Sandra Gonzalez-Levy, Senior Vice President for External Relations, Florida International University
Sandra Gonzalez-Levy exemplifies what it means to be a leader and a PR powerhouse. As the only woman among five senior vice presidents at Florida International University (FIU), she has helped FIU obtain national recognition while cementing the university’s position as a regional anchor institution. As senior vice president of External Relations, Sandra manages internal and external communications, marketing, web communications, media relations, pubic relations, special events and community relations.
Sandra spearheaded a campaign to establish FIU’s nationally recognized Latin American and Caribbean Institute (LACC) and Cuban Research Institute (CRI) as the premier authorities in their respective areas. The campaign aimed to position faculty within those centers as top national media sources. In a one-year span, FIU increased coverage of both centers by 99 percent. In addition, FIU secured six op-ed pieces for LACC and CRI faculty members and a feature piece in the Chronicle of Higher Education.