FIU Foundation announces new board leadership and member

Florida International University has appointed four prominent South Florida leaders and FIU alumni to serve as officers on the FIU Foundation Board of Directors: Humberto “Burt” Cabañas, Adalio T. Sanchez, Andre L. Teixeira and Jill M. Granat.
 
“We are grateful and excited to have these exceptional individuals lead our Foundation Board of Directors,” said Howard R. Lipman, CEO of the FIU Foundation, Inc. and senior vice president for University Advancement. “The FIU Foundation plays a key role in our university’s ability to provide the finest teaching, cutting-edge research, and service to our local and global communities. As we enter into the final phase of the Next Horizon campaign, these leaders will support the continued growth of our dynamic university.”
 
The officers and their positions are as follows:

Humberto “Burt” Cabañas has been named chairperson, having been elected as a board member in 2014 and serving as vice chairperson since 2017. Cabañas is the founder and chairman of Benchmark, a leading U.S.-based hospitality management company and recognized global leader in the management and marketing of resorts, hotels and conference centers. Cabañas graduated from FIU in 1976 with a bachelor’s degree in hotel and restaurant management, and has served as chairman of the Industry Advisory Board for the Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management at FIU. He has also received the Torch Award from the Alumni Association and the FIU Medallion Alumnus Award.

Adalio T. Sanchez has been named vice chairperson, having been elected as a board member in 2010. Sanchez is a 34-year technology industry veteran with a  track record of transforming and growing many complex multi-billion dollar global businesses. As president of S Group Advisory LLC, he and his firm provide clients management consulting services and expertise around technology and business strategy, operational excellence, and business transformation. He also serves on the board of directors of ACI Worldwide, a software company in the electronic payments space. Sanchez earned a master’s degree in business from FIU in 1987.

Andre L. Teixeira will continue as treasurer, having been elected as a board member in 2015. Teixeira is executive vice president and chief financial officer of The Graham Companies, a privately owned, real estate company best known for the development of Miami Lakes. Before joining The Graham Companies in 2002, he held various senior positions at Mars, Pepsi-Cola and Ernst & Young. He was also a co-founder of a technology company providing enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems as a service in 2000. Teixeira earned a bachelor’s degree from FIU in 1992 and a master’s degree the following year in 1993, both in accounting.

Jill M. Granat will continue as secretary, having been elected as a board member in 2013. Granat is general counsel, corporate secretary and chief compliance officer for Restaurant Brands International. In her role, Granat is responsible for Burger King Corporation’s (BKC) global legal and corporate governance affairs as well as managing the company’s worldwide ethics and compliance program. Granat also serves as president of the BURGER KING McLamore Foundation, which is the charitable arm of the BURGER KING system. Granat earned a bachelor’s degree in hospitality management from FIU in 1987.

In addition, the FIU Foundation Board of Directors welcomed its newest member, Francis A. Hondal. Hondal is president of Loyalty and Engagement Services at Mastercard, and a member of the company’s management committee. A first-generation Cuban-American, she has been named to Fortune’s Top 50 Most Powerful Latina Women in corporate America, ranking 19^th in 2018 and 15^th in 2017. She serves as a board member of FIU’s Chapman Graduate School of Business and was inducted to the College of Business Administration Hall of Fame in 2015, receiving the Global Leadership Award. In 2013, she received the International Business Woman of the Year Award by the Organization of Women in International Trade. Hondal earned a bachelor’s degree in finance in 1987 and a master’s degree in business administration in 1994, both from FIU.