Eduardo J. Padrón

President, Miami Dade College

Eduardo Padrón has a Ph.D. in economics and, since 1995, has served as president of Miami Dade College, the largest institution of higher education in America. He is the recipient of the Carnegie Corporation of New York's Centennial Academic Leadership Award, and is the first college president to receive the National Citizen Service Award from Voices for National Service. Dr. Padrón has also been named an Ascend Fellow by the Aspen Institute, and he is the recipient of the Hesburg Award, the highest honor in U.S. higher education. Dr. Padrón is a past board chair of the Association of American Colleges and Universities and of the American Council on Education. During his career, five American presidents have selected him to serve on posts of national prominence, and he is the recipient of several honorary doctorates and highest honors by the governments of France, Spain, and Argentina. He chairs the White House Fellows regional selection panel and serves on the boards of the Business-Higher Education Forum, the College Board Advocacy & Policy Center, and the International Association of University Presidents. President Padrón has held leadership positions on the boards of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Campus Compact, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute, and the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta. Most recently, President Obama appointed Dr. Padrón to chair the White House Commission on Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans. He is based in Miami, FL.