Joaklin Raphael currently serves as the Director of Development for the Ignite Faculty & Staff Giving Program and Special Initiatives at Florida International University (FIU). He serves on a team of committed professionals who helped FIU achieve its $750 million Next Horizon campaign goal.  He was recognized as one of South Florida’s top 40 Under 40 and, in 2019, received the CASE District III Inaugural Emerging Leader of the Year Award.  He has secured over a dozen CASE awards throughout his career, including a CASE Circle of Excellence Gold Award for Fundraising Programs: Targeted Campaigns, a CASE Circle of Excellence Bronze Award for Annual Giving Programs, and many other CASE District III awards. 

Mr. Raphael has been instrumental in developing scholarships and endowments to help students overcome financial barriers to attending college and reach their full potential.   Mr. Raphael is committed to giving back to students and values the payoff of investing his time in an educational institution that prepares students for upcoming challenges. He helps them appreciate their self-worth, potential, and bright futures. He has had countless opportunities to share hard truths about life, about what he has seen firsthand, and what he has been through, including homelessness. He uses his personal experiences to reduce fear where it is present and instill hope where there is desperation.  Believing that education and self-awareness are keys to success, he wants youth to know that giving up is never an option!