Irma Becerra Fernandez

Irma Becerra-Fernandez is an American electrical engineer and the seventh president of Marymount University. She has held this role since July 1, 2018. Prior to her current post, she was the provost and chief academic officer at St. Thomas University (Florida).

Education
Becerra received Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in electrical engineering from the University of Miami. She received a doctoral degree from Florida International University, also in electrical engineering.

Early life and education
A Cuban-born American, Becerra immigrated to the United States with her parents when she was an infant, living in Puerto Rico through high school. She earned both bachelor's and master's degrees in electrical engineering from the University of Miami and went on to become the first woman to earn a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Florida International University (FIU).

Career
Becerra spent three decades at FIU in a variety of positions that include Vice President, Vice Provost, Entrepreneurship Center Director and tenured professor in Management Information Systems. She founded FIU's Knowledge Management Lab and led projects as principal investigator at the National Science Foundation, NASA (Headquarters, Kennedy, Ames and Goddard Space Flight Centers) and the Air Force Research Lab. She was also a Sloan Scholar at MIT's Center for Information Systems Research.

Fernandez served as Provost and Chief Academic Officer at St. Thomas University in Miami Gardens, Fla., from 2014 to 2018.

Becerra took office as the seventh president of Marymount University on July 1, 2018.

Becerra has authored four books and numerous journal articles in the areas of knowledge management and business intelligence. Her original research has also spanned such areas as enterprise systems, disaster management and IT entrepreneurship.

Awards and recognition

 * 2022 St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Award from the Support Our Aging Religious (SOAR!) organization.
 * Washington Business Journal's Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Champion of 2022.
 * Named as one of the winners in the 2022 Women in Leadership Awards by Virginia Business.
 * Saluted as one of the Top 35 Women in Higher Education by Diverse: Issues in Higher Education, 2020.
 * Recognized in the Washington Business Journal's Power 100 Class of 2019.
 * Selected as one of the Washington Business Journal's "Women Who Mean Business," 2019.
 * Educator of the Year by the South Florida Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, 2015.
 * Bronze Medal Award by the Miami Today Newspaper, 2014.
 * 2013 Educator of the Year by HENAAC Great Minds in STEM.
 * In the Company of Women Award for Education and Research, a Women's History Month Celebration, with support from The Parks Foundation of Miami-Dade, the Office of the Mayor and the Board of County Commissioners, March 2012.
 * The Association of Cuban Engineers' Engineer of the Year Award for outstanding contributions to the profession, 2011.
 * Kauffman Entrepreneurship Professor, Florida International University Pino Center for Entrepreneurship, March 2007.
 * Selected for initiation into the professional business fraternity, Delta Sigma Pi, for academic achievements and continued interest in the profession, April 2006.
 * Florida International University Torch Award for Outstanding Faculty (presented by the FIU Alumni Association), 2004.