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Miami Dade College’s Idea Center has a new executive director – with big plans

Nancy Dahlberg
Nancy Dahlberg
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Miami Dade College has tapped Alejandro D. González to lead its innovation hub, The Idea Center, as its next executive director.

Gonzalez has nearly a decade of experience launching and scaling social ventures in the U.S. and Latin America. He’ll now be leading and reinvigorating The Idea Center, which was founded in 2014 to bring students of all disciplines together to learn, collaborate and launch ventures. He will lead the launch of a series of new programs and initiatives in the coming months, at a time when the momentum in #MiamiTech is at an all-time high, entrepreneurship interest among students at one of the country’s largest and most diverse colleges is surging, and there is a deep and growing need for entrepreneurial tech talent in the ecosystem.  

“This pivotal moment in the evolution of Miami’s entrepreneurial and tech ecosystem calls on us to reimagine what The Idea Center will offer our students, faculty and the community at large We will deliver on President Pumariega’s goals of accelerating academic excellence and innovation and fueling the talent needs of a global economy,” Gonzalez said in a statement.

In the coming months under González’s leadership, The Idea Center will be launching experiential learning labs, providing access to internships and mentorship opportunities, and deploying startup capital for student-led ventures, the university’s announcement said. The Idea Center will also be  working with the faculty to embed the entrepreneurial mindset into course curriculum across disciplines,  and partnering with Miami’s tech and startup ecosystem to provide a diverse and equitable talent pipeline with the right mindset to help their businesses grow.  “His extensive experience working with entrepreneurs and developing successful business ventures is an incredible resource for our students, local business and the community at large,” said Maryam Laguna Borrego, MDC’s Vice President for External Affairs & Strategy and Chief of Staff.

González has led development and partnerships for Miami startup WhereBy.Us,  growing topline revenue by 30 percent through new partnerships with corporate, nonprofit and government entities. He also led government relations at United Way of Broward County and he has developed entrepreneurship and educational programs for dozens of independent Cuban social entrepreneurs seeking to prototype and launch independent ventures on the island, including Cuba’s first independent digital media outlet.  

González also has served as a Visiting Lecturer at the University of Miami’s School of Communication and a Research Fellow at the University of Missouri’s Reynolds Journalism Institute. In both capacities, he worked with students on developing revenue generating projects to create sustainable business models for digital media outlets. He holds an M.A. in International Development and Public Policy from The University of Chicago and a B.S. in International Politics from Georgetown University.

The Idea Center’s next phase will complement the leaps and bounds the College has  made in its technology offerings in the last few years. Responding to the needs of the ecosystem, MDC has launched numerous certificate and degree programs in cybersecurity, cloud computing, data science and other emerging technologies, as well as introduced innovative partnerships  with global players such as Amazon, Tesla, IBM, Microsoft, and Google and offerings such as the Startup Operators School with SoftBank.

“Together with our world-class faculty, we will transform The Idea Center at Miami Dade College into the leader in entrepreneurship and innovation education among colleges in the nation,” Gonzalez said.

Follow @ndahlberg on Twitter and email Nancy Dahlberg at [email protected]

Nancy Dahlberg
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