Luis Martín-Estudillo is an interdisciplinary scholar and teacher whose publications connect a variety of periods, genres and national traditions. He has devoted books and articles to topics as diverse as the aesthetics of the Baroque, the history of reading, or the cultural politics of European unification, benefitting from insights in fields spanning from political science and philosophy to art history and literary theory. He is currently writing a new book on the relationship between the emergence of modern economic thought and artistic innovation at the end of the 18th century. A native of the Mediterranean city of Alicante, he arrived at the University of Iowa in 2005, the same year he completed a Ph.D. in Hispanic and Lusophone Literatures and Linguistics at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, and has been a Full Professor in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese since 2018. He is Executive Editor of the Hispanic Issues scholarly book series and the Hispanic Issues Online open-access journal, which have produced more than eighty collaborative monographs, and has served as director and editor of several other publications. His previous responsibilities include Director of Undergraduate and of Graduate Studies in his home department, Director of the European Studies Group, and Administrative Faculty Fellow for International Programs. Iowa has distinguished his work with recognitions such as the Collegiate Teaching Award, the Dean’s Scholar Award, and the Collegiate Scholar Award; he has also received three awards from the National Endowment for the Humanities. A failed orchestra conductor, he is however an avid chamber musician and can often be found lost (in reverie) in Iowa City’s Hickory Hill Park.

Reid Dempsey is a graduate of the Iowa Translation Workshop and a PhD candidate in English at the University of Iowa.

In her role as Director of Operations, Erin Hackathorn handles the financial aspects of the center and operational issues at the center. She served as the Administrative Services Coordinator for the English Department for seven years. She is an active reader and vegetarian cook. A graduate of the University of Iowa, she lives in Oxford and enjoys spoiling her nephew.

Jenna Hammerich assists with Obermann's web presence and communications. She holds an MFA in nonfiction writing, an MA in English literature, and a postgraduate diploma in architecture. Previously she served as Deputy Managing Editor of The Iowa Review and as a writer for the UI College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Jenna also manages a blueberry farm near Iowa City with her husband, daughter, and llamas.

Amy Hildreth Chen obtained her PhD in English from Emory University in 2013. Since then, she has written numerous academic articles, chapters, and books, including most notably Placing Papers: The American Literary Archive Market (University of Massachusetts Press, 2020). Her career has spanned academic librarianship, scientific editing, project management, and grant writing/administration. She is an advocate for open in all its forms: open access, open data, open design, and open education.  You can find her living in North Liberty with her husband, son, and dog.