Raquel Regalado gains Director role at St. Thomas University

Raquel Regalado (pictured) voted against the ordinance at its first stop in June. Fellow Miami-Dade Commissioner Danielle Cohen Higgins said she would support the measure "for now." Image via Miami-Dade County.

Miami-Dade Commissioner Raquel Regalado is the new Director of St. Thomas University’s (STU) Institute for Ethical Leadership, the school’s academic component focused on principled conduct in public and private administration.

The paid position is a step up for Regalado, a lawyer, radio personality and former School Board member. She has been an adjunct professor at the private, Catholic Miami Gardens school — her alma mater — since December.

“Ethical Leadership is a signature program,” STU President David Armstrong said of the institute, which the school launched as part of the Gus Machado College of Business in 2019 to offer bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate degrees.

Students there are exposed to disciplines and ideas spanning humanities, behavioral and social sciences, business management, research methods and technology to advance their ability to navigate and improve complex professional environments, an STU press note said.

“Raquel’s appointment underlies our emphasis on the continued growth of one of our most successful programs,” Armstrong said, “and her skills and experience will be instrumental in illustrating the application of ethical leadership in real-world scenarios to our students.”

Regalado said Thursday she is “humbled by the opportunity to participate in St. Thomas University’s commitment to ethical leadership and to fostering Catholic convictions, character, vocation and excellence in our students and community.”

STU Provost Michelle Johnson-Garcia said Regalado has already gotten to work.

“She has hit the ground running, and her enthusiasm is palpable,” she said. “We look forward to evolving our Ethical Leadership Institute into a world-class example of excellence in ethical leadership and the manifestation of our STU mission.”

Regalado is not the first member of the Miami-Dade Commission to take a job with STU. In July 2020, the university hired Miami-Dade Commission Chair Oliver Gilbert III, then the Mayor of Miami Gardens, to lead its Center for Pandemic, Disaster and Quarantine Research (PDQ).

On Oct. 27, 2020, the Miami-Dade Commission approved a $3 million apportionment in Cares Act funds to help finance the center. Roughly a third of that sum was reserved for grants to local businesses. Gilbert joined the Commission in November 2020.

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Editor’s note: This report has been updated to clarify Gilbert was not a member of the Miami-Dade Commission when it voted to commit county Cares Act funds to the PDQ.