HOLLISTER, CA, October 21, 2025 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Federico Varona, PhD, has been selected for inclusion in Marquis Who's Who. As in all Marquis Who's Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.

Dr. Varona has established a distinguished career spanning more than five decades, marked by his expertise in the Appreciative Paradigm and his enduring commitment to advancing communication studies. Holding the title professor emeritus of communication studies at San José State University since 2022, he continues to influence the academic community through research, writing and international presentations. His tenure at San José State University began in 1991, when he initially served as assistant professor of communication studies for six years. He was promoted to associate professor from 1997 to 2002 and then to professor from 2002 to 2020. Throughout these years, he became renowned for his innovative teaching and scholarship, particularly in organizational and intercultural communication.

Prior to his long-standing association with San José State University, Dr. Varona contributed as an instructor at Johnson County Community College in 1991 and as a graduate teaching assistant at the University of Kansas in 1988. His early academic leadership is evident from his role as the first chair and professor of the communication sciences career department at Universidad Rafael Landívar in Guatemala City from 1981 to 1986. There, he was instrumental in establishing the department and shaping its curriculum. From 1977 to 1981, he founded and served as the first chair and professor at the Central American Institute of Religious Sciences in Guatemala City after beginning his career as a teacher at La Salle High Schools in León and Managua, Nicaragua, from 1967 to 1972.

A recognized authority on the Appreciative Paradigm, Dr. Varona has dedicated his career to developing this emergent framework within the social sciences. He defines the Appreciative Paradigm as a comprehensive approach that extends beyond appreciative inquiry as a methodology, positioning it as a new lens for understanding human life, society and the natural world. This paradigm emphasizes strengths, possibilities and positive potential even amid adversity, aiming to foster constructive change through a life-affirming perspective. His work articulates five interdependent components — ontology, research (epistemology), praxis (methodology for change), axiology (systems of valuation) and appreciative language — that together form an integrated model for social transformation.

Dr. Varona's most significant professional accomplishment is the creation and refinement of the Appreciative Paradigm, which he regards as a genuine paradigm shift in social sciences. This achievement is encapsulated in his foundational book, "Appreciative Paradigm: From Methodology to Paradigm. A New Paradigm for Social Sciences and Social Change," published in 2025. The book is available in both Spanish and English editions, with Portuguese and audiobook versions forthcoming. It synthesizes years of rigorous scholarship into a coherent theoretical framework that has begun to resonate with scholars worldwide.

Dr. Varona has published five books, with editions available in Spain and Colombia. His works include Appreciative Intervention: A New Paradigm for Positive Change in Organizations for Professors, University Students, Consultants, and Managers, Appreciative Intervention, and Multicultural Management: Communication in the Era of Globalization and Its Impact on Business. He is also the author of The Circle of Communication, published in 2005, and Pedagogy and Education of Faith, released in 1979. His ongoing research on appreciative inquiry will also be featured in an upcoming handbook on the subject.

In addition to his publications, Dr. Varona has been actively involved in professional organizations, such as the Iberoamerican Network of Paradigm Practitioners and Academics (Red Iberoamericana de Prácticas y Académicos del Paradigma), the National Communication Association and the International Communication Association.

Dr. Varona's academic foundation is extensive and international in scope. He earned a Doctor of Philosophy in communication studies with an emphasis in organizational and intercultural communication from the University of Kansas in 1991 after completing a Master of Arts in communication studies at the same institution in 1988. He holds a licentiate degree in theology from Universidad Pontificia de Salamanca in Spain, as well as a diplomatura degree in psychology from Universidad Pontificia de Salamanca. His earlier studies included coursework in psychology and theology at San Carlos University and Universidad Francisco Marroquín in Guatemala.

In addition to his degrees, Dr. Varona holds a diploma certificate in audiovisual communication from the Center AudioVisuel Recherche and Communication in France and earned a high school teaching credential from the Normal School in Antigua, Guatemala City. His academic excellence was recognized when he was named a Fulbright Scholar at the University of Kansas in 1986, a distinction that facilitated his advanced studies abroad.

Beyond academia, Dr. Varona is known for his deep connection with nature on his ten-acre property filled with trees, fruit orchards and vegetable plants. He finds inspiration while working with his tractor or tending to his avocado orchard, a pursuit that has yielded abundant harvests over recent years. He also values spending time with his children and traveling with his wife.

Dr. Varona's personal life reflects a shared commitment to education. His wife is also a university professor actively applying the Appreciative Paradigm model within schools serving marginalized communities in Guatemala. Together they aspire to introduce this paradigm at university levels alongside traditional curricula, extend its reach into doctoral programs across Latin America and the United States and foster appreciative education among children through schools, cultivating new generations who view the world through appreciative eyes.

Currently, Dr. Varona remains focused on promoting research into the Appreciative Paradigm both as a theoretical framework and as an accessible mode of communication for diverse audiences worldwide. His ongoing efforts continue to shape discourse within social sciences while inspiring colleagues, students and practitioners toward positive change rooted in human potential.

About Marquis Who's Who®:
Since 1899, when A. N. Marquis printed the First Edition of Who's Who in America®, Marquis Who's Who® has chronicled the lives of the most accomplished individuals and innovators from every significant field of endeavor, including politics, business, medicine, law, education, art, religion and entertainment. Who's Who in America® remains an essential biographical source for thousands of researchers, journalists, librarians and executive search firms around the world. The suite of Marquis® publications can be viewed at the official Marquis Who's Who® website, www.marquiswhoswho.com.

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