Max J. Latona, Ph.D.
Executive Director, Office of Partnerships • Professor, Department of Philosophy
Current
Executive Director, Office of Partnerships • Professor, Department of Philosophy
Saint Anselm College, Manchester, NH
Administrative Leadership Profile
Professor of Philosophy and academic administrator at Saint Anselm College, currently serving as Executive Director of the Office of Partnerships and previously as Founding Executive Director of the Center for Ethics in Society. My work has focused on developing academic programs, community partnerships, student experiential learning opportunities, and public-facing initiatives that connect liberal arts education with institutional, civic, and workforce needs.
Selected Leadership Highlights
Institutional platforms. Built and led the Center for Ethics in Society and the Office of Partnerships, two college-wide platforms connecting academic work with public engagement, external partnerships, and institutional strategy.
Housing policy and public impact. Founded The Housing We Need / NH Zoning Atlas, a statewide research, education, and convening initiative that later became the foundation for the Initiative for Housing Policy and Practice.
Academic innovation and workforce readiness. Led development of Anselmian Career Edge certificates, pairing liberal arts foundations with employer-aligned skills, experiential learning, career development, and AI literacy.
Cross-sector problem solving. Chaired and facilitated the Dover Mental Health Crisis Services Strategic Plan, adopted by the Dover City Council in December 2022, with six strategic objectives and more than 100 recommended initiatives.
Student formation and access. Built or supported programs engaging high school students, Saint Anselm students, alumni, employers, public agencies, and community partners in liberal arts learning and civic dialogue.
Board and organizational leadership. Serves on the boards of New Hampshire Humanities and The Moore Center; founded Inti Academy of Manchester and co-founded North Atlantic Futsal, LLC.
Education
2001 Ph.D., Philosophy, Boston College
1993 B.A., Canisius College, All College Honors, summa cum laude
Selected Administrative Leadership, Program Development, and Public Engagement
The following selected initiatives highlight experience building academic programs, public-facing institutes, employer partnerships, civic collaborations, and institutional platforms that connect liberal arts education with community needs, student learning, and strategic priorities.
| 2009 – present | Saint Anselm College–Radboud University Nijmegen Collaboration Spearheaded an international collaboration between the Saint Anselm College Department of Philosophy and the Faculty of Philosophy, Theology and Relious Studies at Radboud University Nijmegen in the Netherlands. The partnership began with reciprocal philosophy faculty exchanges and visiting lectureships, later expanding to include Theology, student engagement, short-term faculty-led study abroad programs, and online ethics discussions between Radboud and Saint Anselm students. |
| 2003 – 2010 | Learning Liberty / Education for Liberty and the Liberal Arts (ELLA) Co-directed a campus-wide civic and liberal arts education initiative, supported by a U.S. Department of Education grant, that connected curriculum, pedagogy, campus life, and student voice. The initiative involved faculty across departments and included study circles, faculty seminars, pedagogy workshops, student conferences, residential learning communities, off-campus study experiences, and the Mind Over Major conferences. The College’s Center for Teaching Excellence was a significant and lasting achievement of the initiative. |
| 2017 – 2024 | Center for Ethics in Society Program Portfolio Founded and developed the Center as a durable institutional platform with staff, faculty collaboration, advisory board governance, donor engagement, philanthropic support, community partnerships, and recurring programs. The portfolio of programs connects liberal arts education with public engagement, community partnership, student formation, faculty expertise, alumni relations, donor engagement, and institutional strategy. |
- The Housing We Need / NH Zoning Atlas. Founded and built a statewide research, education, and convening initiative focused on New Hampshire’s housing crisis, including the NH Zoning Atlas, statewide housing surveys, annual forums, stakeholder roundtables, research workshops, municipal outreach, policy education, student research internships, and partnerships with New Hampshire Housing and other statewide housing leaders. This work later became the foundation for the Initiative for Housing Policy and Practice in the Office of Partnerships.
- Dover Mental Health Crisis Services Strategic Plan. Chaired and facilitated a cross-sector subcommittee that developed a strategic plan for the City of Dover’s response to rising mental health crisis needs. The plan, adopted by the Dover City Council in December 2022, included six strategic objectives and more than 100 recommended initiatives for City departments.
- High School Ethics Circles and Goodchild Regional Ethics Bowl. Developed student-facing programs that bring high school students from more than 20 high schools into sustained reflection, discussion, and collaborative ethical reasoning.
- Ethics in Our World Community Discussions. Created and sustained public-facing community discussions that brought liberal arts reflection into the broader Manchester community on topics such as predictive policing, voting, housing, immigration and integration, leadership, civic responsibility, and the common good.
- Ethics of Business, Trade, and Global Governance. Built an international conference and related programming connecting ethical inquiry with business, trade, public policy, nonprofit governance, and global affairs.
- Arches Educational Travel Program. Spearheaded the development of the College’s faculty-guided educational travel program, connecting alumni and friends of the College with liberal arts learning, faculty lectures, reflection, discussion, and sustained engagement with Saint Anselm.
- Additional Center for Ethics in Society initiatives. Developed or supported programs including Ethics of AI and Robotics, Learning Liberty student colloquia, research workshops, Ethics in Governance for Nonprofits, faculty-student dinner discussions, and other student and community learning opportunities.
| 2024 – present | College-wide Partnership Infrastructure Built a scalable partnership model aligned with Vision 2030 and supported by the Partnerships Advisory Board, active partnership teams, and major strategic initiatives in workforce readiness, housing policy, land development, AI readiness, K-12 collaboration, employer-aligned certificates, and statewide civic engagement. These external partnerships generate new revenue, expand student opportunities, increase statewide visibility, and strengthen the College’s public mission. Partners and supporters included foundations, state and municipal agencies, housing authorities, healthcare organizations, employers, banks and financial institutions, nonprofits, media organizations, and civic partners. Sample partnership efforts include: |
- Anselmian Career Edge (ACE) Certificates. Leads development of employment-oriented certificates that pair liberal arts foundations with employer-aligned skills, applied experience, and credible credentials. The model integrates industry-specific knowledge, writing and ethics, experiential learning, AI literacy, career development, and employer-informed design.
- Initiative for Housing Policy and Practice. Oversees the continuation and expansion of The Housing We Need and NH Zoning Atlas work through the Initiative for Housing Policy and Practice, a dedicated housing research, policy, and partnership initiative housed in the Office of Partnerships and led by a director who reports to the Executive Director.
- College land development and workforce housing. Leads exploration of mission-aligned housing development on College-owned land, including identification of a candidate parcel, formation of an advisory subcommittee, clarification of institutional goals, zoning and infrastructure analysis, civil engineering review, conceptual layouts, preliminary budgets and pro formas, financing analysis, and selection of a development partner.
- AI Partnerships Task Force. Convened and led a cross-sector task force to assess workforce-facing AI trends and recommend partnership-enabled strategies to strengthen student readiness while remaining aligned with Saint Anselm’s liberal arts mission and Benedictine values.
- Manchester School District partnership. Supported development of a strategic partnership designed to expand college access for Manchester students, strengthen the district workforce with opportunities for Saint Anselm graduates, and advance the College’s mission of service and opportunity.
- Stay Work Play New Hampshire campus partnership. Launched a pilot on-campus partnership with Stay Work Play New Hampshire, in collaboration with the Career Development Center, to connect students with community resources, career pathways, internship support, and long-term opportunities in New Hampshire.
- Employer, media, nonprofit, and workforce partnerships. Developed or supported partnerships with organizations including ARMI/BioFabUSA, WMUR, Montagne Powers, The Moore Center, New Hampshire Bankers Association, Elliot Hospital, Currier Museum of Art, Diocese of Manchester, and other organizations that create opportunities for experiential learning, internships, applied projects, media visibility, workforce readiness, and community engagement.
Select Publications
| 2023 | “Myths of Self-Transformation in Plato’s Republic,” Max J. Latona. Ancient Philosophy 43 (1): 69–87 (2023). |
| 2023 | New Hampshire Zoning Atlas. Latona, M.J.; Sorens, J.; Frost, B.; Lederer-Barnes, R.; Marchant, S.; and Hodgetts, N. Saint Anselm College, May 2023; revised December 2025. Available online. |
| 2019 | “Commentary on Schindler,” Max J. Latona. Proceedings of the Boston Area Colloquium in Ancient Philosophy Vol. XXXIV, edited by Gary M. Gurtler, S.J., and Daniel P. Maher (Boston: Brill, 2019) 109–117. |
| 2013 | “Intuition.” F.E. Crowe and M.J. Latona. New Catholic Encyclopedia Supplement 2012–2013: Ethics and Philosophy, edited by Robert L. Fastiggi, vol. 2 (New York: Gale, 2013) 799–804. |
| 2011 | “Remembering Ancient Truths: The Four Roots of Plato’s Recollection,” Max J. Latona. Who are We? Old, New, and Timeless Answers from Core Texts: Selected Papers from the Fourteenth Annual Conference of the Association for Core Texts and Courses, edited by Robert D. Anderson, Molly Brigid Flynn, and J. Scott Lee (New York: University Press of America, 2011) 211–217. |
| 2008 | “Reining in the Passions: The Allegorical Interpretation of Parmenides B Fr. 1,” Max J. Latona. American Journal of Philology 129.2 (2008) 199–230. |
| 2004 | “New Technologies, Old Distinctions: What’s Wrong with Cloning,” Max J. Latona. Proceedings of the American Catholic Philosophical Association 78 (2004) 276–288. Essay merited the 2004 American Catholic Philosophical Association Young Scholar Award. |
| 2004 | “The Tale is Not My Own: Myth and Recollection in Plato,” Max J. Latona. Apeiron: AJournal for Ancient Philosophy and Science 37.2 (2004) 181–210. |
| 2001 | “Selfhood and Agency in Ricoeur and Aristotle,” Max J. Latona. Philosophy Today 45.2 (2001) 107–120. |
Select Presentations and Invited Talks
| 30 March 2023 | “Why Should We Care? The Ethics of Affordable Housing,” Max J. Latona, keynote presentation at NeighborWorks Southern New Hampshire Annual Breakfast. |
| 11 November 2022 | “Individual Liberty and Communal Responsibility: A Tension in Healthcare Policy,” Max J. Latona, presentation and guided discussion for Leadership New Hampshire at Merrimack County Nursing Home. |
| 11 May 2022 | “What Does It Mean to Be American?” Max J. Latona and Joshua Tepley, presentation and guided discussion at NH Humanities Open Questions, Keene, NH. |
| 7 April 2022 | “Can War Ever Be Just?” Max J. Latona and Jason Sorens, presentation and guided discussion at Ethics in Our World, Manchester, NH. |
| 7 February 2020 | “Do Good Leaders Need to Be Good Persons?” Max J. Latona, presentation and guided discussion at Ethics in Our World, Manchester, NH. |
| 23 November 2019 | “The Ethics of Data Profiling,” Annabel Beerel, Max J. Latona, and Stephan Unger, presented at the Ethics of Business, Trade, and Global Governance at the University of Vienna, Austria. |
| 7 November 2019 | “Immigration and Integration: What Is Our Capacity?” Max J. Latona, presentation and guided discussion at the Currier Museum of Art, Manchester, NH. |
| 5 November 2017 | “Tolstoy’s Calendar of Wisdom and the Nature of Evil,” Max J. Latona, presentation and guided discussion at the Canterbury Shaker Village, Canterbury, NH. |
| 26 April 2016 | “Disputed Questions: American and Dutch Views of Punishment,” Max J. Latona and Paul Bakker, co-presented at Saint Anselm College. |
| 11 April 2015 | “The Elevation of Science (episteme) over Art (techne): Some Problems with Nicomachean Ethics VI,” Max J. Latona, presented at the Twenty-first Annual Conference of the Association for Core Texts and Courses, Plymouth, MA. |
| 18 November 2012 | “Rehabilitating the Productive: Reflections on Poiesis,” Nathan Chartier and Max J. Latona, presented at the Society of Phenomenological and Existential Philosophy, Rochester, NY. |
| 2009–2012 | “Socrates Exchange,” Max J. Latona and Laura Knoy, co-hosts for New Hampshire Public Radio. A national award-winning public program consisting of nine hour-long public radio shows. |
| November 2009 | “Plato and Myth,” Max J. Latona, presented as part of a short-term visiting lectureship at Radboud University, Nijmegen, Netherlands. |
| 22 April 2009 | “Philosophy in an Age of Decline,” Max J. Latona, presented at St. Vincent College, Latrobe, PA upon invitation from the St. Vincent Department of Philosophy. |
Select Teaching Areas
Ancient Philosophy; Ethics; Indian Philosophy; Contemporary Philosophy; Philosophy of Human Nature; Great Books Seminars; Business Ethics
Select Academic, Professional, and Institutional Service
| 2026 | Peer Review Panelist, National Endowment for the Humanities, Division of Lifelong Learning, Curriculum Development: Western Civilization grant program. |
| 2007–2009 | Chair, NEASC Ten-Year Accreditation Subcommittee on the Student Standard, Saint Anselm College |
| 2007–2009; 2012–2015 | Member, Faculty Senate, Saint Anselm College Participated in faculty governance related to academic policy and procedures, curriculum, rank and tenure, and institutional planning. |
Select Grants, Honors, and Recognitions
| 2024 | Named to The New Hampshire 200, the State’s Most Influential Business Leaders |
| 2023–present | Member, Delta Epsilon Sigma National Honor Society |
| 2023 | Community Impact Award, Workforce Housing Coalition of the Greater Seacoast |
| 22 January 2020 | Saint Anselm College Martin Luther King Jr. Social Justice Award |
| 2016–2018 | Richard L. Bready Chair of Ethics, Economics, and the Common Good |
| 20 May 2016 | Certificate in Excellence in Governance, NH Center for Nonprofits |
| 2010 | Daughters of the American Revolution Community Service Award |
| 2009 | Saint Anselm College Faculty Summer Research Grant |
| 2008 | Saint Anselm College Abbot Gerald McCarthy O.S.B. Faculty Member of the Year Award |
| 29 January 2007 | Manchester Union Leader “40 Under 40” Designation |
| 2004 | American Catholic Philosophical Association Young Scholar Award |
Select Community, Board, and Entrepreneurial Leadership
| 2026–present | Member of the Board of Directors, New Hampshire Humanities Serves on the Board of Directors for New Hampshire Humanities, a statewide nonprofit that supports public programs connecting people and ideas, fostering civil dialogue, and exploring important questions across New Hampshire. |
| 2026–present | Member of the Board of Directors, The Moore Center Serves on the Board of Directors for The Moore Center, a New Hampshire nonprofit creating opportunities for a good life for people with intellectual, developmental, and personal challenges. |
| 2009–present | Founder, Former President, and Current Chair of the Board, Inti Academy of Manchester Founded Inti Academy of Manchester, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit serving refugee, immigrant, and underserved youth in Manchester. Served as President for eight years and currently serves as Chair of the Board. Inti provides and supports year-round programming in soccer, studio art, English-language instruction, and STEAM education, serving more than 150 children on a daily basis. |
| 2009–present | Co-Founder and Partner, North Atlantic Futsal, LLC Co-founded North Atlantic Futsal, LLC, parent organization of Brazilian Art Soccer, LLC and FutsalNH, LLC, which has grown into one of northern New England’s largest independent soccer camp and league-play providers, serving more than 3,000 families annually. |
Last updated August 2026