Eduardo José Padrón (born June 26, 1944)[1] is President Emeritus of Miami Dade College (MDC).

Upon arrival, Padrón did not speak English and struggled in a school system that did not yet include bilingual education programs.

He attended graduate school at the University of Florida, completing master's and doctoral degrees in economics.

[4] When Padrón finished his education, he was about to accept a job offer at DuPont, but he was still connected to his old professors at MDC.

The school enrolls and graduates more black and Hispanic students than any other institute of higher education in the nation.

This practice, which has been undertaken by a number of Florida public officials, has been criticized by local media sources as "double dipping".

In 2021, Padrón received from the UC Berkeley Academic Senate the Clark Kerr Award for distinguished leadership in higher education.