Miami-Dade County Superintendent Guest Speaker at Commencement Ceremony

FORT LAUDERDALE-DAVIE, Fla. – Returning to the university where he earned his master’s degree, Alberto Carvalho, superintendent of Miami-Dade County Public Schools, will deliver the keynote address to graduate candidates at Nova Southeastern University’s (NSU) Abraham S. Fischler School of Education and the Center for Psychological Studies Commencement Ceremony.

The Commencement ceremony is scheduled for 11 a.m. Saturday, June 21 at the BB&T Center, 1 Panther Parkway, Sunrise, Florida.

“Alberto Carvalho is a member of the NSU family, having earned his Master of Science in Educational Leadership with us, and we’re thrilled to have him as the keynote speaker for this ceremony,” said NSU President George L. Hanbury, Ph.D. “Mr. Carvalho has dedicated his life to public education and he is a shining example of the outstanding students who call themselves NSU Sharks.”

Carvalho has been working for Miami-Dade County Public Schools for nearly 25 years. He started out as a teacher at Miami Jackson Senior High School and over the years he worked his way up and held numerous positions within the district. He is currently the Superintendent of Schools of the nation’s fourth-largest school district. He was selected as Florida’s 2014 Superintendent of the Year as well as the 2014 National Superintendent of the Year. In addition, he has been named by Scholastic Administrator as one of “The Fantastic Five” educators making a difference in America.

“As a proud NSU alumnus, I am honored to be sharing this special moment with the Class of 2014,” said Miami-Dade County Public Schools Superintendent Alberto Carvalho. “The knowledge I acquired during my years at NSU has allowed me to get to where I am today, and I am positive it can do the same for each scholar graduating this year.”

Carvalho is a nationally recognized expert on school reform and finance who successfully transformed the Miami-Dade district’s business operations and financial systems with the implementation of a streamlined strategic framework focused on a singular goal of student achievement.

Miami-Dade County Public Schools is now widely considered the nation’s highest-performing urban school system, and was named as the 2014 College Board Advanced Placement Equity and Excellence District of the Year as well as the 2012 winner of the Broad Prize for Urban Education.

Over the years, Carvalho has earned numerous awards and accolades, including the Hispanic Heritage Education Award and the 2013 National Child Labor Committee Ron H. Brown Award. In addition, he was named a Visionary Leader of the Year by the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce and South Florida’s Ultimate CEO. Carvalho was also honored by the President of Portugal with the “Ordem de Mérito Civil” and by Mexico with the “Othli Award,” the highest award for a civilian living outside of Mexico.

** Attention Media: Nova Southeastern University encourages media outlets to cover this commencement ceremony for stories, photos (CLOs) and video segments. Interested outlets are asked to contact Joe Donzelli in the NSU Public Affairs Office (jdonzelli@nova.edu) to discuss day-of logistics (interviews, equipment set-up, etc.)

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About Nova Southeastern University: Situated on 314 beautiful acres in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Nova Southeastern University (NSU) is a dynamic, fully accredited research institution dedicated to providing high-quality educational programs at all levels.  NSU is a not-for-profit independent institution with an enrollment of 25,000 students. NSU awards associate’s, bachelor’s, master’s, specialist, doctoral and first-professional degrees in a wide range of fields.  NSU is classified as a research university with “high research activity” by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, and it is one of only 37 universities nationwide to also be awarded Carnegie’s Community Engagement Classification.  For more information, please visit www.nova.edu. Celebrating 50 years of academic excellence!