Hispanic Excellence: Standouts in Education

SUNRISE, Fla. --In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, the Florida Panthers will be recognizing South Florida community members making a difference in various different fields through a "Celebration of Hispanic Excellence" content series.
From Hispanic business owners and educators to creators, healthcare workers, media members, activists and more, the "Celebration of Hispanic Excellence" will recognize individuals nominated by their peers, colleagues and families for the positive impact they are making in South Florida and beyond.
Honorees' stories and achievements will be highlighted continuously throughout Hispanic Heritage Month, which runs from Sept. 15 through Oct. 15, digitally at FloridaPanthers.com and via Panthers social media platforms @FlaPanthers and @FlaPanthersCARE.
Kicking off "Celebration of Hispanic Excellence," the Panthers are proud to highlight five honorees in the field of education.

Gloria Fernandez-Banks

Chief Operating Officer, HB Capital Group & Trustee, Broward College Board of Trustees
Gloria Fernandez-Banks believes in serving the community and considers education a "passport" to a better future. This belief led her to serve the Broward County community for nine years as a member of the Broward College Board of Trustees, advocating for students and higher education opportunity since 2013. Gloria is the outgoing Board Chair. She served as Vice Chair from August 2015 until her selection as Chair in August 2018. A seasoned real estate professional, Gloria has been able to identify emerging trends in South Florida, such as the region's booming rental market, and masterfully weave them into Broward College's strategic vision and academic offerings. Her business acumen was instrumental in guiding the college to revamp budgeting practices to optimize student success and taxpayer resources, and to strengthen non-traditional revenue generation to improve student support. Her service to the Broward College Board of Trustees has led to numerous academic rankings to the institution. During her tenure on the Board, the college has been recognized five times as a Top 10 finalist for the Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence. Gloria has played a central role in positioning the College for many years of success in reaching out to the community, earning the heartfelt appreciation and respect of leadership, students, faculty, staff, and the community.

Monica Llerena

Principal / CCO, CBT Technology Institute
Monica Llerena has been serving the South Florida community for over 30 years through her involvement with her family's business, CBT Technology Institute. Raised by Peruvian immigrant parents, she has seen the value of not only attaining and education but also of paying it forward to her community. At the beginning of the pandemic, Monica was one of the thousands of Americans stuck in Peru. She quickly got connected with those working with the American Embassy to get repatriation flights and volunteered her time until most of the Americans stuck in Peru were home again. As she was wrapping up this project, she heard of seven Peruvian students who were left behind in Miami with little support and through connections and fundraising, she was able to get them on a repatriated flight. Monica is a graduate of both HEAL (Housing Equity Advocacy and Leadership) and CLEAR (Community Leadership on the Environment, Advocacy, and Resilience) Programs of Catalyst Miami.

Madeline Pumariega

President, Miami Dade College Madeline
Pumariega is the first female President appointed to lead one of the nation's largest educational institutions, Miami Dade College (MDC). Adding to the historic nature of this appointment is the fact that Pumariega is an alumna of MDC. Prior to becoming MDC's President, Pumariega was appointed the first female and Hispanic Chancellor of the Florida College System (FCS). In that role, she designed and implemented strategies to keep college accessible and affordable for Floridians, especially for those entering high-demand job fields. In her current role as President, Pumariega has prioritized working with business partners to identify the skills needed by key industries and tailoring higher education programs to match those needs. This intentional forming of strategic alliances and job pathways between companies and MDC students accelerates each graduate's ability to enter the workforce immediately. Driving her relentless pursuit is the passion to develop leaders and build thriving communities.

Judy Rodriguez

Vice Principal, William H. Turner Technical Arts Adult Education Center
Judy Rodriguez is a public school administrator that has dedicated 25 years serving the Miami Dade County community through education impacting the future of students, in their search for a college and/or career pathway, leading toward economic mobility and freedom. Judy was born in New York City to immigrant parents from Dominican Republic and is the youngest of eight children. Judy left a lucrative career in the pharmaceutical industry to become an educator when motherhood changed her perspective on life. In 2019, she was named the Francisco R. Walker Miami Dade County Teacher of the Year Runner Up. Another of Judy's passions is yoga. She became a certified yoga instructor in 2016. In July 2022, she was awarded a mat grant thanks to Give Back Yoga Foundation and Lululemon's Here to Be Program for the purpose of creating access to yoga and meditation as tools for wellbeing to unlock real change in people and communities. Judy will be kicking off her Mindfulness Mondays Initiative at William H. Turner Tech Adult.

Dr. Nanette Vega

Assistant Dean for Diversity, Inclusion, Community Engagement & Assistant Professor for Medical Education, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine
Dr. Nanette Vega is a proud first-generation college graduate. She has dedicated over two decades to creating access and equity in education, creating inclusive environments and developing the next generation of leaders. She has resided in South Florida for over two decades. She volunteers her time to advance Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in South Florida. She serves as the inaugural DEI Chair for the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce, Leadership Miami; a mentor for the Big Brother, Big Sister a program; a board member with Alumni Board -University of Massachusetts Dartmouth and Foundations Board member with NASPA (National Association of Student Personnel Administrators). She has been recognized locally and nationally for her work.
Later in the season, all of these "Celebration of Hispanic Excellence" honorees will be recognized during ¡Vamos Gatos! Takeover Night presented by Ford on Saturday, Jan.14, 2023, when the Panthers take on the Vancouver Canucks at 7 p.m. at FLA Live Arena.
For more information, please visit
FloridaPanthers.com/vamosgatos
.