Dr. Gloria M. Pelaez currently serves as the Director of Accreditation for the School of Education. Born in Cuba and raised in Puerto Rico, she attended Bryn Mawr College and Penn State University; Dr. Pelaez holds a Master’s degree in TESOL from UM and a doctoral degree in Curriculum & Instruction from Florida Atlantic University.

Dr. Pelaez has had a long and varied career in education. She taught in the Miami-Dade County Public Schools for several years. She joins the University of Miami after serving as the Director of the School of Education at Miami Dade College. During her tenure at MDC she oversaw a wide range of programs including two pre-schools, baccalaureate, associate level degrees and certificate programs in education, and several grants. Dr. Pelaez was tenured faculty and TESOL Department Chair, at Barry University prior to her service at MDC. Professor Pelaez served as Coordinator of TESOL Programs and faculty at Florida Atlantic University where she developed the first Elementary Education with ESOL Endorsement in the State of Florida. Her curricular integration model continues to serves as a guide to colleges, universities and school districts across Florida.

Dr. Pelaez has extensive experience in program accreditation and curricular development activities. She serves as a member of the Technical Assistance Team for the Florida Department of Education in the area of Teacher Education Program Approval. She serves in several statewide committees and participates in both folio and site visit reviews for Florida’s peer reviewed teacher education program approval process. She holds a Professional Educator’s Certificate from the State of Florida in Elementary Education, and in TESOL K-12.

Pelaez’s diverse experience provides her with a unique perspective in teacher education that encompasses state universities, private universities, and community colleges that offer baccalaureate degrees in education.

Dr. Pelaez‘s areas of interests have included bilingual education, professional development of educational professionals, curricular integration, legislative and policy impact on teacher education, advocacy and multicultural education. Recent publications include Curricular Integration in Higher Education: Florida Leads the Way, in Govoni’s Perspectives on Teaching K-12 English Language Learners. She is a member of TESOL, the Florida Association for Bilingual Education, AACTE, ASCD, and the National Association of Community Colleges with Teacher Education Programs (NACTEP).

Dr. Gloria Pelaez is a member of the Executive Board of the Florida Association for Colleges of Teacher Education (FACTE) and chairs the Committee for Policy & Legislative Issues.