April 2012, Volume 16, Number 2

Making Their Mark

MDC Trustee Devotes Time to Mentoring

Marili Cancio

Taking time from a busy legal practice, Marili Cancio serves as a role model providing support and encouragement to Miami Dade College students in the vital Single Stop Mentoring Program.

Appointed by Gov. Rick Scott last year to Miami Dade College’s District Board of Trustees, she regularly meets in person and exchanges emails with her student as part of the two-year commitment designed to build trusting relationships.

Ensuring Future Success

Cancio appreciates the importance of the innovative initiative. When her student graduates, “she will be more likely to continue her studies and that will improve her quality of life tremendously,” said Cancio, managing partner at Cancio Johnson & Echarte P.L., who specializes in corporate, real estate and international law. “Studies have shown that students who have mentors are more likely to complete their degrees and not drop out of school.”

A Miami Beach native with a great affection for the South Florida community, Cancio said Miami Dade College is “one of the finest institutions in the country and has excellent leadership.”

Continuing a Noble Legacy

As a board member, she is interested in “promoting good stewardship of tax dollars” and hopes to continue the fine work accomplished by other trustees. In addition to attending board meetings, she also brings her expertise to reviewing and approving financial, policy and strategic decisions and to educating legislators about the College’s needs.

Cancio has previously served on important community boards such as the Trust of Vizcaya Museum and Gardens, and chaired the Hispanic Affairs Advisory Board for Miami-Dade County.

Her own educational accomplishments include a degree from Temple University’s Beasley School of Law. She also earned the top grade in her class in one of her courses at MDC, which she fondly recalls as “a great Miami Dade College experience.”

— Staff Report


More Making Their Mark Articles

Miami Dade College is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to award associate and baccalaureate degrees.
Contact the Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia 30033-4097 or call 404-679-4500 for questions about the accreditation of Miami Dade College.
Miami Dade College is an equal access/equal opportunity institution and does not discriminate on the basis of gender, race, color, marital status, age, religion, national origin,
disability, veteran’s status, sexual orientation, or genetic information. Contact the Office of Equal Opportunity Programs/ADA Coordinator, at 305.237.2577 for information.