| Biography |
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Perla Tabares Hantman was first elected to the School Board in November 1996, representing District 4 and in 1998 and 2002 was re-elected to four-year terms without opposition. Ms. Hantman was re-elected in 2006 to her fourth term in office. In 1999, Ms. Hantman was nominated and unanimously elected Chair of The Miami-Dade County School Board, becoming the first Hispanic woman to serve in that position. In 2000 and 2001 she was re-elected and served a second and third consecutive terms as Chair of The Miami-Dade County School Board. Ms. Hantman has also served as Vice Chair, having first been elected to that position in November 2005 and currently serving since 2007. Ms. Hantman was born in Havana, Cuba, where she completed high school and attended the University of Havana. Due to political circumstances, she was forced to emigrate to the United States and continued her education at Barry University in Miami, Florida. Her career in public service began with the Cuban Refugee Program of the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare. Later, she joined the United States Foreign Service assigned by the Department of State to the American Embassy in Mexico City. Ms. Hantman’s broad experience stems from her years of service on various prominent state boards. These included service from 1987-1990 as a member of the Florida Board of Medicine, and from 1990-1996 as a member of the Florida Board of Regents, the governing board of Florida’s 10 state universities. She was the first Hispanic woman in the United States to ever hold the position of Regent. She has served as a trustee and member of the Executive Committee of the Florida International University Foundation Board. She also co-chaired the 2000 U.S. Census Count for the City of Hialeah. Ms. Hantman is an Honorary Life Member of the National PTA and served on the Board of Directors of the South Florida Annenberg Challenge. Appointed by Florida’s governor in 1999, she currently serves her third term as a member of the Metropolitan Planning Organization. Ms. Hantman has served on the Town of Miami Lakes’ Canvassing Board on two occasions to certify the October 5, 2004 and the July 18, 2006 elections following nominations by unanimous council resolutions. In 2005, Ms. Hantman was appointed to serve in the Executive Board of the New World School of the Arts. As an advocate for the rights of women, students and minorities, Ms. Hantman has been recognized for her work in numerous community service organizations. She was named the American Cancer Society’s “Most Dynamic Woman in Miami-Dade County,” received the Stephen P. Clark Children’s Award for Outstanding Miami-Dade County Educator, and was selected “Floridian of the Year” by the Cuban Women’s Club. In 1991, in recognition of her civic work and contributions to our society, the Gregorian University of Rome, Italy, awarded her a Doctorate of Humanities, Honoris Causa. She received Florida International University’s distinguished Service Medallion in Community Service in April 2000 and in 2004 Ms. Hantman received the university’s College of Law “Enma Tarafa Legal Excellence Award.” The Town of Miami Lakes honored Ms. Hantman’s commitment to education through a Resolution designating June 7, 2005 as “Perla Tabares Hantman Day.” Ms. Hantman has been a strong supporter of bilingual education. Through her efforts, these programs have been expanded, thus providing more opportunities for students to become bilingual and biliterate. During her tenure, she has successfully brought numerous initiatives before the School Board. Children in pre-kindergarten through grade 12 now receive more complete vision and hearing screening. Joint use agreements for parks and school grounds are now in place after successful completion of negotiations with various municipalities in District 4. Ms. Hantman served as Chair of the Facilities Planning and Construction Committee and the Legislative Relations, Public Relations and Personnel Services Committee. She is currently Chair of the Innovation, Efficiency and Governmental Relations Committee and is serving a second term as the School Board voting member on the District’s Audit Committee.
04.24.08 |
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