IATS Board Appoints Dr. Ángel Guzmán as New Seminary President

Seasoned academic leader chosen to guide Inter-America’s graduate theological institution into its 30th anniversary era.

December 8, 2025 | Miami, Florida, United States | Libna Stevens, Inter-American Division News

The Inter-American Adventist Theological Seminary (IATS) Board voted on Dec. 8 to appoint Dr. Ángel Guzmán as the seminary’s next president, effective January 1, 2026. Guzmán, who has served as vice president for academic affairs since 2021, becomes the third president of the Adventist graduate institution as it approaches its 30th anniversary.

“Dr. Guzmán received one of the highest evaluation scores in the interview process and has the academic and administrative experience needed to lead IATS,” said Pastor Abner De los Santos, president of the Inter-American Division (IAD) and chair of the IATS Board.

A Search Process Reopened

The Board’s decision followed a reconvened online session, after unexpected developments during last month’s meeting left the presidential appointment unresolved.

“We conducted a careful search process, interviewing the three highest-qualified candidates with the same questions and criteria,” explained Pastor De los Santos. “When the first candidate declined the appointment, the committee reconvened and prayerfully reviewed the remaining options.”

After reassessment, the committee confidently recommended Dr. Guzmán.

“We are satisfied with this appointment and trust that, by God’s grace, IATS will continue providing strong ministerial and theological formation across Inter-America,” Pastor De los Santos added.

A Leader Formed Across Inter-America

A native of the Dominican Republic, Guzmán has served the church for more than 22 years, including as president of Dominican Adventist University, dean of the theology department, professor, and church pastor.

Pastor De los Santos noted that the leadership transition carries weight for a reason. “The theological seminary is of utmost importance for the Division because it shapes our pastors and safeguards Adventist theological identity.”

Outgoing president Dr. Efraín Velázquez, who recently accepted a pastoral call to serve a local church in Tennessee, United States, and will continue collaborating with IATS until April 2026, welcomed the Board’s decision.

“Dr. Guzmán is a respected New Testament scholar and a warm, delightful person who lights up every room he enters. I believe the best years lie ahead under his leadership,” Velázquez said.

New VP for Academic Affairs

Following the presidential vote, the Board appointed Dr. Roger Ruiz as the new vice president for academic affairs, also effective January 1.

Ruiz, originally from Nicaragua, has guided IATS publications, coordinated academic programs, and served as assistant to the president. Previously, he was a theology professor, dean of theology, and vice president for student affairs at the Central American Adventist University (UNADECA) in Costa Rica.

Velázquez highlighted Ruiz’s academic strengths and spiritual character. “His mastery of Hebrew—studied in Jerusalem—strengthened his doctoral work at Andrews University and shaped his contribution as a leading Old Testament scholar,” he noted.

“His analytical ability is well regarded in the highest academic circles of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.”

About IATS

The Inter-American Adventist Theological Seminary (IATS) is a non-profit, postgraduate theological studies institution established by the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the Inter-American Division (IAD) and registered in both Florida and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. It was created to provide training for Christian ministry and to equip leaders to proclaim the hope of the Advent message worldwide. Its academic and faculty offices are located on the campus of Antillean Adventist University in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico.

The IATS building includes administrative offices, professors’ offices, three smart classrooms, a conference room, a large study area, a specialized library, and a media studio for long-distance learning programs.

IATS offers a master’s degree in pastoral theology with specializations in youth ministries, family life, chaplaincy, church growth, mission, and leadership and administration; a master’s degree in biblical theological studies with concentrations in Old Testament, New Testament, and Systematic Theology; and a doctorate in ministry with focuses in pastoral leadership, chaplaincy, and administration, as well as PhD in Biblical-Theological Studies with specializations in Old and New Testament. Over the past 25 years, the Seminary has awarded postgraduate degrees to more than 1,200 ministers.