Miami, May 14, 2021 – Miami Dade College (MDC) North Campus’ Dean of Students, Georgette Perez, and Padrón Campus’ Director of Campus Administration, Dr. Stephanie Fernandez, have been named fellows of the prestigious Leadership Development Program at the National Community College Hispanic Council (NCCHC).
Dean Perez and Dr. Fernandez are two of only 24 selected nationwide to be part of the 2021 Fellows Class. Hosted by the San Diego State University College of Education, the program aims to develop a pool of highly qualified Latinos whose career interest focuses on assuming increasingly responsible administrative positions, with the ultimate goal of becoming a community college president.
More than 250 community college administrators have participated as Leadership Fellows since the program’s inception. The NCCHC Leadership Fellows Program was selected as a finalist in the 2019 “Examples of Excelencia” national showcase.
“Preparing strong leaders for the future is the primary purpose of the National Community College Hispanic Council’s Leadership Fellows Program,” said NCCHC President Robert Vela. “A demographic shift is occurring in the United States, and we are preparing new leaders who can model the way for the growing Hispanic population our community colleges serve. Through this program, Fellows gain the necessary knowledge and skills they need to lead higher education into the future and positively impact the economic and civic success of their respective communities.”
NCCHC is an affiliated council of the American Association of Community Colleges, a national organization that has provided leadership to the community college movement for the past half-century. The Council, which was established 30 years ago, works to promote the educational interests and success of the Hispanic community and emphasizes access, equity, and excellence for students and staff in community colleges. One of the first ventures was to offer a leadership development program with support from the Ford Foundation. Of the original 72 Fellows, more than 15 became community college presidents.
For more information, please contact Dr. Ted Martinez, Executive Director, NCCHC Leadership Fellows Program, at 562-665-8053 or tmartinezjr@sdsu.edu.