Eduardo Padrón

An American by choice, Eduardo Padrón arrived in the United States as a refugee at the age of 15. Since 1995, he serves as President of Miami Dade College (MDC), the largest institution of higher education in America with over 170,000 students. An economist by training, Dr. Padrón earned his Ph.D. degree from the University of Florida. President Padrón is widely recognized as one of the top educational leaders in the world and he is often invited to participate in educational policy forums in the United States and abroad. In 1993, President Bill Clinton recognized him as one of America’s foremost educators. Most recently, President George W. Bush nominated him to the National Institute for Literacy Advisory Board. During his career he has been selected to serve on posts of national prominence by four American presidents. Internationally, President Padrón’s accomplishments have been recognized by numerous nations and organizations including, among others, the Republic of France, which named him Commandeur in the Ordre des Palms Académiques; the Republic of Argentina, which awarded him the Order of San Martin; and Spain’s King Juan Carlos II, who bestowed upon him the Order of Queen Isabella. Padrón’s pace-setting work at Miami Dade College has been hailed as a model of innovation in higher education. He is credited with engineering a culture of success that has produced impressive results in student access, retention, graduation, and overall achievement. MDC enrolls and graduates more minorities including Hispanics and African-Americans than any other institution in the United States. He is nationally respected for his advocacy on behalf of underserved populations in higher education, and his in-depth research report, “A Deficit of Understanding,” highlights the funding crisis that threatens access for low-income and minority students. Dr. Padrón has also championed innovative teaching and learning strategies and developed support initiatives to ensure student success. He was a member of AAC&U Greater Expectations national panel that re-examined baccalaureate education in the U.S. and the Woodrow Wilson Foundation’s Commission on the High School Senior Year. President Padrón’s transformational accomplishments at Miami Dade College have been acknowledged by the national media including New York Times, Time Magazine, Wall Street Journal, and The Chronicle of Higher Education. Currently, Padrón’s energetic leadership extends to some of the nation’s leading organizations. He serves on the boards of the Association of American Colleges and Universities (Chair); American Council on Education (ACE); Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching; Business/ Higher Education Forum; League for Innovation in the Community College (past Chair); RC 2020; the Collins Center for Public Policy; and the International Association of University Presidents. He has been on the boards of Bank of America and Total Bank, and presently serves on the Federal Reserve Board of Atlanta, Miami Branch. In past years he has held leadership positions on the boards of the Hispanic Association of Colleges & Universities (Chair); the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts; the White House Commission on Educational Excellence; Campus Compact; Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute; The College Board; and others. Moreover, beyond his focus on education, he has served in an advisory capacity to U.S. Secretaries of State Cyrus Vance and Ed Muskie and most recently he has been appointed to the Secure Borders/Open Doors Task Force led by Secretary Condoleezza Rice and US Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff. In Florida, Padrón has served on several gubernatorial commissions and has lent his talents to numerous organizations including the Florida Humanities Council; the Florida Council of Presidents (Chair); the Council of 100; Dade-Miami Criminal Justice Council (Chair); Miami Parking Authority (Chair); the Hispanic American League Against Discrimination (Chair); NAACP (Vice-President); and Greater Miami United (Co-Chair). Eduardo Padron, president of Miami-Dade College. An American by choice, Eduardo Padron arrived in the United States as a refugee at 15. Since 1995, he has served as president of Miami-Dade College, the largest institution of higher education in America with more than 170,000 students. An economist by training, he earned his Ph.D. from the University of Florida. In 2009, Time magazine included him on the list of "The 10 Best College Presidents." In 2010, Florida Trend magazine named him "Floridian of the Year." He is widely recognized as one of the top educational leaders in the world and is often invited to participate in educational policy forums in the United States and abroad. President Barack Obama appointed him chairman of the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans.