What started as a full-time job right out of college, at the University of Miami’s Budget Office, turned into a 37-year career for Humberto Speziani, associate vice president of business services. Speziani first stepped foot on campus as a first-year student in 1981 and earned a bachelor’s degree in finance from the Miami Herbert Business School four years later. At the time, his supervisor mentioned a full-time position in the department performing a job he had learned while working as a student assistant. “I took the job thinking I would be here for two years, max,” admitted Speziani, who went on to complete his MBA in 1996 while working at the University.
Various roles at the University’s Coral Gables and Medical campuses have provided Speziani with unique experiences. As an undergraduate student, he remembers watching the Hurricanes win their first national championship game at the Orange Bowl in 1984 against the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. Later that evening, he shared a chance elevator ride at the team hotel with coach Howard Schnellenberger and his wife before heading to campus to celebrate. “It was packed all along San Amaro Drive from Ponce de Leon to Miller Drive with people shoulder to shoulder, cheering the team and having a great time,” he said. “What an incredible memory.”
In 2004, Speziani was among the University employees who worked to accommodate spaces for the presidential debate on the Coral Gables Campus, an event that drew eyes from all over the world. Over the past three decades, he has been involved in numerous community initiatives, including hurricane preparation and recovery efforts. As South Florida awaited Hurricane Andrew in 1992, a number of University employees—including Speziani—assisted colleagues with boarding up their homes and later finding hotel accommodations when homes were destroyed. “The University is such a strong part of this community,” he said. “I really enjoy working here, but never in my wildest dreams would I have thought this is what I would be doing.”
Since the start of the pandemic, Speziani and his team have built strong relationships with colleagues across the University—particularly those in facilities, housing and residential life, health services, and information technology. Together, they’ve safely brought students and employees back to campus and implemented a process for testing and containing COVID-19 cases, relying heavily on the coordination efforts of all teams involved. “For me, being a ’Cane is about being resilient and always being there for each other,” he explained. “The moments that always stick out involve collaborating with other departments and being part of something bigger.”
It’s a family affair.
During the past 40 years, Speziani’s positive experiences as a student and an employee has inspired his family members to find their own opportunities to join the ’Canes community. The third of eight children—and the eldest boy—Speziani was born in Peru and moved with his family to Miami at age 11. “As a first-generation college graduate, our father always instilled in us that education is the most important thing,” he said. “Growing up, we always knew we were going to college; it was just a matter of which one.” All seven of his siblings earned college degrees and more than half attained advanced degrees. His brother Giancarlo Speziani, a physician, decided to pursue a specialization in cardiology at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. His brother Giuliano Speziani is currently a senior network architect with UMIT and his sister Teresa Siegwald spent several years in the ’90s at both the Medical and Coral Gables campuses working with the Facilities, Design and Construction team. “At one point five of us worked at the University in different roles,” he noted. “All my siblings, except my eldest and youngest sisters, have studied or worked at UM.”
Speziani said that he strongly believes in education for life and advises his interns and student assistants to not become satisfied with their degree. “We all have to stay relevant,” he said. “It’s important to go back and learn something new. There are new things out there, and we can’t work with the same toolbox forever.” After achieving his MBA, Speziani continued focusing on different concentrations, completing the Master Certificate Program in telecommunication management, the Harvard Management Development Program, and became a certified brown belt in Six Sigma quality management.
“I love learning and going to school,” Speziani said. “I'm still looking at which degree or field of study to pursue next.” Among his top choices, he’s looking into the master’s degree in leadership at the Miami Herbert Business School and the master’s degree in enrollment management offered by the School of Education and Human Development, which may lead to a doctorate in higher education.
A member of the Iron Arrow Honor Society, Speziani takes the most pride in seeing his three children enjoying their time at the University while getting a great education. His daughter Isabella began this fall, while sons Max and Matthias will walk across the commencement stage in May 2022 to receive a bachelor of arts in architecture and a Juris Doctor degree, respectively. This will be Matthias’ third degree from the University—he completed a B.Sc. in 2016 and a M.S.Ed. in 2018—but his affinity for the ’Canes began in his youth when he, along with his younger siblings, participated in Mini Canes camp, attended sporting events, and grew up surrounded by passion and love for the U.
“The University has provided [my children] with the right tools to do whatever they decide to pursue,” Speziani said. “Whichever path they decide to choose, they will get a very good education and a solid foundation.”
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