Associate Professor of Economics, St. Mary’s University
Participation in DITE: cohort 4 fellow
broman@stmarytx.edu
Dr. Román earned her BA and MA from Texas Christian University (TCU). Upon graduation, she accepted a position in the U.S. House of Representatives as a staffer for the 16th Congressional District of Texas, working in both El Paso, Texas, and Washington, D.C. She resigned from this role to serve as campaign director for the incumbent, leading the effort to re-elect the candidate. Following this political experience, Dr. Román combined her knowledge of economy and business to begin a start-up company specializing in data storage, one of the first of its kind and a prescient move into the business world. This enterprise was sold when she relocated to La Paz, Bolivia, where Dr. Román served as Administrative Director of the Electrification for Sustainable Development (ESD) program, a project funded by USAID and implemented by the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA). This challenging but rewarding experience honed Dr. Román’s skills in management, economic development, and logistics.
Dr. Román continued her studies at the London School of Economics, where she received her MPhil in Economic History, focusing her research on Border Studies. Also, during her time in London, Dr. Román worked in two key positions, firstly, as Director of Communications and Publications at the American Chamber of Commerce. In this role, she liaised closely with The American Embassy in London. In her second position, she transitioned to the UK private sector, accepting a position as Director of Publications and Broadcasting for a multimedia start-up that pioneered Internet Protocol (IP) over satellite. Her technical knowledge helped start one of the first groundbreaking live feeds of medical research and procedures and the publication of an international intensive care journal online with interactive content.
Dr. Román relocated back to the U.S. and went into academia, her original passion. Combining her real-world experience with her love of learning, Dr. Román won an award as an innovative educator and passionate advocate for Hispanic youth. She attained the rank of Professor at Palo Alto College, one of the Alamo Colleges in San Antonio, Texas. During a year-long sabbatical in Canada, Dr. Román began her Ph.D. at the University of Western Ontario (Western), where she concentrated on the application of Complexity Science to Border Studies. She also taught courses on the encounters between First Nations and Europeans for the Anthropology Department at Western.
Dr. Román has taught at St. Mary’s University in San Antonio for 12 years, beginning as an adjunct, and now as a full-time, tenured Assistant Professor in the Economics Department. She teaches introductory and intermediate economics courses along with International Economics and specialist topics such as complexity economics, feminist economics, and courses that focus on the Mexico-U.S. Border.
Dr. Román began Román Economics 2015, a small consulting firm. Her brand of economic analysis and research focuses on combining her strengths as an analyst with extensive real-world experience and particular insight into BIPOC and minority marketplaces.
Dr. Román is a regular contributor to The Wall Street Journal economic forecasting survey and has published Op-Ed pieces on local topics. She is regularly interviewed by the Spanish-language media on issues of national interest that impact local Spanish-speaking populations. She is a member of numerous academic organizations and is President of the San Antonio Business and Economics Society (SABES).
