Dr. Luis Martínez-FernándezBiographical blurbBorn in Havana, Cuba, Luis Martínez-Fernández grew up in Lima, Peru and San Juan, Puerto Rico. He holds B.A. and M.A. degrees from the University of Puerto Rico and a Ph.D. in History from Duke University.Dr. Martínez-Fernández is Professor of History at the University of Central Florida, where he directed the Latin American, Caribbean and Latino Studies Program (2004-2006). Previously, he taught at Rutgers University (1994-2004). While at Rutgers, he chaired the Department of Puerto Rican and Hispanic Caribbean Studies (1997-2004). He has also taught at Colgate University, Augusta State University, the Graduate History Program of the University of Puerto Rico, and the Lauder Program of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.Professor Martínez-Fernández has researched and written extensively on a wide range of topics of the histories of Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Dominican Republic. His publications include academic articles in Cuban Studies, Slavery and Abolition, Latin American Research Review, The Americas, The New West Indian Guide, Journal of Ecclesiastical History, Diplomatic History, Caribbean Studies, Diálogo, Revista Mexicana del Caribe, Hopscotch, History Compass, Academe, The Chronicle of Higher Education and in numerous anthologies and edited volumes. His books include: Frontiers, Plantations, and Walled Cities: Essays on Society, Culture and Politics in the Hispanic Caribbean (Markus Wiener, 2010), Protestantism and Political Conflict in the Nineteenth-Century Hispanic Caribbean (Rutgers University Press, 2002), Fighting Slavery in the Caribbean (M.E. Sharpe, 1998), and Torn between Empires (University of Georgia Press, 1994). Professor Martínez-Fernández was Senior Editor of the multiple award-wining, two-volume Encyclopedia of Cuba: People, History, Culture (Greenwood Press, 2003). His book Revolutionary Cuba: A History is scheduled to be published by the University Press of Florida in 2014; and is finishing another book on early colonial Cuba. In 2002, Dr Martínez-Fernández was featured among the nation's most influential Hispanic/Latino leaders in the nationally televised special "Viva! Top Twenty Powerbrokers." He has served in the advisory editorial board of H-LATAM and The Latin Americanist. Currently, he serves on the editorial board of Cuban Studies. He is also a trustee of the College Board and Past Chair of its Academic Advisory Council. During his ten years of service at the College Board, he has served on numerous committees, among them, the National Task Force on the Arts in Education.Dr. Martínez-Fernández is active in various cultural and artistic organizations in Central Florida, including the Orlando Regional History Center. In 2005 he founded the annual Latin American Cultural Festival of Orlando. Professor Martínez-Fernández participates frequently in professional conferences and scholarly meetings, and as an invited speaker at universities and other forums. He also serves as consultant and media resource in his fields of expertise. The following are some of the media for which he has served as an expert: New York Times, Wall Street Journal, L.A. Times, Miami Herald, London Financial Times, Orlando Sentinel, MSNBC, AP and the national news wire services of Spain, France, and Mexico. His opinion columns have appeared in the Christian Science Monitor, Orlando Sentinel, Chronicle of Higher Education, among other venues.