DeSantis taps two trustees to stay at Miami Dade College
Marcell Felipe, a Miami corporate lawyer, and Roberto Alonso, a businessman and Miami-Dade County School Board member, will keep leading one of the largest colleges in the country.
Gov. Ron DeSantis reappointed them Friday to the Miami Dade College Board of Trustees. The seven-member board works with the college administration to manage the institution, which spans eight campuses and boasts a student population of about 120,000.
Alonso, 43, first joined the college’s board of trustees in July 2020, while Felipe, 50, joined in March 2019. DeSantis appointed them both as the governor appoints trustees in the state’s college system to staggered four-year terms, subject to confirmation by the Florida Senate.
READ MORE: How MDC went from the ‘chicken coop’ to one of the biggest colleges in the country
“I am honored that the Governor has given me the opportunity to continue to serve on the Miami Dade College Board of trustees,” Alonso said in a text Monday. “I look forward to continuing to work with our College President, fellow Trustees and our State to bring Career Pathways for our community.”
Felipe initially didn’t respond to a request for comment from the Herald. After the story was published, Felipe gave this statement to the Herald:
“I am proud of the work this Board has done. We terminated our relationship with the CCP-backed Confucius Institute who promoted censorship of fellow academics in China, we secured $25 Million to preserve the Freedom Tower and reopen it to the public by 2025, and we appointed a dynamic new President to lead MDC into a new generation. We thank Gov DeSantis, Lt Gov Nunez and Commissioner Diaz for their support as we focus on the next steps for our students and community. “
Alonso works as the vice president of business development at his family’s real estate business, Costa Realtors in Miami Lakes. He’s the son of Cuban immigrants and was born in Hialeah.
Armed with DeSantis’ endorsement, Alonso was elected last August to the Miami-Dade School Board’s District 4 seat, which represents a large swath of northwest Miami-Dade, including Hialeah and Miami Lakes. He took over the seat held by the longtime School Board chair Perla Taberes Hantman, who chose not to run for reelection.
Felipe founded Marcell Felipe Attorneys and founded the Inspire America Foundation, an organization that promotes democracy in Cuba and the Americas. In 2018, he was elected board chair of the American Museum of the Cuban Diaspora in Miami.
Alonso graduated from MDC with an associate’s in computer and information sciences and support services, and then earned his bachelor’s in business administration from Florida International University. Felipe holds a bachelor’s in international relations from FIU and a law degree from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law.
Asked for comment, Sue Arrowsmith, a college spokeswoman, emailed a quote from MDC President Madeline Pumariega in which she congratulated both trustees and said, “I’m looking forward to continuing to work together and create new opportunities for our students.”
This story was originally published April 4, 2023 at 12:00 AM.
