Faculty Profiles

Margaret (Margo) Dunaway was born in the US, but lived in Europe as a child and an adolescent. She began learning Spanish at the age of 3 and much preferred speaking it to English (her so-called "native" language, and French, her adopted language from living abroad). Margo studied languages as an undergraduate at Rice University (as well as Economics) and entered graduate business school, earning a MBA. After a three-year stint working in international banking, Margo redirected her career path to academia, returned to Rice University where she graduated with a Master of Arts in Spanish and then entered Harvard University where she received a PhD in Spanish with an emphasis in Latin-American literature. After a more traditional academic career path as a tenured Associate Professor at Southwestern University, Margo resigned to become a full-time mom to her two sons, and to assist her husband with his architectural practice. Margo was thrilled to return to teaching at Texas State as a Senior Lecturer in Spanish in 2009 where she remained until 2022 -- and returned in January 2024. While most of her energy has been devoted to teaching Spanish language, Margo remains interested in researching and writing on the development of post-colonial era capital systems, consumerism, and entrepreneurship in Spanish America as represented in novels of the 19th and 20th centuries.