Board of Trustees
Helen Aguirre Ferré
Helen Aguirre Ferré (Chair) is the Opinion Page Editor of Diario Las Americas, an independent Spanish-language newspaper founded in 1953 in Miami by her father, Horacio Aguirre. In television, she hosts Washington Watch in Washington, D.C. and moderates the monthly public affairs program Issues for the South Florida PBS station. She is a political analyst for the Telemundo channel in Miami and a frequent guest on the weekly Spanish-language program Actualidad for TV Martí, which airs throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. In 2007, she became the first community college trustee appointed to the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges. She was appointed to the Florida Energy Commission by Governor Jeb Bush, to the Florida Governor’s Mansion Commission by Governor Lawton Chiles, and to the Beacon Council, among others. She has been recognized by Barry University as Outstanding Alumni of the Year 2000, Who’s Who Among Hispanic Americans, Hispanic Media 100, the American Cancer Society, Goodwill Industries, the Cuban Rotary Club and the Cuban Women’s Club. She has served as a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, the Inter-American Dialogue, the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, on the board of the Nicaraguan American Foundation, and is a Dame of the Knights of Malta. Trustee Ferré holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Barry University and a Master of Arts in Inter-American Studies from the University of Miami.
Peter W. Roulhac
Peter W. Roulhac (Vice Chair) is CEO of the Orange Bowl Foundation, seeking to affect positive development of the youth of our community through philanthropy, athletics and academics. Prior to assuming his role at the Orange Bowl Foundation, he was Vice President and Director of Community Development for Wachovia National Bank for Miami-Dade and Monroe Counties, where he oversaw business development and the bank's Community Reinvestment Program. He also worked extensively in low and moderate income communities to ensure bank products and services were provided. Previously he administered equal opportunity, affirmative action and human resource policies for Southeast Bank and also worked for the U.S. Treasury Department monitoring compliance of banks and savings and loan associations with equal opportunity and affirmative action programs. He is a past Chair of the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce and serves on the Advisory Board of the Local Initiative Support Corporation (LISC), which identifies opportunities to revitalize inner-city neighborhoods. As a member of the Fannie Mae Advisory Board, he developed a partnership between Wachovia/First Union and Fannie Mae to expand housing opportunities for South Florida’s diverse population. He holds a Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts in Political Science from Fisk University.
Armando J. Bucelo Jr.
Armando J. Bucelo Jr. is an attorney in private practice. His firm, the Law Offices of Armando J. Bucelo, Jr., has been based in the Coral Gables area since 1982. For over fifteen years, he has served as Special Counsel to the Code Enforcement Board of the City of Miami, Special Advisor to the City of Miami, Trustee for the Cuban-American National Republican Senatorial Committee, and Committeeman for the Republican Party. He was appointed by President George W. Bush to serve as Co-Chairman/Director of the Securities Investor Protection Corporation, one of the administration’s highest appointments made to a Hispanic. He was also appointed as a member of the Board of Directors of the National Housing Development Corporation, one of the most prestigious national institutions dealing with affordable housing. Under former President George Bush, he was the first Hispanic and first Floridian selected as a member of the Board of Directors of the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac). He has been involved in a myriad of community activities, including the Board of Directors of the YMCA International, the American Red Cross, as past President of the Downtown Miami Business Association, and as past President of the Cuban-American Bar Association. He has been honored as one of the 100 Most Influential Hispanics on numerous occasions and has received proclamations from the U.S. House and Senate, the Florida House and Senate, and the cities of Coral Gables, Miami, Hialeah, West Miami, Sweetwater, and Miami-Dade County. Trustee Bucelo earned his Juris Doctor and Bachelor of Arts from the University of Miami and is an alumnus of Miami Dade College.
Marielena A. Villamil
Marielena A. Villamil is the President, COO, and co-founder of the Washington Economics Group (WEG), an economic, financial and educational consulting firm. She has led this well-respected organization since 1994 and has been an esteemed contributor to the South Florida community. She serves as commissioner for the Third District Court of Appeals, a position appointed by Governor Jeb Bush in 2001. Prior to joining WEG, she worked for 17 years as a Professor and Associate Dean at Miami Dade College. She has significant experience in governmental relations and in the education and training of multicultural and multilingual workforces. In 2005, Senator Mel Martinez appointed her to serve on the regional board of the Military Academy Nominations Selection Committee, and she became the first recipient of the Dr. Mario Villarroell International Leadership Award from the American Red Cross of Greater Miami and the Keys, where she is a member of the Board of Directors and Chair of the Latin America and Caribbean Leadership Committee. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish and English from St. Mary’s Dominican College and a Master of Arts in Spanish from Middlebury College.
Mikki Canton
Mikki Canton is a local attorney who contributes to a wide range of civic enterprises. She is a member of the Mercy Hospital Board of Trustees, serving on its Planning and Quality Care Committees. She is also a Trustee of the Florida Network of Youth and Family Services and Florida Tax Watch, a long-standing member of the Harvard University John F. Kennedy School of Government Women’s Leadership Board, a member of the International Board of the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy Studies, and is the statewide Chair of the Florida Fellows of the American Bar Association. She is a two-time gubernatorial appointee to the Florida Commission on Ethics. Her accolades include a Salute to Miami’s Leaders Award from the Miami Chamber of Commerce, Distinguished Citizen Award from the City of Coral Gables, Learned Hand Award from The American Jewish Committee, and a Phenomenal Woman Award from Revista Mujer. Trustee Canton began her career teaching children with emotional and mental challenges and has also worked as a school psychologist. She holds a Juris Doctor from St. Thomas University.
Benjamin León III
Benjamin León III is president and COO of Leon Medical Centers, a managed healthcare system offering superior comprehensive services to the residents of Miami-Dade County. Trustee León has served at the helm of the organization since 1996, guiding the delivery of primary care, outpatient services and various specialty services to Medicare members. He began his career as a customer service representative for Clínica Cubana, which his family opened in the 1960s to satisfy the healthcare needs of South Florida’s growing Hispanic population. León serves on the board of the Latin American Chamber of Commerce (CAMACOL) and is involved in numerous charitable causes, such as the American Diabetes Association and the American Cancer Society. Trustee León holds a Bachelor of Arts in Organizational Leadership from St. Thomas University.
Robert H. Fernandez
Robert H. Fernandez is an attorney with the highly-regarded national firm of Akerman Senterfitt, specializing in the areas of disaster preparedness and recovery and commercial policy and litigation. He is the former Deputy General Counsel for the Executive Office of the Governor, serving as advisor to Governor Jeb Bush and the General Counsel. Among his many professional activities, Mr. Fernandez serves on the Board of Governors of the Hispanic National Bar Association and was the past regional president for Florida. He is on the Board of Directors of the Family Resource Center and serves as a member of Florida Supreme Court's Standing Committee on Fairness and Diversity. He is a graduate of Columbia University and New York University School of Law, where he was an editor of the Journal of International Law and Politics.
Dr. Eduardo J. Padrón
An American by choice, Eduardo Padrón arrived in the United States as a refugee at the age of 15. Since 1995, he has served as President of Miami Dade College (MDC), the largest institution of higher education in America with more than 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. During his career he has been selected to serve on posts of national prominence by five American presidents. In 1993, President Bill Clinton recognized him as one of America’s foremost educators. In 2008, President George W. Bush nominated him to the National Institute for Literacy Advisory Board. Most recently, President Barack Obama invited Dr. Padrón to represent the United States at the UNESCO World Conference on Higher Education. Dr. Padrón has also worked closely with the Obama administration, notably Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, to recognize and elevate the importance of our nation’s community colleges.