Staff
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Young, Josh
he/him
College-Wide Director
Contact Information:
305-237-7477
jyoung@mdc.eduJosh Young has helped lead service-learning, civic engagement and community-campus partnerships with Miami Dade College since 1994. He has a bachelor’s degree in Sociology from the University of Virginia and master’s degrees in Social Work and Public Administration from Florida State University. He served two tours with the Peace Corps in Mali, West Africa and Paraguay, South America, and he ran summer community service programs for youth for four summers in the Dominican Republic with Visions International. Josh has been a national service-learning mentor with the American Association of Community Colleges and has extensive experience leading workshops for faculty, students, community partners, and administrators around the nation.
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Burr, Hanna
she/her
Community-Campus Partnerships Coordinator
Contact Information:
305-237-3117
jburr@mdc.eduHanna originally hails from Nashville, TN, but has spent the past fourteen years between Ecuador, Spain, Atlanta, GA, Delaware, OH, and Ames, IA. She graduated in 2019 from Ohio Wesleyan University with a double major in Spanish and Creative Writing and spent her first two post-graduate years teaching English at an elementary school in Madrid, Spain before beginning a Masters of Fine at Arts in Creative Writing and Environment at Iowa State University. Her graduate thesis (a memoir) braided her teenage experiences of living in Cuenca, Ecuador with retellings of Cañari mythology, the Indigenous founders of Cuenca.
While working on her Masters, Hanna taught English Composition and Intro to Latino Studies to undergraduates and worked as the editor for Flyway, a journal of writing and environment. But her most impactful experience was as a communications specialist for Reuniting the Three Sisters, an Iowa State University project focused on supporting Indigenous foodways through university research, citizen science, and ethnographic interviews. This project engendered in her a desire to practice place-based learning and knowledge co-production, which in-turn led her to her current position at MDC. Hanna is excited to help strengthen the collaborations between MDC and the many organizations that serve the Miami community, particularly those that contribute to food security and climate change adaptation!
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Lau, Melissa
she/her
Poll Worker Elections Grant Coordinator
Wolfson Campus
Contact Information:
mlau@mdc.eduBorn and raised in Miami, Melissa pursued her passion for environmental studies, earning her associate’s degree at MDC and her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from FIU. While learning about the different ecosystems in South Florida, she was profoundly drawn to how individuals and communities interact with these environments and how they take care of these places. Her research bridged these two interests together. Utilizing a method called photovoice, Melissa engaged Miami residents in capturing their emotional connections to the Miami River through photography and personal narratives. Her work shed light on the community's relationship with the river and also served as a catalyst for advocating further protection and preservation efforts for this historic yet often overlooked waterway. Melissa continues to educate the public about the significant role that the Miami River plays in the community through her role as an Education and Outreach Assistant at Miami Waterkeeper. With a commitment to community impact, she returned to MDC and joined the iCED team as a Grant Coordinator for the Poll Workers are Heroes campaign. Melissa strives to leverage her expertise and experiences to foster positive community change.
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Levin, Linda
she/her
Coordinator of Homestead Campus
Contact Information:
305-237-5205
llevin@mdc.eduLinda Levin has been the Homestead Campus iCED Coordinator since 2015. She has more than 30 years of experience working with non-profit organizations and educational institutions in the areas of leadership training and development, recruitment, and board management. Prior to MDC, Linda served as the Membership and Outreach Coordinator at Temple Israel of Greater Miami, and worked extensively with college students at the University of Miami, both at the Hillel Jewish Student Center and in the Department of Residence Life. Linda is passionate about working with college students to promote service-learning and community outreach, and particularly enjoys assisting students in career exploration. Linda earned a Master Degree in Higher Education Administration from Indiana University and an undergraduate degree in Psychology from the University of Michigan.
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Marin, Sofia
she/her
Coordinator of Wolfson Campus
Contact Information:
305-237-3833
smarin@mdc.eduSofia is originally from Colombia and immigrated to the US at age 16. After completing her high school education in the US, she obtained her GED and pursued English courses while working in customer service for nearly eight years. Subsequently, she ventured into entrepreneurship, establishing her own event decoration business. Sofia earned her AA degree at MDC and is pursuing a psychology degree at FIU, focusing on social work with an interest in art therapy. Committed to service, Sofia is passionate about making a positive impact, further nurtured by her volunteer work in marginalized communities in Colombia. Sofia is excited to leverage her experiences and the tools provided by iCED to continue her journey of growth and contribute to changemaker education at the college.
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Mutis, Kiki
she/her
Director of Wolfson Campus
Contact Information:
305-237-7470
cmutis@mdc.eduKiki Mutis was born in Colombia and has lived in Miami since 1981. She is an MDC alumna, and later earned an MS in Environmental Science from FIU. Kiki served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Bolivia where she focused on soil and natural resource conservation and youth development. She has been an active board member of The Colombia Project Global, a micro-loan organization, and traveled to Colombia to meet program administrators and visit micro-loan recipients to understand their concerns better. Kiki worked for Citizens for a Better South Florida where she helped organize urban forestry projects and hands-on afterschool science programs. She also worked at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden as the Community Outreach Coordinator, and with Pelican Harbor Seabird Station where she was the Operations and Volunteer Manager. She also has led professional development workshops for the Earth Ethics Institute at MDC for many years.
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Perce, Ingrid
she/her
Civic Leadership Fellows Program Coordinator
Contact Information:
305-237-3117
iperce@mdc.eduIngrid is very spirited about meeting new people and building connections. She was born in Budapest, Hungary and spent a lot of her early childhood in a small town in Romania. She immigrated with her family to Seattle, Washington when she was seven years old and has since spent her time experiencing life through a colorful, multicultural lens. She went to Gonzaga University and graduated in 2024 with an MBA with a concentration in Finance.
Ingrid has worked in a variety of nonprofit organizations throughout her higher education journey, including Second Harvest Inland Northwest, where she had the wonderful opportunity to learn from a dedicated workforce, united by a common mission of ending hunger in the region. She plans to intersect her desire to bridge cultural gaps through fostering empathy with her passion for studying conscious capitalism to pursue a PhD in financial ethics. With her PhD, she will travel the world, teaching and learning how to do ethical business for the betterment of our global community. She is very excited to serve as the Civic Leadership Fellows Coordinator for MDC and experience everything Miami has to offer.
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Pershadsingh, Priya
she/her
Director of Kendall Campus
Contact Information:
305-237-0631
ppershad@mdc.eduPriya Pershadsingh is a Miami native with a proud Indian heritage. Priya is an MDC alumna who graduated in 2017 with the intention to continue her studies in mass communication. However, in 2016, she attended an MDC-led Eco-Tourism and Sustainability trip to Huatulco, Mexico and her love for sustainability flourished. Priya transferred to the University of Florida (UF) and attained a bachelor degree in Sustainability Studies. She continued with her education and received a master's degree at UF in Sustainable Development Practice (MDP) with a minor in Nonprofit Organizational Leadership, a specialization in Gender and Development and a certificate in Tropical Conservation and Development. Priya's dedication and passion to giving back to her community now continues through her work at MDC with iCED, where she is excited to join the effort to support students and faculty at Miami Dade College to become changemakers.
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Soto, Ana Maria
she/her
Director of Medical and West Campus
Contact Information:
305-237-8960
asoto6@mdc.eduAna Maria Soto is passionate about helping students reach for their dreams, especially getting an education. Ana Maria provided multicultural programming, mentoring, and fellowship opportunities to Latino students at National Louis University and Columbia College Chicago, and has significant experience with nonprofit and community organizations including AARP, the Close Up Foundation and MALDEF. Ana Maria grew up in Ecuador and El Salvador. After college she worked in Brazil and Spain. She has a BA from the University of the South, an MA from Universidad Complutense in Madrid, Spain, and an MBA from National Louis University. In 2004, Soto was a National Hispana Leadership Institute Fellow. She loves travel, photography, cooking, technology, and social media.
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Sudduth, Christina
she/her
Director of Hialeah and Padrón Campuses
Contact Information:
305-237-7411
csudduth@mdc.eduChristina Sudduth moved from Oregon to Miami in 2010 to serve as an AmeriCorps VISTA member at Padrón Campus of all places (then called InterAmerican Campus)! She served for two years supporting faculty and students to deepen their connection to service-learning and going beyond the walls of the classroom. Since that first turn at MDC, she went on to earn her Master's in Public Health degree at the University of South Florida and continued her passion for advocacy work with a statewide nonprofit organization focused on the federal child nutrition programs for six years. Later, she worked with an initiative at the University of Miami to support early childhood teachers integrate supportive practices for the learning and development of children with disabilities. She has served in many coalitions and leadership roles throughout the Miami-Dade community over the years and is thrilled to return to iCED with its current mission and vision. She comes with over a decade of experience in the nonprofit and higher education space, and now, she is flexing her entrepreneurial muscle as she builds her own company called Path To Integration. She is a personal empowerment coach with a passion for working with individuals and groups as they increase awareness and appreciation for their full self-expression and courageous commitment to a life they love.
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Walker, Alecia
she/her
Coordinator of Kendall Campus
Contact Information:
305-237-2692
awalker4@mdc.eduAlecia Walker is originally from western New York. She is pursuing her bachelor's degree in Supervision and Management with a concentration in Accounting at MDC and will be graduating April 2024. Prior to joining the iCED team, she served 10 years in the United States Marine Corps and has a strong desire to help elevate the people around her. She initially joined the iCED team as a Civic Ambassador for her internship opportunity. From there, she realized that she loved helping spread awareness about social and civic opportunities. She wants the community around her to flourish while also engaging with students, faculty and staff about how to be a changemaker and why each of us has to use our lives to make a difference for others. Alecia is excited to be a part of the iCED team and continue to serve the MDC community.