Executive Director Javier I. Marques MBA, M.S.
Javier I. Marques serves as Senior Vice President for the Division of Operations and Safety & Chief of Staff at Florida International University. He is also a member of the President's Executive Committee and the Executive Director of the Academy for International Disaster Preparedness within the Robert Stempel College of Public Health and Social Work. He advises the President on organizational and policy decisions, and develops, coordinates, and implements a wide variety of presidential initiatives.
Mr. Marques has over 28 years of experience in public administration, higher education administration, and public safety. He oversees the Office of the President and all related units, including, the Board of Trustees Office and the Ronald W. Reagan Presidential House. He also has administrative oversight of the Chief Audit Executive and the Chief Compliance Officer (which includes Athletics Compliance) and serves as the Board of Trustees' Liaison for the Audit and Compliance Committee. In addition, he oversees the Division of Operations and Safety, which includes the FIU Police Department, the Department of Emergency Management and Environmental Health & Safety, the Department of Parking, Transportation, and Sustainability, and the Office of University Protocol, Ceremonies, and Events. Mr. Marques is also an Adjunct Professor at the Steven J. Green School of International and Public Affairs.
Mr. Marques played a key role in developing FIU’s Emergency Management program, including recruiting its leadership team. What started as a single coordinator position has since evolved into a fully accredited Emergency Management operation. He works closely with university leadership to ensure that all public safety areas are well-equipped and adequately funded to maintain campus safety and preparedness. Additionally, he fosters operational collaboration between units, sites, and campuses while advancing university initiatives in governmental affairs at the local, state, and federal levels, particularly in shaping policy matters. In his role, he is responsible for implementing strategic and tactical objectives for both the Office of the President and the Division of Operations and Safety, while also identifying and coordinating multi-unit initiatives across the institution.
Prior to joining FIU in 2008, Mr. Marques was Chief of Staff at Miami-Dade County where for over eight years he oversaw the Office of the County Commission Chairman, and Commission Offices, and the management of district and downtown commission offices. Among his key accomplishments, he established and developed the Board of County Commission Office of Intergovernmental Affairs with offices in Tallahassee and Washington D.C., while strengthening relationships with the Dade Delegation and local elected officials. He also played a pivotal role in administratively organizing the Office of the Commission Auditor and Legislative Analysis, the Divisions of Protocol, Employee Recognition and Media Relations, Commission Support Staff, and the Sergeant at Arms. Additionally, he also established a Commission Command Center at the County's Emergency Operations Center which served to help local elected officials effectively address the needs of their individual constituencies during county emergencies. His leadership in disaster response included organizing and directing multiple hurricane relief missions across Florida, as well as spearheading the largest organized relief effort to Mississippi in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Mr. Marques has also held senior positions within the Miami-Dade Board of County Commissioners and the City of Miami.
A lifetime member of the Florida International University Alumni Association, Javier I. Marques earned his Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees from FIU, as well as an MBA from Lynn University. He has furthered his executive education at prestigious institutions, including Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business, and the Center for Creative Leadership in Colorado. Additionally, he completed the Leading Decisions Program at FIU’s Center for Leadership. Mr. Marques is a graduate of Christopher Columbus High School in Miami.
Mr. Marques and his wife Lian Marie reside in Miami and are the proud parents of Elizabeth Marie and Javier Ignacio, Jr.
Senior Director Robert Jorge, MPA
Robert M. Jorge has had over three decades of leadership experience at the City of Miami Fire Rescue Department and Miami Dade College. He has served as an Assistant Fire Chief and brings expertise that spans through Emergency Incident Management, Emergency Medical Services (EMS), and academic program development. He has been involved with local, state and federal agencies during most local major disasters that have occurred in the last 30 years.
With a strong track record in leadership, administration, and collaboration across sectors, he's well-equipped to enhance the Division of Operations and Safety and the Academy for International Disaster Preparedness.
Graduate Program
Assistant Director Dr. Dulce M. Suarez
Dr. Dulce M. Suarez is a highly qualified professional with more than 15 years of experience in crisis and disaster management operations. Dr. Suarez has significant experience in conducting research, participating in book reviews, public speaking, authoring papers and publication, and academic teaching in disaster management. As Assistant Director to the Academy for International Disaster Preparedness, Dr. Suarez is embedded in educating and preparing the next generation of emergency and disaster management leaders. She has experience developing Emergency Operations Plans, including Recovery Plans, Continuity of Operations Plans, and Continuity of Government Plans. Before she arrived at FIU, Dr. Suarez was a leader in providing humanitarian aid and the development of disaster mitigation and recovery projects throughout Latin America.
Prior to joining FIU, she served as the Interim Executive Director for a multimillion-dollar non-profit organization. During this time, she coordinated disaster response and recovery activities during several declared disasters including Hurricane Wilma, Hurricane Ivan, Hurricane Matthew, and Haiti earthquake in 2010. She implemented and developed programs in disaster resiliency, humanitarian efforts, human rights advocacy, and strengthening civil society. She has forged strong partnerships and networks with local, state, and federal agencies, NGOs, FBOs, donors and other universities. In 2016, joined FIU and focused primarily on research, specifically hurricane mitigation as well as various projects with local and state level focus.
Dr. Suarez holds a Doctors and Master of Arts in International Relations from FIU, a Master of Arts in International Studies from the University of Miami, and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Florida in Political Science with a minor in History and Latin American Studies. She possesses several certifications, including but not limited to certified in CITT Program Certified- Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (Human Subjects Research), and certified by the United Nations Humanitarian Civil Military Assistance and Coordination. Dr. Suarez major sub-fields are security, foreign policy and comparative studies.
Undergraduate Program
Assistant Director Joann L. Brown
We live in a world of change and uncertainty where our actions are seen, judged and reacted to in an instant. Seconds count and so does your ability to understand, be understood and anticipate what needs to be said as well as relate to what others think, feel, expect, need and believe. Possessing the leadership and communication skills required to be successful as a public servant in the 21st century is a necessity at all levels of an organization.
Ms. Brown has spent her career shaping these skills in individuals at the university level and through organizational trainings in the professional realm. After obtaining her graduate degree in communication from the University of Miami (UM) in 1993, she worked alongside several highly sought-after faculty members from UM who were conducting communication & leadership programs in the private sector; non-profit sector; within local, state and federal branches of the government as well as internationally. Along the way, she discovered it takes courage and humility to lead effectively and to appreciate how often anyone can make the wrong assumption about people, problems and the right solutions.
In 1994, she accepted a full-time faculty position at Florida International University where she rose through the ranks to the highest academic rank at the University. Ms. Brown is the founding chair of the Communication Arts Department where she served as the chief academic, financial and administrative officer of the department from 2007-2015. Managing teams, projects and internal politics taught her how to communicate up, down, and across the chain of command in sensitive, fast moving situations.
During her tenure as department chair she continued working with numerous clients throughout South Florida and partnered with FIU’s Center for Leadership to provide communication trainings as part of their well-known leadership program—HR.com and Leadership Excellence Magazine recently ranked the executive leadership program #2 globally besting programs from longstanding institutions such as Harvard, Stanford, The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, The University of Chicago Booth School of Business, and Cornell.
She has authored/co-authored three textbooks: Intercultural Communication: Diversity and Understanding (2013), Speaking with the Confidence of a Leader (2013), and Speaking Intelligently (2004) which are used at various institutions of higher education across the country and she has presented her work at numerous domestic and international conferences.
In 2015 she entered into a training partnership with the City of Miami to produce a customized cultural sensitivity & de-escalation training for the City of Miami Police Department. Additionally, a Command Level Leadership training was implemented and in July 2016, the City of Miami Mayor, Tomas Regalado, discussed the success of these specialized programs on Hardball with Chris Matthews. These programs have now expanded to other police departments and fire-rescue departments focusing on Leadership Development for first responders for every rank and level of the organization.
Undergraduate Program
Departmental Administrator Mileyvis Guzman
Mileyvis "Mimi" Guzman is a knowledgeable professional who has been working at FIU for over 10 years. At present, Mrs. Guzman serves as the departmental administrator for the bachelor’s program within the Academy for International Disaster Preparedness and as the Sr. Executive Assistant to the VP of Operations and Safety and Chief of Staff in the Office of the President.
She has worked for the State of Florida for over 20 years with FIU, Miami-Dade Police Department, and the Department of Elections. Mrs. Guzman has a Masters of Science degree in Higher Education Administration from Florida International University along with a Bachelors in Liberal Studies with Minors in both Criminal Justice and Psychology.
Mrs. Guzman has been married to her husband Lazaro for over 20 years and is the proud mother of two sons, Sebastian and Joshua.
2016-2021 Strategic Plan
For a copy of the Academy's five-year strategic plan, please select the PDF file below:
Strategic Plan
