Title: 1.) Associate Professor; 2.) Co-owner, Vice President, and General Manager of Operations
Company: 1.) Miami Dade College; 2.) Mental Health of Miami Inc.
Location: Miami, Florida, United States
Michael Castro, DBA, associate professor at Miami Dade College, and vice president, general manager of operations, and co-owner of Mental Health of Miami Inc., has been recognized by Marquis Who’s Who Top Executives for dedication, achievements, and leadership in education.
Dr. Castro, a leader in education, has been teaching courses as an associate professor at Miami Dade College since 2016. He is also an adjunct professor at several other institutions, including Johnson & Wales University in Miami, Florida, Herzing University in Tampa, Florida, MIU City University in Miami and Florida National University in Miami. Dr. Castro teaches various undergraduate-level courses and is involved in supervision and management programs.
Besides his active teaching roles, Dr. Castro is the co-owner of Mental Health of Miami Inc., where he has also served as vice president and general manager of operations since 2017. Founded by his wife, Yahaira Castro, PhD, a licensed mental health counselor, the mental health therapy company initially offered behavioral health and testing for children, among other services. However, she and Dr. Castro recently pivoted by focusing solely on mental health therapy for children, individuals and families. After operating out of a local office for over five years, they switched to a fully virtual model. Mental Health of Miami Inc. employs therapists licensed by the state of Florida, practicum students who have graduated from Nova Southeastern University, Florida International University and Albizu University, and interns.
Dr. Castro began his career in health care as a customer relations manager at UnitedHealth Group in 2010. In 2014, he was recruited by Preferred Medical Plan Inc. as the director of Medicaid operations, where he remained until 2016, when he transitioned into higher education.
Dr. Castro graduated from Miami Senior High School in 2005. Subsequently, he received a Bachelor of Business Administration in 2010 and a Master of Business Administration in 2012 from Albizu University’s Miami campus. In 2015, he garnered a doctorate in business administration in management and leadership at Argosy University. In light of his educational success, Dr. Castro was named the MBA Student of the Year at Albizu University in 2012.
In addition to his formal education, Dr. Castro received professional designations, including several Florida childcare professional credentials, a nonviolent crisis intervention certification, a Bloomberg market concepts designation, and an ICD-10 coding certification through the American Health Information Management Association.
Beyond his work-related endeavors, Dr. Castro has garnered satisfaction through volunteer work within his community. He has also generously donated to Miami Dade College and Sentera College to support various initiatives on campus.
As a seasoned scholar, Dr. Castro has contributed articles to various professional journals, such as the Global Journal of Management and Business Research, discussing health care plans, Medicare beneficiaries and other topics since 2016. His most recent article is “Properly Managing Generation Z” in the Global Journal of Management and Business Research Volume 24, Issue 5, 2024.
Throughout his career, Dr. Castro has garnered tremendous success, much of which he attributes to his parents, who immigrated to the U.S. in the 1980s for better opportunities. Looking toward the future, he intends to continue impacting his field. He also wants to become involved in real estate by purchasing a shopping plaza where he can rent units out to various business owners. Dr. Castro aims to assist these businesses by providing free consultations on growing and sustaining their operations rather than charging a fee.
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