Moisés Próspero was born in 1964 in El Paso, Texas, at a clinic near the Mexican border. He identifies as Latino and Mexican American and is a fluent bilingual speaker. His father mandated that only Spanish be spoken in their home to ensure the children maintained their native tongue, a decision Moisés values today. His family has a long history of migration for labor; his parents were from Durango, Mexico, and his father first came to the United States as an agricultural worker during the labor shortages of World War II. Moisés grew up moving between Albuquerque, New Mexico, and El Paso, spending his weekends and summers working for his father’s construction business as a bricklayer.

His education and career path were shaped by his service in the United States Marine Corps, where he served from 1981 to 1990 in the infantry and military intelligence. After his military service, he became a first-generation college student. He was recruited by the Minority Access to Research Careers (MARC) program, which helped him transition into the world of professional research. He eventually earned a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) and a PhD in Social Work from the University of Houston.

Dr. Próspero’s professional life is centered on improving the criminal justice system and community well-being. He has taught at the University of Chihuahua in Mexico and conducted significant research on domestic violence and how witnesses identify people of different races. In Utah, he served as the Director of the Criminal Justice Center at the University of Utah, where he evaluated various state programs for the governor’s office. His work has taken him around the world, including to Ghana and New Zealand, to study how different cultures approach justice and community support.

Currently, he is executive Director of iChamps, a nonprofit organization focused on crime prevention and reducing racial and ethnic unfairness in the juvenile justice system. He views himself as a "chameleon" and the “liaison between the academy and the community,” dedicated to improving the lives of those who live on the West Side of Salt Lake City, and using his education to bridge the academic world and the blue-collar communities he calls home.

Read about Dr. Próspero's work with Utah prisons: Rehabilitation Challenge: A gangster's lack of individuality.