BRASA has begun a new leadership cycle following BRASA XVIII, held in Salvador in July 2026. The association’s elected officers are now supported by an Executive Secretariat based at the University of Kansas and by an Executive Committee bringing together scholars from institutions in Brazil and the United States.
Fabio de Sa e Silva, of the University of Oklahoma, will serve as President for 2026–2028. He previously served as BRASA’s Vice President, as a member of the Executive Committee, and as chair of the program committees for BRASA XVII and BRASA XVIII.
Rubia Valente, of Baruch College, City University of New York, will serve as Vice President for 2026–2028. A scholar of public policy and research methods, Valente studies inequality, race, education, and quality of life in Brazil and Latin America.
Erika Robb Larkins, of San Diego State University, becomes Immediate Past President after leading the association from 2024 to 2026. During her presidency, she helped guide BRASA XVIII and supported the association through an important period of institutional development.
A new Executive Secretariat
BRASA’s operations are now supported by an Executive Secretariat at the University of Kansas.
Antonio Luciano Tosta will serve as Executive Director for 2026–2032. A professor of Brazilian literature and culture, Tosta will lead the Secretariat and oversee the association’s operations and institutional administration.
Jennifer Duhamel will serve as Administrative Director, supporting BRASA’s day-to-day work, including member communications, records, congress administration, and coordination of the association’s programs and institutional activities.
New members of the Executive Committee
Eight members begin terms on the Executive Committee for 2026–2030:
- Lígia Bezerra, Arizona State University
- Benjamin Cowan, University of California, San Diego
- Sheyla Castro Diniz, University of São Paulo
- Tassiana Moura de Oliveira, University at Albany, SUNY
- Leonora Souza Paula, Michigan State University
- Victoria Saramago, University of Chicago
- Paula Silva, Federal University of Bahia
- Alejandro Ramirez, University of California, Santa Cruz, Graduate Student Representative
They join the members serving 2024–2028 terms: Ana Paula Alves Ribeiro, Kristal Bivona, Vanessa Castañeda, Paulo Dutra, Seth Garfield, Marc Hertzman, and Livio Sansone.
Together, the officers, Executive Secretariat, and Executive Committee will support BRASA’s work to advance research, teaching, collaboration, and informed public engagement concerning Brazil.