Reverend Joseph T. Eldridge, PhD.

                                                                                                                 Rev. Eldridge spent more than twenty years working in the public policy arena as advocate and analyst on international human rights and humanitarian issues before assuming his current position as the American University Chaplain in 1997.

In 1991 Rev. Eldridge established the Washington office of the Lawyers Committee for Human Rights and served as its director for six years. During the mid-1980s he worked in Honduras with a development agency and consulted on development and human rights issues. In 1974 he co-founded the Washington Office on Latin America, a public policy and human rights organization, and served as its director for twelve years. He lived in Santiago Chile from 1970-1973 where he worked for an agency of the United Methodist Church.

Rev. Eldridge has published a number of opinion editorials for such publications as the Baltimore Sun, Los Angeles Times, Legal Times and several longer articles for journals and books. He was interviewed about Honduras by Mike Wallace for 60 Minutes and by Bill Moyers for the PBS documentary on God and Politics.

Rev. Eldridge has a Masters in Theology from the Perkins School of Theology at Southern Methodist University, an MA in International Studies from American University’s School of International Service and a Doctorate of Ministry from Wesley Theological Seminary. He is married to Maria Otero and they have three children.