Dr. Will Guzmán has joined New Jersey City University as the newly appointed Director of the Lee Hagan Africana Studies Center.

The Center promotes academic excellence and social responsibility within the community to empower people across the African Diaspora; through workshops, speakers, seminars, research, exhibitions and performances, the center helps develop and support cultural, political, educational, and economic growth for the community.

Previously, Dr. Guzmán served as Director of the Office of Black Diasporan Culture at Florida A&M University, and as the Associate Director of the Meek-Eaton Southeastern Regional Black Archives Research Center and Museum. He also worked as the site manager, program manager, and senior training manager for the Florida ABOUT FACE! Program. In it, he oversaw a $2.5 million state-issued contract and supervised 85 employees at 27 sites around the state.

Dr. Guzmán holds a Bachelor of Science degree in African American Studies from FAMU, a Master of Science in Social Science Education from Florida State University, and a Ph.D. with a focus on U.S. History, Borderlands History, and the African Diaspora from the University of Texas—El Paso.

His book, “Civil Rights in the Texas Borderlands: Dr. Lawrence A. Nixon and Black Activism” (University of Illinois Press, 2015) won the C. Calvin Smith Book Prize. Dr. Guzmán also has published work on areas of African/African American history. He also does research on African American history, Afro-Latinas/Latinos history, Caribbean and Latin American history, and United States history.