Milton Javier Bravo, Ph.D., named vice president for mission and identity for Loyola

Milton Javier Bravo, Ph.D., has been selected as the vice president for mission and identity for Loyola University Maryland. He will start in the role on July 1, 2023.

Currently vice president for mission, values, and inclusion at Edgewood College in Madison, Wisconsin, Bravo has more than 15 years of experience in higher education, having served in roles in mission integration, student life, student services, research, teaching, and enrollment management.

“Dr. Bravo will bring to Loyola a deep understanding of our Jesuit mission and Catholic social teaching, a wealth of relevant expertise, and a demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice,” said Terrence M. Sawyer, J.D., president of Loyola. “I look forward to seeing all that Dr. Bravo will achieve in this integral role, which is so important to the work we do as a university. He brings important experience and leadership to this position, which will be critical to Loyola as we continue to deepen our commitment to our Jesuit mission.”

Prior to joining Edgewood College in 2021, Bravo was associate publisher of Commonweal Magazine. He has worked previously as an assistant dean for Fordham University, assistant director of university admissions for the New Jersey Institute of Technology, and as an admission counselor and assistant director of admissions for Seton Hall University. He has taught as an adjunct instructor for Fordham University and as an adjunct assistant professor for four years in St. John’s University’s theology and religious studies departments, where he won the university’s Outstanding Adjunct Faculty award in 2020.

Bravo earned a B.A. in Theology and Philosophy from Saint Peter’s University, an M.A. in Theology with a concentration in Biblical Studies from Seton Hall University, and a Ph.D., in Education, Religion, and Religious Education from Fordham University. He serves on the boards of the College Theology Society, Edgewood High School of the Sacred Heart, the Academy of Catholic Hispanic Theologians of the United States, and the Hope Border Institute.

“I’m excited to bring my skillsets and higher education experience to Loyola, and I’m also excited just to bring my whole self to this relationship-centered community,” Bravo said. “My hope—and my goal—is to be a resource to help the community think about how to integrate mission and our Catholic, Jesuit identity into everything we do.”

In addition to being included in Commonweal, Bravo’s writing has appeared in U.S. Catholic Magazine, National Catholic Reporter, and Jesuits News. He was a contributing writer for the book, Beyond National Catholicism: Transnational Networks of Hispanic Catholicism. His research interests include student equity and Catholic Social teaching, contextual theology, ecclesiology, and U.S. Latino/Hispanic Catholicism.

The position was established last summer at Loyola and is currently held by Seán Bray, interim vice president for mission and assistant vice president for mission.