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Marcell Felipe

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Marcell Felipe is a Cuban American attorney and businessman, and chairman of the American Museum of the Cuban Diaspora. Felipe founded the Inspire America Foundation, an organization that promotes democracy in Cuba and the Americas.[1] He also founded the Initiative for Democratic and Economic Alternatives for Cuba, a project of Inspire America, and co-founded América CV (which owns América TeVé, a Miami, Florida-based media group).[2][3][4] Felipe has been described as the “conscience” of the Cuban American community.[5]

In 2018, Felipe was elected board chair of the American Museum of the Cuban Diaspora, and re-elected in 2019.[6][7] He also serves as a member of the board of trustees at Miami Dade College, which Felipe pushed to cancel its China-financed Confucius Institute in 2019.[8][9][10]

Education and career

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Felipe graduated from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law.[11][12] Felipe is an international tax and corporate lawyer, and a member of the Florida Bar.[13][14] He founded Marcell Felipe Attorneys in 2002, advising government and industry leaders on legal issues.[15]

American Museum of the Cuban Diaspora

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Felipe serves as chairman of the American Museum of the Cuban Diaspora (also known as “The Cuban”), having been elected as board chair in 2018 and re-elected in 2019.[16][17] At the time of his election, the museum faced a financial crisis.[18] In 2019, he announced the firing of the museum's director, Ileana Fuentes, and her daughter, Carisa Perez-Fuentes, who served as head of communications and design, after a split in leadership of the museum.[19] Felipe accused Fuentes and her daughter of “kidnapping” the museum from the board of directors and mismanaging the institution.[20]

Under Felipe’s leadership, the museum was reorganized primarily as a history institution.[21] He designed The Cuban's permanent exhibit, "The Cuban Experience," based on his time as a student at Florida International University, where he worked with former Cuban political prisoners at La Casa del Preso in Miami.[22] A critic of communism in Cuba, Felipe claims the museum is “an icon of freedom."[23][24]

Miami Dade College

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Felipe serves as a member of the board of trustees at Miami Dade College, where his input in the 2019 presidential search process ultimately led to the appointment of Madeline Pumariega in 2020.[25][26][27] At his request, the college also canceled its China-financed Confucius Institute in 2019.[28]

Felipe also pushed for the historic preservation of Miami’s iconic Freedom Tower, with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis eventually granting $25 million for critical renovations to the building in November 2021.[29][30]

References

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  1. ^ Tavel, Jimena. "DeSantis taps two trustees to stay at Miami Dade College". The Miami Herald.
  2. ^ "Ad injects partisan politics into Miami-Dade superintendent selection". WLRN. 2022-01-21. Retrieved 2024-10-29.
  3. ^ "China's Cuba spy base signals the need to discard US failed policy of containment". The Miami Herald.
  4. ^ "The Castros Still Run Cuba". The Wall Street Journal. April 18, 2021.
  5. ^ "Cuba hard-liners on opposite sides of likely future Florida House speaker's primary". The Miami Herald. July 13, 2020.
  6. ^ Cohen, Howard. "The fight for control of Miami's Cuban museum ends with a familiar face in charge". The Miami Herald.
  7. ^ Shapiro, Jeffrey Scott. "Recreating the terror of Castro's 1959 Cuban Revolution". The Washington Times.
  8. ^ "Marcell Felipe | About MDC | Miami Dade College". www.mdc.edu. Retrieved 2024-10-29.
  9. ^ Nicol, Ryan (2019-03-21). "Ron DeSantis appoints five to Miami Dade College Board of Trustees". Florida Politics. Retrieved 2024-10-29.
  10. ^ Bolies, Corbin (2019-08-27). "Padrón Opts To Not Stay As MDC President; Last Day Will Be Friday". The Reporter: The Student Newspaper at Miami Dade College. Retrieved 2024-10-29.
  11. ^ "Marcell Felipe | About MDC | Miami Dade College". www.mdc.edu. Retrieved 2024-10-29.
  12. ^ "Governor Ron DeSantis Reappoints Two to the Miami Dade College District Board of Trustees". Retrieved 2024-10-29.
  13. ^ Perez, Heidi (2019-04-24). "MDC Welcomes New Members To District Board Of Trustees". The Reporter: The Student Newspaper at Miami Dade College. Retrieved 2024-10-29.
  14. ^ "Marcell Felipe | About MDC | Miami Dade College". www.mdc.edu. Retrieved 2024-10-29.
  15. ^ Perez, Heidi (2019-04-24). "MDC Welcomes New Members To District Board Of Trustees". The Reporter: The Student Newspaper at Miami Dade College. Retrieved 2024-10-29.
  16. ^ Tavel, Jimena. "DeSantis taps two trustees to stay at Miami Dade College". The Miami Herald.
  17. ^ Cohen, Howard. "The fight for control of Miami's Cuban museum ends with a familiar face in charge". The Miami Herald.
  18. ^ AmericaTeVe Miami (2017-09-27). Museo Americano de la Diáspora Cubana enfrenta una crisis financiera - América TeVé. Retrieved 2025-03-19 – via YouTube.
  19. ^ "Miami's Cuban museum got $10 million in public money. It's now embroiled in a nasty spat". The Miami Herald.
  20. ^ "As rivals brawl over Miami's Cuban museum, a new director is named, a lawsuit filed". The Miami Herald.
  21. ^ Vassolo, Martin (2024-12-10). "Cuban history museum opens new exhibit". Axios. Retrieved 2025-03-19.
  22. ^ "'An act of justice': Interactive Cuba exhibit shows the stories of Castro regime's victims". WLRN. 2024-12-19. Retrieved 2025-02-06.
  23. ^ Polumbo, Brad. "Exclusive: Cuban Activist Explains What's Really Motivating the Cuban People's Uprising". Foundation for Economic Education.
  24. ^ Cohen, Howard. "The fight for control of Miami's Cuban museum ends with a familiar face in charge". The Miami Herald.
  25. ^ Staff, The Reporter (2019-07-25). "Presidential Search Rebooted, Decision Angers Community". The Reporter: The Student Newspaper at Miami Dade College. Retrieved 2025-03-19.
  26. ^ "Miami Dade faculty sue to take back college presidency | American Federation of Teachers". www.aft.org. 2019-08-14. Retrieved 2025-03-19.
  27. ^ Riera, Gabriel (2020-11-18). "Madeline Pumariega Named New MDC President". MDC News. Retrieved 2025-03-19.
  28. ^ Atterbury, Andrew (2019-09-06). "Miami Dade College is shutting down its Confucius Institute". POLITICO. Retrieved 2025-03-19.
  29. ^ "Miami Dade College's Board Grapples With Transparency In Search To Find New President". WLRN. 2019-12-18. Retrieved 2025-03-19.
  30. ^ "Governor Ron DeSantis Pledges $25M to Miami Dade College to Renovate National Historic Landmark Freedom Tower". MDC News. Retrieved 2025-03-19.
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