In a press release Wednesday, Edgewood College announced the appointment of Milton Javier Bravo, Ph.D., to the new post of Vice President for Mission, Values, and Inclusion. The announcement comes after a yearlong nationwide search, according to the press release. The Cabinet-level position will oversee all institutional efforts that express the Dominican Catholic mission and values of Edgewood College, which includes ongoing work toward dismantling racism through diversity, equity, and inclusion.
“Dr. Bravo is well-known as a strong scholar, leader, and champion of Catholic Social Teaching,” Edgewood President Andrew Manion said in a statement. “His scholarship and expertise, and his experience working with students, make him an ideal match for this new and challenging role.”
“I’m honored and grateful to have the opportunity to serve the Edgewood College community,” Bravo said in a statement. “I have long admired Dominican education and look forward to continuing our work of diversity, equity and inclusion, while embracing and promoting our identity as a Dominican Catholic college.”
Bravo is a Latino theologian who has served Catholic colleges and universities and faith-based non-profit organizations for more than a decade. Bravo’s experience in higher education includes service in enrollment management, campus ministry, mission integration, academic advising, student life, academic research, and undergraduate instruction in Theological and Philosophical studies. The press release said he focuses on on-campus efforts to better serve first-generation and underrepresented students along with the establishment of comprehensive networks of support for student retention and success.
Bravo has also served served as an advocate for underrepresented populations and is active in religious, secular, and civic organizations. He is a member of the board of directors for the Academy of Hispanic Theologians in the United States, and Hope Border Institute, in El Paso, Texas. He is the former associate publisher at Commonweal Magazine, a lay-edited independent journal of opinion based in New York City.
Dr. Bravo earned his bachelor’s degree in Theology and Philosophy from St. Peter’s, a Catholic and Jesuit university in Jersey City, New Jersey. He earned a MA in Theology (concentration in Biblical Studies) from the Immaculate Conception Seminary of Seton Hall University. Bravo earned a Doctor of Philosophy degree from Fordham University, New York City.
Originally from Ambato, Ecuador, Dr. Bravo is married to Stephanie Bravo. The couple as a son, Maximilian. He begins his duties at Edgewood College immediately in a consulting role, and assumes his full-time vice-presidential post on November 1, 2021.
