Vilma Fuentes, Ph.D.
Vilma Fuentes, Ph.D.
2003 Ph.D. in Political Science | University of Florida
Major Fields: Comparative Politics, International Public Administration, and International Relations
Dissertation: The Political Effects of Disaster and Foreign Aid: National and Subnational Governance in Honduras after Hurricane Mitch
1997 M.A. in International Studies | Florida International University
Thesis: The Politics of Deforestation in the Watershed Region of El Cajon (Honduras)
1992 B.A. in English | Florida International University
Minor in International Relations, Certificate in Latin American Studies
Dr. Vilma Elisa Fuentes is a higher education professional with over twenty years of experience who joined LSI as a Visiting Associate in Research to serve as the Program Director for FSU's Ukraine Task Force. Dr. Fuentes is responsible for facilitating connections between Ukrainian universities and FSU faculty.
She has worked at American community colleges and universities for over 25 years as a faculty member, researcher, and higher education administrator. She dedicated twenty years of her career to Santa Fe College, the 2015 Aspen Prize Winner for Community College Excellence. Her varied roles in higher education have given her extensive experience in curriculum development; online, in-person, and hybrid teaching; faculty training; youth mentorship; strategic planning; accreditation; project management; and community outreach.
She has directed, co-directed, or administered over twenty federal grants. These include fifteen U.S. Department of State-funded Community College Administrator Programs (two with Ukraine from 2015-2019), a small diplomacy grant from the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv in 2017-2018 to Promote Inclusive Education through Youth Leadership, and a 2024 grant from the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv to share the American experience of serving military veterans, people with disabilities, and other vulnerable groups."
Dr. Fuentes holds an M.S. in International Studies and Ph.D. in Political Science with a specialization in comparative politics and international relations. She has native fluency in Spanish and elementary knowledge of French, Portuguese, and Ukrainian. Dr. Fuentes has traveled to approximately thirty countries, including Ukraine, on six separate occasions between 2015 and 2024. Most of her graduate level research took place in Honduras. Her doctoral dissertation studied how a major natural disaster and the massive influx of foreign aid that followed impacted national and subnational governance in the country. She conducted qualitative and quantitative research among rural peasants, poor urban dwellers, government officials, non-governmental organizations, and elected officials. Many of these were hurricane victims.
Collectively, her research and academic experiences have equipped Dr. Fuentes with the knowledge and skills needed to work with vulnerable populations impacted by war, displacement, and disasters. She is particularly well-equipped to develop education programs that will help historically marginalized groups develop new knowledge and skills needed to find employment and contribute to local economic growth.
Professional Experience
2024-present | Associate in Research | Florida State University
• Program Director of the university-wide Ukraine Task Force to support and develop new partnerships with Ukrainian colleges and universities
• Direct or co-direct federal grants to improve education in countries such as Armenia, Mexico, South Africa, and Ukraine
• Serve on the university’s Vision 2030 Steering Committee, Increasing Globalization Operational Working Group
2012-2024 | Assistant Vice President of Academic Affairs | Santa Fe College
• Directed international education programs for the college, including study abroad programs, virtual exchange programs, a Global Scholars Program, international grants, and international partnerships
• Provided leadership and coordination for nine baccalaureate programs
• Developed and secured SACSCOC approval for five baccalaureate programs
• Administered two special partnership programs with the University of Florida: Gator Engineering and Gator Design and Construction
2004-2012 | Associate Professor of Political Science | Santa Fe College
• Taught Introduction to Comparative Politics, Politics of the Developing World, and Introduction to International Relations
• Led study abroad programs to Guatemala, Honduras, Germany, Poland, and the Czeck Republic
• Co-Directed the SACS-COC Decennial Self Study for the Reaffirmation of Accreditation
• Advised the Model United Nations Team & Hispanic student organization
1998-2003 | Lecturer in Political Science | University of Florida
• Taught Latin American Politics, Central American Politics, and Introduction to Comparative Politics
Federal Grants
- 2024-2026 | Promoting STEM and Social Entrepreneurship through American – Armenian Higher Education Partnership | Florida State University, funded by the U.S. Department of State ($374,760). Project Co-Director.
- 2024 | Small Diplomacy Grant, U.S. Embassy in Kyiv | Serving Military Veterans, People with Disabilities, and Other Vulnerable Populations: Sharing the American Experience, Florida State University, funded by the U.S. Department of State ($25.000). Project Director.
- 2023-2025 | Community College Administrator Program for South Africa | Florida State University, funded by the U.S. Department of State ($530,000 award). Project Director and Principal Investigator.
- 2021-2024 | Florida Heritage Food Initiative | Santa Fe College, funded by the United States Department of Agriculture’s Farmers Market Promotion Program ($650,000 award). Project Director.
- 2021-2024 | Community College Administrator Program for Mexico | Florida State University, funded by the U.S. Department of State ($410,000 award). Project Director and Principal Investigator.
- 2021-2022 | Fulbright Scholar-in Residence from Egypt | Santa Fe College. Project Director.
- 2021 | Global Solutions Sustainability Challenge Facilitator Grant to develop a faculty virtual exchange training program at Santa Fe College ($2,000 sub-recipient award).
- 2020-2023 | Community College Administrator Program for the Philippines | Santa Fe College and Florida State University, funded by the United States Department of State ($58,956 sub-recipient award). Project Co-Director and Subrecipient Principal Investigator.
- 2020-2023 | Community College Administrator Program for Egypt | Santa Fe College and Florida State University, funded by the United States Department of State ($58,956 sub-recipient award). Project Co-Director and Subrecipient Principal Investigator.
- 2018-2023 | Community College Administrator Program for the Caribbean | Santa Fe College and Florida State University, funded by the United States Department of State ($58,956 sub-recipient award). Project Co-Director and Subrecipient Principal Investigator.
- 2018-2019 | Small Diplomacy Grant, U.S. Embassy in Kyiv | Promoting Inclusive Education through Youth Leadership, Santa Fe College, funded by the U.S. Department of State ($11,955). Project Director.
- 2017-2021 | Community College Administrator Program with Select Countries | Santa Fe College and Florida State University, funded by the United States Department of State ($322,314 sub-recipient award). Project Co-Director and Subrecipient Principal Investigator.
- 2017-2018 | Study Abroad Capacity Building Grant | Santa Fe College, funded by the United States Department of State, ($42,000). Project Administrator.
- 2017-2018 | 100,000 Strong in the Americas Grant | Santa Fe College and Centro de Servicios y Comercio in Cartagena, Colombia, funded by the United States Department of State and Colombia’s Servicio Nacional de Aprendizaje. ($25,000 sub-recipient award). Project Director.
- 2017-2018 | Fulbright Scholar-in Residence from Ukraine | Santa Fe College. Project Director.
- 2016-2018 | Community College Administrator Program for Egypt and Pakistan | Santa Fe College and Florida State University, funded by the United States Department of State ($107,438 sub-recipient award). Project Co-Director and Sub-recipient Principal Investigator.
- 2015-2016 | Humanities in the Public Square | Santa Fe College and the American Association of Colleges and Universities, funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities ($17,500 subrecipient award). Project Director.
- 2014-2017 | Community College Administrator Program for Select Countries | Santa Fe College and Florida State University, funded by the United States Department of State ($198,552 sub-recipient award). Project Co-Director and Sub-recipient Principal Investigator.
- 2015-2016 | Latino Americans Grant | Santa Fe College, funded by the National Endowment of the Humanities and the American Library Association ($10,000). Project Director.
- 2014-2016 | Community Colleges Administrator Program for Indonesia | Santa Fe College and Florida State University, funded by the United States Department of State ($60,000 sub-recipient award). Project Co-Director and Sub-recipient Principal Investigator.
- 2014-2015 | Fulbright Scholar-in Residence from Indonesia | Santa Fe College. Project Director.
- 2012-2015 | Undergraduate International Studies and Foreign Language (UISFL) | “Opening Doors to Asia,” Santa Fe College, funded by the U.S. Department of Education ($213,160). Project Administrator.
Leadership and Professional Development
- Fall 2022 NAFSA’s Paul Simon Award for Comprehensive Internationalization, Reviewer
- Fall 2021 SACSCOC Onsite Accreditation Team Member
- Mar. 2021 Certificate of Training in Virtual Exchange, UniCollaboration
- Aug. 2020 Certificate of Training in Virtual Exchange - Project-Based Learning, IREX
- July 2020 Certificate in Online Design and Instruction
- Fall 2019 Certificate for Accessible and Inclusive Practices
- Dec. 2019 SACSCOC Academic Peer Evaluator Training
- July 2018 + U.S. Department of Education National Resource Centers (NRC) and Foreign Language
- Aug. 2016 and Area Studies Fellowships, Grant Reviewer
Awards, Fellowships, and Distinctions
- 2024 Outstanding Case Teaching Award, Experiential Classroom, University of Notre Dame
- 2024 You Make a World of Difference Award, Florida Consortium for International Education
- 2021 Paul Simon Award for Comprehensive Internationalization, NAFSA
- 2018 Excellence in Education Award, Ukraine’s Ministry of Education and Science
- 2017 Fulbright Specialist to Ukraine, Kyiv College of Light Industry
- 2017 You are Santa Fe Award for ingenuity, leadership, compassion, and student success
- 2016 Chancellor’s Leadership Seminar, Florida College System
- 2011 Adviser of the Year, Santa Fe College, Office of Student Life
- 2007 Excellence in Teaching Award, National Institute for Staff & Organizational Development
- 2005 Faculty Travel Grant to Belgium, France and Germany, Santa Fe Community College
- 2000 Dissertation Fellowship, University of Florida, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
- 1999-2000 Dissertation Fellowship, Institute for the Study of World Peace
- 1998-2000 Graduate Minority Fellowship, University of Florida
- 1989-1992 Undergraduate Merit Scholarship, Florida International University
Service and Professional Affiliations
- 2022-2023 Mentor, SF Achieve Program
- 2022-2023 Host Mentor, Fulbright Scholar-in-Residence, Institute for International Education
- 2020-2024 Workforce Advisor, NSF-funded, the Internet of Things for Precision Agriculture (IoT4Ag)
- 2019-2023 Host, Developing Global Citizens Podcast, https://www.sfcollege.edu/listen/
- 2019-2022 President, Florida Consortium for International Education
- 2015-2023 Board Member, Florida Consortium for International Education
- 2016-2018 Mentor, Take Stock in Children
- 2007-2017 Board Member, Gainesville Chapter of the United Nations Association of the USA
- 2007-2012 Board Member, Florida Political Science Association
- 2009-2010 Board Member, Southern Regional Model United Nations
- 2004-2014 Faculty Adviser, Model United Nations Team, Santa Fe College
- 2005-2007 Board Member, Latina Women’s League of Alachua County
- 2003-2005 Faculty Adviser, Hispanic Organization for Latino Activities, Santa Fe College
- 1997-1999 Member, Mesoamerican Society for Biology and Conservation
