Born in Cuba, Miguel “Mike” B. Fernandez came to United States as a “penniless 12-year-old immigrant” after his family fled Castro’s regime. “The joy of helping others, that comes from my parents,” he reflects. “It’s another one of the cultural values they instilled in me. We didn’t have much growing up, but they were always giving to others, even if it was just their time.” Fernandez attended the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque but never graduated because he was drafted during the Vietnam War. After serving as a United States Army paratrooper for three years, he began working as a door-to-door salesman. For Fernandez, a key characteristic of a leader is “having an entrepreneurial attitude” — and he practiced what he preached. Eventually, he would be the founder and/or majority shareholder of over 20 health care–related companies. With over 40 years of experience in the health-care industry in the areas of operations, health insurance programs, managed-care solutions, business development, and investments, Fernandez currently serves as chairman of MBF Healthcare Partners, a middle market investment group that builds growth-oriented healthcare companies.
Fernandez is also a notable philanthropist, having donated more than $125 million to various charitable causes over the years. “My parents taught me,” he explains, “to ‘take care of those who come after you’ and I’ve taken that important lesson to heart.” In addition to his philanthropic work, Fernandez is also a vocal advocate for immigrants and the cofounder of the American Business Immigration Coalition. In a recent op-ed for the Miami Herald, he urged leaders to “see the immigrants not as a challenge, but as an opportunity to strengthen our economy. Throughout the world, there are crises of war, crime, economic collapse and natural disaster driving people from their homes in search of safety and survival. Their quest for peace and prosperity leads them to our unique American Dream. As we have done throughout our history, America should welcome this current wave of immigrants and seize this moment while we have the chance.”
