JEANETTE M. NUÑEZ

PRESIDENT, FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY, Miami

Before joining FIU, Nuñez served as Florida's lieutenant governor and held leadership roles in the Florida House, focusing on healthcare, education and economic development. Under her leadership, FIU generates more than $5 billion annually in economic impact, ranks No. 1 nationally for upward economic mobility and continues advancing research, partnerships and student success. FIU is a Carnegie R1 Institution and one of Florida's preeminent state research universities. It serves more than 56,000 students and a Panther alumni community of more than 340,000. With more than 10,000 faculty and staff, FIU is also one of the region's largest employers.

EDUCATION: Florida International University (BA, MPA)

DAILY RITUAL: Exercising, eating healthy and starting the morning with prayer and Bible reading.

NOTABLE TRENDS: AI. Hands down. But also, an interest in encouraging critical thinking and human connection. For higher education, we must prove our value proposition and articulate the need for lifelong learning.

IN MY DOWNTIME: Cooking. For me, it's a stress reliever and it brings me so much joy to cook for others, especially my family.

NEXT BIG FOCUS: Personally — becoming a grandmother in October. Professionally — taking FIU to the next level — top 30!

NEXT GEN ADVICE: Work hard; pay your dues. Don't complain; find solutions. Faith, family and freedom — they matter above all else.

FOOD FIX: My mom's shrimp creole recipe or steak and french fries. I also love Florida stone crabs.

PERSONAL RESET: I have never had a bad day at FIU, but on those less-than-perfect days, I really enjoy walking around campus and seeing our students go about their days. I also love cheering on our Panthers at sporting events. If all else fails, FIU-branded Angel's Envy bourbon.