Maria Romo Chavira, Ph.D., serves as the Chancellor and Vice Moderator of the Curia for the Diocese of Phoenix.
Dr. Maria R. Chavira has served the Diocese of Phoenix as the Chancellor since 2013, and she was appointed Vice Moderator of the Curia in 2022. In her role as the Chancellor, she assists the bishop in the oversight of the official archives of the Diocese of Phoenix in accord with Canon Law. Dr. Chavira also assists in planning and is a key member of the administrative leadership staff of the bishop, giving counsel in various ecclesial, communication, and business matters. Dr. Chavira oversees the chancery staff at the Diocesan Pastoral Center, the Catholic Campaign for Human Development, Catholic Relief Services, the Propagation of the Faith, Consecrated Life, Prison Ministry and the Hispanic Mission Office.
Prior to her appointment as the Chancellor for the Diocese of Phoenix, Dr. Chavira was a full-time professor in the Department of Psychological Sciences at Mesa Community College. In her tenure, she served as the chairman of the department, general studies faculty representative, Maricopa Community Colleges Institutional Review Board member, faculty developer, and various other appointments. She taught introduction to psychology, introduction to statistics, research methods, culture and psychology, adolescent development, and developmental psychology. She was a pioneer in online learning at Mesa Community College earning her the 2005 Faculty Excellence Award and many other accolades.
Dr. Chavira also served as the Assistant to the Associate Executive Director for Academic and Student Affairs at the Arizona Board of Regents (ABOR). She facilitated the flow of information from the Chief Academic Officers to the Senior Associates to the Presidents and the Council of Presidents. She also assisted in the development of information and recommendations on policy issues for the admissions’ offices and oversaw the Arizona-Sonora Educational Exchange Program. In addition, Dr. Chavira developed a recruitment model and program for minority transfer students for The University of Arizona. She has significant experience working with high school counselors and students in trying to help underrepresented students achieve a baccalaureate degree. She served as the chairperson for the Evaluations Committee of the Hispanic Women’s Conference (HWC) in an effort to increase scholarships for Latina women desiring a baccalaureate degree.
Dr. Chavira has also worked with the Council of Chief State School Officers in Washington, D.C., where she investigated school to work transition programs in several states, and provided research reviews in the areas of adolescent pregnancy, disabled youth, migrant/rural adolescents, and high school dropouts. Dr. Chavira also researched the assessment of students who speak English as a second language. Dr. Chavira’s research specialty was in the area of cultural differences in memory and reasoning in children, which is linked to the development of assessment tools. Dr. Chavira has had the opportunity to travel abroad to present her research in the hopes of helping to build a better understanding of how children from culturally different groups learn.
Dr. Chavira earned a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology from The University of Arizona, and has taught at Mesa Community College, The University of Arizona, and in the Catalina Foothills District. Dr. Chavira has been involved in her community and is currently a Dame in The Sovereign Order of Malta and served as chairman of the board of the Catholic Community Foundation. She currently lives in Phoenix with her husband Dr. Billy Chavira and their three children, Michael, Matthew, and Miranda.