Joseph Zavala, Ph.D. has been promoted from acting dean of the College of Letters and Sciences (COLS) to the position of Vice President of Student Services. He succeeds Ken Goldberg, DPA, who has returned to faculty after two years of service as Vice President of Student Services.
A native of Peru who has traveled and lived extensively in Latin America, Dr. Zavala earned his Ph.D. in Romance Languages and Literatures from the University of Miami, Florida, and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and a Master of Arts in Spanish from California State University Long Beach. He is a published author and a former businessman who ran a tour and entertainment business in Cancun and worked as a prize-winning strategic planner for the global advertising firm Leo Burnett. He also served as Assistant Professor and Co-Chair of the Spanish Department at Southwestern University for two years.
Joining National University in 2008, Dr. Zavala created the Bachelor of Arts in Spanish program and taught Spanish as an Assistant Professor, both in class and online, before being named as Interim Associate Dean of COLS last October. He served as acting dean while Dean Michael McAnear, Ph.D. took extended leave.
As Vice President of Student Services, Dr. Zavala aspires to establish a competitive advantage through the delivery of quality, personalized service. “My goal is to make sure that we continue to serve our students and their individual needs through the highest level of quality and service,” he said.
