Biography
Associate Professor in the School of Communication and Culture, Elio Leturia, brings a multifaceted career and rich international experience to his teaching in multimedia journalism and graphic design. A two-time Fulbright awardee (U.S. 1990–91, Spain 2022), he has made significant contributions to media and communication on a global scale.
With over 35 years of experience working with national publications in the U.S. and abroad, Leturia has earned a reputation for excellence in journalism, writing, and design. Notably, he spearheaded the redesign of El Comercio, Peru’s leading daily newspaper, before being relocated to the U.S. by the Tribune Company to art direct ¡Éxito!, its Spanish-language publication. He later joined the Detroit Free Press as a features designer, where his creativity and expertise further solidified his legacy in visual journalism. His professional pursuits also include magazine art direction, book design consultancy, and scientific research.
As a bilingual journalist, his articles have been featured in the Detroit Free Press, San Jose Mercury News, Miami Herald, The Desert Sun, El Comercio, El Peruano, RedEye, HOY, Revista Somos, Huffington Post, Gateway Journalism Review, and Casa de las Américas Conjunto magazine. His design work has earned prestigious awards from the Society for News Design, National Association of Hispanic Journalists, American Institute of Graphic Arts, and Associated Church Press. His academic articles appear in encyclopedias published by Oxford University Press, Blackwell, and Sage, as well as in various communications and journalism journals. In 2022, he received the Excellence in Teaching Award from the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication’s Visual Communication Division.
Previously, Leturia was a tenured assistant professor at the Universidad de Lima's Communications School. He has delivered presentations across the U.S., Latin America, Europe, Asia, and Africa, underscoring his commitment to advancing the field of communication worldwide.
He currently serves as the communications director of the Fulbright Association’s Chicago Chapter and is the Fulbright Scholar Liaison at Columbia College Chicago. His creative achievements include the documentary Tita Turns 100, which premiered at the Chicago Feminist Film Festival in 2016 and won the Lisagor Award for Best Short Film Documentary in 2017. His No Literal poster series has been exhibited in Chicago, Washington D.C., Peru, Spain, and Montenegro. Additionally, his bilingual historical book, Aguijón 30 Years, was published in 2019, celebrating the legacy of Chicago’s Aguijón Theater, where he is an ensemble member.
Leturia holds a B.S. and Licenciatura professional title in Communications from Universidad de Lima, Peru, and an M.S. in Journalism from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Instructional Areas
Graphic design, typography, visual communication and literacy, reporting in Spanish, video storytelling, image making, publication design, documentary video
Creative Practice and Research Interests
Visual journalism, Latin American/Latino studies, intercultural communication, multicultural diversity
Degrees
B.A., Communication Sciences Universidad de Lima 1985
M.S., Journalism University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign 1992