NOEMI Y. PEREZ: 2022 Top Lideres Awards; SWFL

What is your Hispanic heritage:

Mexican

What area of Florida do you live in: Lehigh Acres

What is your profession: President and CEO, The Immokalee Foundation

Latin Times Magazine: Tell us about what you do for a living and how you got into it.

Noemi Perez: I lead an organization that is very near and dear to my heart.

For more than 30 years, The Immokalee Foundation has been preparing the next generation of leaders through a 100% focus on education, career readiness, and professional development for students in Immokalee—from kindergarten to postsecondary education.  I began as a "Student Advocate" (counselor) in 2008. In 2016, I was promoted to  Program Director, and in 2018, I was appointed President and CEO.

Latin Times Magazine: In your industry, what would you say separates you from your competition?

Noemi Perez:  I was raised in Immokalee. As my parents were migrants, I understand and can relate to the many challenges our students face. This helps with building trust and support from our students, their parents and the community.

Latin Times Magazine: Why do you feel you were nominated?

Noemi Perez: I have an atypical backstory in SW Florida as most non-profit leaders have relocated from out of town to assume their roles.

Plus, as SW Florida is home to highly affluent Naples and Marco Island, there's a tremendous amount of competition for donations. I have "walked the walk," so I'm uniquely qualified to "talk the talk." My credibility as The Immokalee Foundation's leader has served us well.

But I'm also extremely proud of our team's recent successes. In 2020, we launched "The Learning Lab," an 18-home construction project providing hands-on experience to young men and women following our Engineering & Construction Management Pathway. Our growing relationship with Florida Gulf Coast University has enabled us to expand our educational summer camp offerings significantly. Plus, our Internship and Mentor programs are thriving. 

Immokalee Foundation CFO Yasmin Mohammad shared her thoughts as well: “Noemi has delivered transformational levels of income growth and created, launched and succeeded with new strategies and projects. She set ambitious targets and gave her Philanthropy Team the resource to achieve them. She led but not manage, and she made herself available to donors and board members. Through all of this, she did not compromise her goals and was able to increase income by 53% from 2018 to date.”

Latin Times Magazine: During COVID-19, tell us about your biggest challenge/obstacle and how you overcame it/or are overcoming it.

Noemi Perez:  The biggest challenge we faced was how to provide our services virtually. Many of our students had no internet access and a computer from home. Our team quickly worked on a system to safely hand out laptops to our students.

We immediately secured funding to assist with purchasing hot spots and additional laptops for our students so they could continue participating in our programming and connecting with our team.

It was very important for us to keep in close contact with the students so they knew that they had our support and we would be able to connect them with any additional resources.

We also focused our PR messaging on what we "could do" as opposed to what we "could not do," as this is precisely what we have been teaching our students since 1991.

Latin Times Magazine: Tell us about your biggest achievement, and how you achieved it.

Noemi Perez: Aside from earning my bachelor's degree and becoming the President and CEO of The Immokalee Foundation, I was recently awarded Florida College Access Network's (FCAN) 2022 College Ready Florida Innovator Award. This honor recognizes those trying new approaches to help students get into and pay for college while inspiring younger students to plan for their futures.

FCAN specifically noted The Immokalee Foundation's innovative Career Pathways Program. I was privileged to lead the development of a new career model that prepares students for professional careers in high-demand jobs in four specific pathways: Business Management & Entrepreneurship, Education & Human Services, Engineering & Construction Management, and Healthcare.

As for “how?” As they say, “it takes a village”-- and I represent one of the best villages in SW Florida!

Latin Times Magazine: What is next for you? What can people expect to see from vou?

Noemi Perez:  With the increasing demand for skilled professionals in SW Florida, The Immokalee Foundation has increased in importance to the area’s business community. Very few area non-profits have such a profound short-term and long-term impact on our local economy. Not only are we preparing the next generation of leaders, but they will also become the next generation of consumers. I will continue to lead the charge in developing and expanding our business relationships and education partnerships–not just locally, but statewide and nationally as well. 

Latin Times Magazine: What does being a U.S. Citizen mean to you?

Noemi Perez:  I am very proud of my heritage and privileged to be an American. My parents came to the U.S. for more opportunities and to give their children a better future. Every day is a blessing to live in this beautiful country!

Latin Times Magazine: What is your opinion of the state of affairs in our nation? And what role do you see Hispanics/Latinos playing in the future of our nation.

Noemi Perez: As the Hispanic/Latino population continues to rise, the role of educational organizations such as The Immokalee Foundation increase exponentially. We need to work even more aggressively to provide our young people with the resources necessary to take their place as leaders of this great country.

Enhanced education leads to increased success, followed by a rise in Hispanic/Latino influence and affluence. As one who represents Hispanic success and influence, I'm honored to do my part to support my community.

Latin Times Magazine: What words of encouragement can you offer?

Noemi Perez:  My parents taught me to work hard and go after my dreams but one thing they said to never stop doing no matter where life lead me and that is to serve others. The act of serving will be good to your heart and your soul.