Manuel Medina 74' Honored as 2020 AACSB Influential Leader

Fifth annual initiative recognizes 25 business school graduates creating lasting impact in the world.

Boca Raton, FL (January 28, 2020) – The Florida Atlantic University College of Business announces that alum Manuel Medina is one of 25 business school graduates honored by AACSB International (AACSB) – the world’s largest business education alliance – as the 2020 Class of Influential Leaders. The annual challenge recognizes notable alumni from AACSB-accredited schools whose inspiring work serves as a model for the next generation of business leaders.

Manuel “Manny” Medina currently serves as CEO of Cyxtera Technologies and the Medina Family Foundation. An immigrant to the United States, Medina worked several jobs while earning his bachelor’s degree in accounting from the FAU College of Business in 1974. After graduating, he accepted an auditing role with Price Waterhouse Cooper (PwC) – a move that would ultimately spark his interest in entrepreneurship as Medina observed and learned from the company’s talented executives.

Called by many, “South Florida’s Tech Mogul,” Medina is lauded for helping energize the tri-county area’s tech industry. In the 1980’s, he founded Miami-based Terremark Worldwide – a rapidly growing IT infrastructure business that was later acquired by Verizon in 2011 for 1.4 billion USD. His latest venture, Cyxtera Technologies, specializes in data integrity, cybersecurity, and secure data analytics capabilities.

Charitably impacting the community has been another focus of Medina’s efforts. His nonprofit, Technology Foundation of the Americas, was created to enhance the local tech/entrepreneur ecosystem. The foundation’s first project – eMerge Americas – is an annual, global technology initiative that brings together a diverse group of constituents to analyze and discuss technology’s impact on industry. eMerge also helps establish South Florida as the technology hub of the Americas. In addition to the success of eMerge Americas, the Medina Family Foundation has generously supported education in South Florida, having provided a 1 million USD multiyear commitment to the SEED School of Miami, a charter boarding school for at-risk children. The foundation also supports non-profits in areas such as ocean and environmental conservation and the human-rights struggles of young Cubans and other immigrants.

“It is our privilege to amplify the stories of business school graduates like Manuel Medina who are serving as a force for good in the world,” said Tom Robinson, AACSB president and CEO. “Florida Atlantic University prepares its graduates to lead with enthusiasm and dedication and Manuel Medina’s inspirational achievements are to be celebrated.”

Now in its fifth year, the Influential Leaders challenge has recognized more than 200 business school graduates for creating lasting impact in business and society. All honorees have earned an undergraduate, graduate, or doctoral degree from one of the more than 850 AACSB-accredited business schools worldwide. For more information on the Influential Leaders challenge, and to view a full list of honorees, visit aacsb.edu/influential-leaders.

About AACSB International:
Established in 1916, AACSB International (AACSB) is the world’s largest business education alliance, connecting educators, learners, and business to create the next generation of great leaders. With a presence in more than 100 countries and territories, AACSB fosters engagement, accelerates innovation, and amplifies impact in business education. Learn how AACSB is transforming business education for a better society at aacsb.edu.

- FAU -

About Florida Atlantic University:
Florida Atlantic University, established in 1961, officially opened its doors in 1964 as the fifth public university in Florida. Today, the University, with an annual economic impact of $6.3 billion, serves more than 30,000 undergraduate and graduate students at sites throughout its six-county service region in southeast Florida. FAU’s world-class teaching and research faculty serves students through 10 colleges: the Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, the College of Business, the College for Design and Social Inquiry, the College of Education, the College of Engineering and Computer Science, the Graduate College, the Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College, the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine, the Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing and the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science. FAU is ranked as a High Research Activity institution by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. The University is placing special focus on the rapid development of critical areas that form the basis of its strategic plan: Healthy aging, biotech, coastal and marine issues, neuroscience, regenerative medicine, informatics, lifespan and the environment. These areas provide opportunities for faculty and students to build upon FAU’s existing strengths in research and scholarship. For more information, visit www.fau.edu.