Judge Tarlika Nunez-Navarro named law dean at St. Thomas University
Judge Tarlika Nunez-Navarro
Ninth Circuit Judge Tarlika Nunez-Navarro has been named dean of the St. Thomas University College of Law.
An alumna of the STU Law, Nunez-Navarro will begin her new role on August 7. Judge Nunez-Navarro currently presides in the Felony Criminal Division in Orange County. Judge Navarro is the first Colombian American to hold a circuit court seat on Florida’s Ninth and 17th circuits. In 2022, the Hispanic Bar Association of Central Florida awarded Judge Navarro its “Jurist of the Year” award.
“Judge Nunez-Navarro is an exceptional legal professional, and an extraordinary human being,” said St. Thomas University President David A. Armstrong. “Her leadership skills, commitment to transformative legal education, and dedication to our student population will surely be the hallmarks of her deanship. We are proud that one of our own will now be leading the college of law to new heights of excellence.”
The outgoing interim dean and professor emeritus, John Makdisi, is “thrilled that the college of law will be in the good hands of Judge Tarlika Nunez-Navarro as it continues to provide a superior legal education to its students and to build a sterling reputation in the legal community through its alumni.”
“I look forward to this next chapter with STU as we embark upon our mission to serve, uplift, and empower our next generation of lawyers to strive for excellence and accountability to our legal community and beyond,” Judge Nunez-Navarro said.
Prior to serving on the bench, Judge Navarro worked in private practice, specializing in criminal defense, and was also an assistant state attorney in Broward County, prosecuting crimes from first-degree misdemeanors to life felonies. She clerked for the 11th Judicial Circuit in Miami-Dade County’s Family and Domestic Violence Division. Judge Navarro received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Miami.
St. Thomas University Benjamin L. Crump College of Law offers extensive clinical, externship, and internship opportunities to further enhance students’ legal training. Along with the JD degree, the law school features a doctor of the science of law in intercultural human rights, and master’s programs in intercultural human rights, and cybersecurity law and policy.
