Vice Provost Of Human Resources To Retire After 19 Years At MDC
Beate Hughes-Brown was looking for guidance when she connected with Iliana Castillo-Frick.
Following a workforce development program hosted by the University of Miami in 1993, the pair discussed how Hughes-Brown could transition from the hospitality field to human resources.
Twenty-seven years later, Hughes-Brown is a seasoned human resource administrator with experience at companies like Bank of America, Norwegian Cruise Lines and Feld Entertainment.
“If not for her, I would not be where I am today,” Hughes-Brown said.
Hughes-Brown’s testimony is not unusual. Castillo-Frick has mentored human resources professionals for the past four decades, earning a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Greater Miami Society for Human Resources Management in 2000.
After leaving her mark in the human resources arena for the past 43 years, Castillo-Frick is retiring from Miami Dade College. Her last day in the office will be Oct. 27.
“It’s time to move to this next journey in my life,” said Castillo-Frick who worked at MDC for 19 years. “I still have my mother who’s 93 and I want to spend time with her.”
Early Beginnings
After arriving from Havana, Cuba when she was 15, Castillo-Frick and her family settled in Hialeah. The youngster quickly developed an affinity for cultures and languages such as French, Spanish and German.
While at Hialeah Senior High School, she dreamt of becoming an interpreter for the United Nations. By 1976, Castillo-Frick had earned an associate’s degree in languages from North Campus.
During her time at MDC, Castillo-Frick began working in the accounting department for a now-defunct company that specialized in floor manufacturing. After earning a bachelor’s degree in hospitality management and French from Florida International University in 1979, the company asked her to lead their personnel department.
Since then, Castillo-Frick has devoted her life to human resources.
In 1984, Castillo-Frick became the employee relations manager for Wachovia—a now-defunct financial services company. Eight years later, she transferred to Bank of America where she served as a human resources and recruitment manager until 2000.
That same year, she began a two-year stint as the senior executive vice president for corporate resources at BankUnited.
Following a gap year, she started at MDC, first working as an associate senior vice provost for human resources until becoming the vice provost in January of 2007.
“She had a wonderful career,” said Mary de Laosa, who has worked with Castillo-Frick since 2001 and will replace her. “We worked very hard to make human resources the profession that it is today.”
Ready To Enjoy Life
For the past two decades, Castillo-Frick has been a member of the United Way and March of Dimes—two non-profit organizations that help people improve their education, financial stability and health.
In 2016, the United Way appointed her as the chair for Women’s Leadership. From 2016-17, she led a 48-member executive council to promote personal growth, fundraising and volunteering.
“It’s about paying it forward and helping the people in our community,” Castillo-Frick said.
During retirement, the 66-year-old will continue serving others but will also dedicate time to her hobbies.
An avid walker, she plans to train in her Coral Gables neighborhood for her fourth half-marathon in the past 15 years and travel to Spain, France and Italy.
Castillo-Frick also hopes to land a part-time job at William Sonoma at Merrick Park—a Coral Gables upscale chain store offering gourmet foods—to feed her passion for healthy, Italian and Spanish cuisine.
“I wish her all the best,” Hughes-Brown said. “I know she’s going to be missed because she has an impact wherever she goes.”
