Administrative Team

Executive Director Industry Partnerships& Career Readiness
Dr. Pacheco serves as Executive Director, Integrated Industry Partnerships and Career Readiness at Florida International University (FIU). At FIU, she leads the Career and Talent Development and the Center for Testing and Career Certification teams. In her role, Dr. Pacheco collaborates across the university to cultivate and support FIU’s Career-Readiness Ecosystem.
Dr. Pacheco’s purpose and passion are anchored in higher education. She has served for over 20 years in leadership roles overseeing workforce programs, professional education programs, student affairs and services, financial aid, business office, and informational technology. Her educational background includes a Ph.D. and Master’s in Higher Education Leadership from Florida Atlantic University and a Master’s in Public Administration and a Bachelor’s in Management Information Systems from Florida International University. Her research and teaching interests include higher education access, completion, career readiness, and leadership topics.
Prior to FIU, Dr. Pacheco was the Director of Continuing Education at Barry University (BU) and taught undergraduate and graduate courses for the Adrian Dominican School of Education and the Public Administration Program within the Andreas School of Business. Before BU, Dr. Pacheco served as Regional Director and Dean of Finance and Administration for DeVry University, Associate Dean of Learning Resources at Miami Dade College, Wolfson Campus, and Executive Director at FIU’s Bay Vista Campus. As a volunteer, she has served on several boards, including ASPIRA, His House Children’s Home, and IT Women, and she served as a Women of Tomorrow (WOT) Mentor. Most recently, Dr. Pacheco was recognized for her volunteer efforts with the Passionate Leadership Award (2019) by The Florida Association of Nonprofits. As part of her professional and volunteer work, Dr. Pacheco strives to make a difference in the lives and institutions she touches.
Top 5 Strengths
Input, Connectedness, Strategic, Ideation, Learner
Program Director, Biscayne Bay Office
Program Director, Employer Engagement
As the Program Director for Employer Engagement and Support with Career and Talent Development (CTD), Efigenia supports employer partners in recruiting Florida International University (FIU) students and alumni. She provides leadership for career fairs and all employer events, support companies with internship programs and recruiting full-time positions. Prior to joining CTD at FIU, Efigenia worked for the American Red Cross supporting the Hurricane Recovery Program.
Efigenia grew up in the Bronx, NY where she attended high school. She went on to attend SUNY at Stony Brook University, where she earned Bachelor of Science in Social Work. She continued her education and received her master’s degree from the New School University, Milano School of Management and Urban Policy. Efigenia is also certified practitioner for MBTI, STRONG, and Gallup Strength Coach.
In her spare time Efigenia loves to read, go to the beach, and travel.
Top 5 Strengths
Learner, Focus, Realtor, Deliberative, Analytical
Director, Career Development and Integrated Partnerships
As Director, Career Development and Integrated Partnerships, Yisell oversees development and implementation of career readiness programming and resources to support the career development of all students and recent alumni across the university. Yisell joined our team almost 18 years ago and is a proud two-time FIU Alum with a bachelor’s in psychology and Women’s Studies, as well as a master’s in psychology with a specialization in Mental Health Counseling. Yisell is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor in the State of Florida and Adjunct Faculty in the Department of Psychology at both FIU and Miami Dade College. Complementary experiences in Counseling and Education are integrated in her philosophy and approach to service delivery. She is a Certified Strengths Coach and holds a certification for the Myers Briggs Type Indicator and STRONG Interest Inventory.
Yisell is a first-generation college student who is passionate about education and its power to support advancement and career fulfillment. She collaborates across units to develop programming and engage students looking to explore, clarify or launch their careers. Her work over the years has focused on creating and integrating tools and resources to support students in their journey to a successful career.
Top 5 Strengths
Context, Futuristic, Intellection, Ideation, Strategic
Associate Director of Career Services, College of Engineering & Computing
As the Associate Director of Career Services for Career and Talent Development in the College of Engineering and Computing, Nelly Leon leads the career office in the College of Engineering and Computing with career advising, employer engagement, career readiness programming and fostering relationships with FIU and community stakeholders. Before joining the FIU Career and Talent Development Team with the College of Engineering and Computing, she worked at the Steven J. Green School of International and Public Affairs for 7 years as a Career Specialist. She currently serves as the Membership Engagement Director for the Florida Association of Colleges and Employers.
Nelly has a passion for providing career coaching to students and alumni, facilitating professional development workshops on all career related topics and collaborates with campus and community partners to deliver career readiness programming. Her passion also included training and development and leading her team to provide the best service for FIU students and employers.
Nelly loves to garden, travel, exercise and to hang out with my family, friends, three cats and her cockatiel bird!
Top 5 Strengths
Relator, Arranger, Discipline, Includer, Responsibility
Associate Director, Career Readiness, Integrated Partnership & Experiential Learning
John Sotham is a retired Air Force colonel with 30 years of active and reserve service primarily in aircraft maintenance, security forces/air base defense, and manpower and personnel. His assignments included two squadron command tours—one Stateside and one while deployed to Afghanistan. He was a student and instructor at Air Command and Staff College, where he studied national security, joint planning and military leadership. He next served at U.S. Southern Command as a political-military affairs officer, as the detachment commander in charge of Air Force Reserve personnel, and as chief of the manpower and organization division, where he was involved in coordinating joint and interagency personnel augmentation during SOUTHCOM’s whole-of-government response to the devastating 2010 earthquake in Haiti.
He is a former associate editor of Air & Space Smithsonian, where he was the researcher and aerospace technical editor for special edition posters and was the magazine’s book reviews editor. He traveled nationally and internationally for Air & Space—some of his favorite assignments included reporting from Moscow and the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on the Soyuz launch that carried the first crew to the International Space Station, an extended tour of England and Scotland writing about obscure airports and aviation museums, and flying with the U.S. Coast Guard’s International Ice Patrol to the wreck site of the RMS Titanic to conduct a burial at sea of one of the ship’s last survivors. Mr. Sotham is an adjunct instructor in the Lee Caplin School of Communication and Journalism within FIU College of Architecture and the Arts and currently services as an Associate Director within the university’s Career and Talent Development office.
Top 5 Strengths
Context, Learner, Relator, Intellection, Input
Manager of Administrative Services
Office Specialist
Administrative Coordinator
DeCarlo Serrano serves as Administrative Coordinator, Career and Talent Development at Florida International University (FIU). His educational background includes a master’s in business from Full Sail University and a bachelor’s in communication from Florida International University. Prior to FIU, DeCarlo Serrano was an entrepreneur passionate about building successful teams and systems.
Top 5 Strengths
Competition, Achiever, Activator, Ideation, Focus