Roig-Watnik Selected As President At Hialeah Campus

Presidential:Mattie Roig-Watnik, who previously served as Dean of Academic Affairs at North Campus, took over as president at Hialeah Campus on Jan. 27.
Hialeah Campus buildings are camouflaged by shopping centers, highways and construction of new facilities slated to open this summer. Now a new campus President, Mattie Roig-Watnik, is seeing the campus through the long-planned developments. Her first day was Jan 27.
“I am honored to hold [this] position as president on the most exciting campus,” Roig-Watnik said. “The leadership here is really ready for all the new things coming and I could not have entered at a better time.”
The Hialeah Campus has been constructing new facilities since 2010. The current building plan features a four-story building with space for new classrooms including biology and chemistry labs, a parking garage with an additional 1,000 parking spaces and a one-stop hub for student services.
Roig-Watnik began at MDC as a professor of anatomy and physiology about ten-years-ago. She comes to her new position from the post of Dean of Academic Affairs at North Campus.
“I am delighted to have her onboard,” said Ana Bradley-Hess, Dean of Academic Affairs at Hialeah Campus. “I have known her as a professional for years. I’ve seen all the work she has done and I admire her success.”
Bradley-Hess was the de facto president since 2010 and now works alongside Roig-Watnik as Dean of Academic Affairs.
“She’s a leader who is energetic and conscientious to no end,” said Malou Harrison, who serves as president at North Campus. “She’ll model and expect no less than availing the highest quality education and experience for each and every student at Hialeah Campus.”
Roig-Watnik earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Biology at Uppsala College, a Master of Science in Biology with specialization in Physiology and Microbiology at Rutgers University and a Ph.D. in Teacher Leadership from Walden University.
“These changes have to do with the progression in my life through my background in education because it became so important,” Roig-Watnik said.
She is passionate about animals, music ranging from gospel to jazz, the sciences and plants. As for the future, Roig-Watnik hopes to bring all of her experiences and educational career to the table at the growing Hialeah Campus.
“We all connect through passion,” Roig-Watnik said. “Here at Hialeah, it’s not just about working together, we’re a family with a lot of admiration and kinship for each other.”