Agatha S. Caraballo

Biography

Dr. Caraballo is an Associate Teaching Professor in the Department of Public Policy and Administration, Affiliate Faculty in the African and African-Diaspora Studies program, and the Founding Director of the Maurice A. Ferré Institute for Civic Leadership.

She is Past Chair and former Treasurer of the Section for Women in Public Administration (SWPA) for the American Society for Public Administration (ASPA), as well as a past President of the ASPA South Florida Chapter. Presently, Dr. Caraballo serves as the inaugural Director of Teaching for the Black Faculty Association at FIU and contributes to the university’s Equity Action Initiative as a member of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Strategic Execution Team.

She is proud to have organized numerous professional development events related to public service and leadership, and to be recognized for exceptional teaching, mentorship, and service with several awards. Dr. Caraballo’s honors include a Legacy Miami “40 Under 40” Award, the FIU Top Scholars Award for Dedicated Mentoring, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Service Award, the Donald Stone Service to ASPA Award, NASPAA Pi Alpha Alpha Advisor of Excellence Award, and a City of Miami Certificate of Merit, among others. Her online classes have received Quality Matters certification, a nationally recognized benchmark for high quality distance education.

Dr. Caraballo holds Ph.D. in Public Affairs and Bachelor of Science in Communication degrees from FIU and an Associate of Arts in Communication from Santa Rosa Junior College in Northern California, where she was raised. Her professional background is in higher education, nonprofits, and leadership development. Dr. Caraballo and her husband, Leonel, are the proud parents of two children.