Maxine Baca Zinn: 1942—: Sociologist

Baca Zinn has been very active in professional associations. She was elected to the council of the Western Social Science Association and then elected its president in 1985. She was the first Latino president of a regional professional association. From 1988 to 1991 she served on the board of directors for the Society for the Study of Social Problems. She has been an active member of the American Sociological Association, serving on the organization's council from 1992 to 1995. She has served on the executive council of the Sociology of the Family Section and the Sex and Gender Section of the American Sociological Association.

Because of her numerous publications as well as her other professional activities, Baca Zinn soon became recognized as an expert in her field. This led to invitations for visiting professorships by several prominent universities, including the University of California at Berkeley, the University of Connecticut, the Center for Research on Women at the University of Memphis, the Henry A. Murray Research Center at Radcliffe College, and the University of Delaware. She received a permanent job offer from the University of Delaware, but before she was able to accept this position she was invited to visit Michigan State University in Lansing, Michigan. Baca Zinn was impressed with the Julian Samora Research Institute at Michigan State, which was the first research institute on Latinos located in the Midwest, and she decided to accept a permanent position there as a senior research associate. Baca Zinn also received a joint position with the sociology department. In addition to her research, Baca Zinn continued to teach. She taught fewer undergraduate courses than she did at the University of Michigan at Flint, but supervised more doctoral students.

In 2000 the American Sociological Association recognized the work of Baca Zinn by giving her the Jessie Bernard Award for recognition of scholarly work that encompasses the role of women in society. "Her work on the intersection of race, class, and gender placed Professor Baca Zinn at the cutting edge of the discipline," wrote the American Sociological Association when announcing its selection. Baca Zinn planned to continue her work on multicultural feminism and she sees her work becoming more theoretical. Her goal was to map out a structural inequality model of family life and write a definitive book on the subject that will incorporate the experiences of both white families and families of color.