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Al Salas, chair of the Miami Dade College (MDC) Foundation Board of Directors and a proud MDC alumnus, will receive the 2022 Outstanding Alumni Award from the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC), during its annual celebration in May.
The award is given to community college alumni who are making outstanding contributions in their chosen career fields and communities.
“There are not many alumni, if any at all, who are more passionate about the college and our students than Al,” said MDC president Madeline Pumariega. “That passion for MDC and our students is reflected in his leadership, generosity and continued support for the college.”
Salas’ experience in the food service industry started in his early teens, when he got a job working at a Burger King location. His dedication and passion caught the attention of senior management and he became the youngest area manager for the company at age 18, around the time he enrolled at MDC and served as a math and accounting student tutor.
Salas continued his studies at Florida International University and obtained his Certified Public Accounting license. For several years he worked as a CPA conducting audits and doing SEC work for national clients. He later accepted a corporate position at Burger King, where he went on to acquire several roles with ascending responsibility. After several years, he joined PepsiCo where he worked in accounting and finance, in many cities and states, turning around multiple departments and operations.
Today he is the largest Hispanic — and one of the most successful — Pizza Hut franchisees in the nation. Throughout his career, Salas has remained connected to MDC and joined its volunteer Foundation Board nearly a decade ago, eventually becoming vice chair, and today the chair.
Founded in 1965, the MDC Foundation to raises essential private funds to support scholarships, academic programs and support services so MDC students have the opportunity to pursue their dreams. The MDC Foundation also supports world-class arts and cultural programming at MDC that enriches the community. Known as Democracy’s College, MDC changes lives through accessible, high-quality teaching and learning experiences that prepare students for tomorrow’s workforce.
MDC is the nation’s largest, campus-based institution of higher education with an enrollment of more than 165,000 students and more than two million alumni. MDC ranks highest in the state and third in the nation in providing its students economic mobility It also is the nation’s top producer of Associate in Arts and Science degrees and awards more degrees to minorities than any other college or university in the country. For more information, visit mdcfoundation.com.
