At last count, the University of Miami has nearly 200,000 living alumni, plus thousands more families whose children or siblings currently attend or recently graduated.
Maribel Perez Wadsworth, B.S.C. ’93, wants to connect as many as possible with each other and with the University.
Since becoming president of the University of Miami Alumni Association Board of Directors on June 1, Perez Wadsworth and her fellow board members have advanced an ambitious plan to galvanize alumni engagement and ensure a robust volunteer pipeline.
“We are intensely focused on strengthening the ’Canes Communities,” Perez Wadsworth said. “And we are really leaning into the idea of collaboration—between the alumni board, Young Alumni Leadership Council, President’s Council, and regional ’Canes Communities—and between the alumni association and the University. As we plan events and initiatives, we want to coordinate efforts so that ’Canes spirit really comes alive across all alumni communities,” she continued.
Engaging and retaining alumni donors is high on Perez Wadsworth’s to-do list. “There is no clearer expression of alumni engagement than giving back, and I love to encourage people who have not been involved. There are so many reasons now why alumni are more likely to support the U,” she explained.
She cited as examples the University’s cutting-edge research, its recent entry into the Association of American Universities, and the success of the Hurricane men’s and women’s basketball teams earlier this year.
A Miami native, Perez Wadsworth looks back with gratitude on the different ways the University has enriched her own life. She met her husband, Christopher Wadsworth, M.A. ’94, in class at the School of Communication, and one of their sons is a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences.
Perez Wadsworth also found her professional footing at the U. As a fledgling journalist, she got her first experience as a student reporter for The Miami Hurricane and laid the foundations for a distinguished career in the news business—she most recently served as publisher of USA TODAY and president of Gannett Media—and equally important avocations as volunteer and mentor.
In addition to her current role as alumni board president, Perez Wadsworth is a member of the University’s Board of Trustees and chairs the Dean’s Advisory Committee for the School of Communication. She also chairs the News/Media Alliance, serves as president of the International News Media Association, and sits on the boards of the Associated Press, Pew Research Center, and Skillshare.
In her volunteer roles, as in her professional life, Perez Wadsworth is a passionate advocate for organizational diversity, citing the large and growing body of evidence that shows diversity is a key driver of organizational success. She also champions empathetic leadership that actively promotes work/life balance and mentoring of younger colleagues.
“I was often the ‘only’ in the room—only woman, only Latina, only young person—and with that came the responsibility to identify, support, include, and encourage the next person in line,” she said. “The humility to know what you don’t know is really important, but it’s also important to bring your own experiences to the table, ask questions, and challenge the status quo.”
Perez Wadsworth and her family live in northern Virginia, but she frequently travels to Coral Gables to attend University events and reconnect with campus life. She particularly looks forward to the annual Alumni Weekend and Homecoming and the enduring traditions that animate Hurricane pride.
“So much of my life and some of my greatest relationships started out at the U,” Perez Wadsworth reflected. “Walking on campus always puts a smile on my face.”
