate students, and advanced undergraduates to share their latest work under the theme “Many Latin Americas.” Conference sessions included research on immigrant experiences in the Midwest, discussion of collaborative and community-based learning experiences (at University of St. Thomas and Macalester College), and special presentations from authors and filmmakers. As NCCLA Secretariat officers, CLACS staff were essential to the organization of the conference, which developed and celebrated the work of Latin Americanists across the Upper Midwest.

Conference attendees queue for a book signing by authors Reyna Grande and Sonia Guiñansaca

The interdisciplinary audience of established scholars and emerging voices allowed many the opportunity to receive valuable feedback on works-in-progress. Victor Cruz, a PhD candidate in history at Binghamton University, appreciated “the exceptionally welcoming faculty and the vibrant network of scholars [the conference] brought together.” Cruz won the 2025 Graduate Research Award for his paper “Reimagining Nationalist Women: Emelí Vélez de Vando,” and noted that the conference atmosphere and lively discussion have inspired his research going forward. 

Other student participants similarly emphasized that participating in a Latin Americanist conference inspired them to continue deepening their research. Fátima Ortega Barba, who is currently pursuing a master’s in Library Science and presented a portion of her undergraduate thesis on nationalist masculinities, said “I was shocked by the great questions and comments I got about my research…[NCCLA] cemented that I want to return to this project; it was great to be in a [Latin Americanist] space like that.” And Paulina Santizo Murúa, a master’s student in Human Rights at the University of Minnesota, similarly remarked, “NCCLA was my first academic conference! It was such an amazing experience to be able to share a little bit of my research with people from all over the country who are interested in the Latin American region as well. Above all, attending NCCLA sparked my interest in going to more conferences in the future!” 

The keynote address was given by Professor John Tutino, a historian of Mexico 

The conference likewise celebrated the work of established scholars: the keynote provided a thoughtful career retrospective from Professor John Tutino (Georgetown University), a distinguished historian in Latin American studies who summarized his life’s work in the lecture “Mexico in the World: Making Capital, Seeking Sustainable Lives, Facing Exclusions and Migrations” (recording here). The lecture drew nearly 70 attendees on a Friday night! And the following day’s Award of Merit ceremony offered additional opportunities to recognize the impact of exceptional faculty: both Windy González Roberts (University of Minnesota-Morris, Spanish) and Kristina Medina-Vilariño (St. Olaf College; Caribbean Studies Network) were recognized “for outstanding achievement in bringing to the general public a greater awareness of the nations, peoples and cultures of Latin America.” Finally, the organization recognized anthropology professor María Moreno Parra (UW-La Crosse, Global Cultures and Languages) with the Raquel Kersten Professional Research Award for her paper “¿Vale la pena llevar la lucha antirracista a las cortes? Reflexiones a partir de la primera sentencia por delito de odio en Ecuador.” 

NCCLA President Benjamin Narvaez (center; University of Minnesota, Morris) with the two recipients of this year’s Award of Merit: Kristina Medina-Vilariño (left; St. Olaf College) and Windy González Roberts (right; University of Minnesota, Morris)

The NCCLA is already gearing up for a spring semester teaching workshop at the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University, continuing its mission to promote a robust Latin American studies network in the upper Midwest. Secretariat officers at UWM’s CLACS are eager to continue expanding this professional community.