
Fernando Zulueta is the founder and president of Academica, one of the nation's largest and most successful charter school service and support organizations. Academica serves 200 public charter schools in eight states. During the past 20 years, Mr. Zulueta has helped establish numerous high performing charter schools that serve disadvantaged students and that have been recognized on local, state, and national levels for their achievements. US News & World Report and Newsweek list Mater Academy High School, International Studies High School, Somerset High School, and Doral Academy High School among the nation's best high schools. Somerset Academy was the first charter school network in America to receive system-wide accreditation by the Southern Association of Colleges & Schools. Somerset, Mater, Doral, and International Studies charter schools have received multiple National Blue Ribbon Awards, and Mater Academy Middle/High has been designated a "Breakthrough School" by the National Association of Secondary School Principals. Stanford University's Center for Research on Education Outcomes (CREDO) has identified the school networks served by Academica as among the highest achieving in America — especially among low income and minority students. Fernando graduated Summa Cum Laude and first in his class with a major in Public Accounting at the University of Miami School of Business and was a Reid Scholar at the University of Miami School of Law, where he served on Law Review and from which he graduated with Honors. He has received numerous awards for his work with charter schools including the "Cervantes Award" sponsored by Nova Southeastern University for his contributions toward excellence in the education of Hispanic students.
Fernando ZuluetaFounder