Padrón Campus Professor Selected As 2022 Outstanding Community College Professional

Diego Tibaquirá, a computer science professor at Eduardo J. Padrón Campus was, selected as the Region III 2022 Outstanding Community College Professional by the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators on April 19.

“[I’m] thankful to Miami Dade College and Padrón Campus for providing the opportunity and support to do what I do on a daily basis to help change lives,” Tibaquirá said. “I want to empower people.”

Tibaquirá has taught computer science with an emphasis on cybersecurity at Padrón Campus for 18 years. Additionally, he serves as a lead faculty for the Honors College and advisor of Phi Theta Kappa Honors Society.

In 2017 and 2021, he was named an Endowed Teaching Chair. Tibaquirá was also selected as a Fullbright Specialist at MDC for a tenure of four years in 2021 and was nominated to the 2021 Ethical Hacker Hall of Fame.

Before MDC, he worked as a data analyst at PepsiCo for two years and as an information security specialist at Naval Sea Systems Command for a year and a half. Tibaquirá has served in the United States Marine Corps for four years. 

He has an associate’s of science degree in computer systems and networking and telecommunications from Craven Community College, a bachelor’s of science degree in computer science from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, a master’s of science degree in computer science from the North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University and a doctor of education degree in instructional technology and distance education from Nova Southeastern University.