The Office of Academic Affairs has announced the appointment of William Stanley as director of the Latin American Iberian Institute (LAII).

Executive Vice President and Provost Chaouki Abdallah said, “Bill Stanley has a long history at the University New Mexico as a world class scholar and consummate professional in carrying out leadership and administrative roles.  He also has tremendous support by LAII constituents. I am confident in his ability to take LAII to the next level locally and globally.”

Stanley, who joined UNM in 1990, is the chair and professor in the Department of Political Science. He has served previously as interim director of the Latin American and Iberian Institute, and director of Latin American Studies.  

“I am very much looking forward to working with colleagues across campus to continue UNM’s tradition of excellence in scholarship on Latin America, while developing new collaborative research initiatives on important issues in the region,” Stanley said. 

Stanley is a scholar of Central American politics who studies the causes and prevention of political and civil violence. He has published two books and numerous articles, chapters, and policy reports addressing the internal politics and regulation of military institutions, reform and democratic governance of police forces, violence-related migration, the role of United Nations peace missions in ending civil wars, and various dimensions of post-conflict institutional reform and recovery. 

His most recent research examines the international politics of climate change mitigation. He teaches in the sub-fields of international relations and comparative politics, at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. He earned an AB degree in International Relations from Stanford University, and a Ph.D. in Political Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Stanley succeeds Susan Tiano as director of LAII.