Meet Our Team

Rubén Martinez

Director

Dr. Rubén O. Martinez is professor of sociology and director of the Julian Samora Research Institute at Michigan State University.  His research interests include neoliberalism and Latinos, diversity leadership in higher education, institutional and societal change, education and ethno-racial minorities, youth development, Latino labor and entrepreneurship, and environmental justice. Dr. Martinez is the editor of the Latinos in the United States book series with the Michigan State University Press. He has numerous publications, including three co-authored books:  Chicanos in Higher Education (1993), Diversity Leadership in Higher Education (2007), and A Brief History of Cristo Rey Church in Lansing, MI (2012); one edited volume, Latinos in the Midwest (2011); and two co-edited volumes: Latino College Presidents: In Their Own Words (2013), and Occupational Health Disparities among Racial and Ethnic Minorities: Formulating Research Needs and Directions (2017).

E-mail: mart1097@msu.edu

Jean Kayitsinga

Sociologist Demographer

Dr. Jean Kayitsinga is a sociologist demographer for JSRI. He received his Ph.D. in sociology at Michigan State University in 1999. His areas of specialization include rural sociology, sociology of families, demography, research methods, and statistical methodologies.

E-mail: kayitsin@msu.edu

Juan David Coronado

Postdoctoral Scholar

Dr. Juan David Coronado is a postdoctoral scholar at the Julian Samora Research Institute at Michigan State University. A social historian, Coronado focuses on the contributions and experiences of Chicanos and Latinos in the U.S. His recent book, "I'm Not Gonna Die in this Damn Place”: Manliness, Identity, and Survival of the Mexican American Vietnam Prisoner of War (2018), lies at the intersection of Mexican American, military, oral and U.S. history while also furthering dialogue on gender. Along with Rubén Martinez, Coronado co-edited a Special Issue of Diálogo, “Latinas and Latinos in the Midwest: Historic and Contemporary Issues” (2018). Coronado co-facilitates JSRI’s Éxito Educativo, a pathway to college program for Latino high school students and their parents. He also serves as Co-President of the Southwest Oral History Association.

E-mail: corona20@msu.edu

Marcelo Siles

Research Specialist

Dr. Marcelo E. Siles is a Research Specialist at JSRI.  He has extensive experience working in higher education as an administrator and as a researcher.  His previous posts include serving as Executive Director of International Programs at Old Dominion University, Dean/Executive Director of International Programs at Northern Michigan University, and as Co-Director of the Social Capital Initiative at Michigan State University. He received his Ph.D. in Agricultural Economics from Michigan State University.

E-mail: siles@msu.edu

Richard Cruz Davila

Research Specialist

Dr. Richard Cruz Davila joined JSRI as a researcher in August of 2017. He recently completed a PhD in Media Studies at the University of Western Ontario. His dissertation traces the history of Chicana/os and Latina/os in punk scenes in Los Angeles and Chicago. He is currently researching the evolution of Tex-Mex music in Michigan. He is a member of JSRI’s Black/Brown Dialogs task force, which seeks to achieve a more equitable and inclusive Michigan through sustainable intergroup collaborative relationships.

E-mail: davilari@msu.edu

Alyssa Bedaine

Office Assistant

Alyssa Bedaine has been with Michigan State University since August 2014, joining JSRI in September 2018 as an office assistant. She has a Bachelor’s Degree from Michigan State University in English with a concentration in creative writing. She currently resides in Grand Ledge, MI. Her office responsibilities include maintaining accurate records, processing travel reimbursements, and providing general leadership to student and on-call employees.

E-mail: bedainea@msu.edu

Jocelyn Janicek

Office Assistant

Jocelyn Janicek has been with Michigan State University since August 2014, joining JSRI in August 2017 as one of the office assistants.  She is originally from Corunna, MI and currently resides in Perry, MI.  After graduating from Corunna High School in 2011, Jocelyn has been attending Lansing Community College working toward her Associate in Business Degree for Business Administration. Her office responsibilities include maintaining, monitoring, and reconciling bookkeeping records, calendar back up to the Director, and general office support.

E-mail: janicekj@msu.edu

Filiberto Villa-Gomez

Research Associate

Filiberto Villa-Gomez is a research associate at the Julian Samora Research Institute and the Spanish-speaking Outreach Coordinator for Michigan Food and Farming Systems. He tailors MIFFS programming and outreach to meet the needs of Spanish-speaking producers in Michigan and works closely alongside them to address needs and develop new opportunities. Villa-Gomez collaborated with growers in Southwest Michigan to establish Farmers on the Move, the first Latino growers’ cooperative in the state. Villa-Gomez studied agriculture and as an employee of  Mexico’s Department of Agriculture worked with small-land farmers, women and youth until he moved to the United States.

E-mail: gomezfil@msu.edu

David Figueroa Martin

Research Assistant II

David Figueroa Martin is a senior at Michigan State University majoring in Human Capital and Society and minoring in Organizational Leadership. After graduation, he plans on pursuing a Master’s degree in Human Resources and Labor Relations with the goal of focusing his career path in the research field. David is originally from Cuba and currently resides in Lansing, MI. During his time at MSU, he has participated in different research projects involving community improvements, policy changes and financial stability among different departments in the city of Lansing.

E-mail: figuer58@msu.edu

Nabih Haddad

Research Assistant III

Nabih Haddad is a Ph.D. candidate in the Higher, Adult, and Lifelong Education (HALE) program in the College of Education at Michigan State University. His research interests include higher education policy, educational philanthropy, and student success and college completion for underserved and underrepresented communities. He has worked on projects which have examined the intersections of philanthropic foundations and non-profit organizations, the role of funders in academic labor markets, the relationship between intermediary entities and educational systems. His current work, empirically investigates the connection between philanthropic foundations and higher education, with an emphasis on the role of intermediary organizations in the college completion agenda.

E-mail: haddadn2@msu.edu

Estephanie Lopez-Diaz

Estephanie Lopez-Diaz is a senior at Michigan State University majoring in Social Relations and Policy, and minoring both in Chicano/Latinos Studies, and Caribbean and Latin American Studies. She grew up in Grand Rapids and plans on attending law school after graduation to earn a law degree with a specialty in immigration. She is very passionate about immigration rights and about helping Latino communities in the United States. She is a student employee at JSRI assisting with transcriptions.

E-mail: lopezdi1@msu.edu