She is originally from San Juan, Puerto Rico and later moved to Oklahoma. She earned her Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Ph.D. in Economics at the University of Oklahoma. Her research in economic development and political economics has appeared in the European Journal of Political Economy, Oxford Development Studies, Applied Economics Letters, and Social Science Quarterly. She has worked with students on research topics in political economy and development. Recently, one of those research projects with Alumni Schylar Brock was published in Economics and Business Letters. Dr. Maldonado teaches Macroeconomics, Economics of Globalization, and Economic Development.