Ralph Aiello currently serves as Associate Vice President at Broward College, leading the Broward UP Promise Neighborhoods federal grant. This cradle-to-career, multi-generational initiative is modeled after the Harlem Children’s Zone and supports families, communities, agencies, municipalities, and educational institutions to become asset-focused co-producers of solutions within their neighborhoods. This $30M grant addresses critical needs for kindergarten readiness, K-12 success, postsecondary transitions, workforce development, and community engagement.
Previously, Ralph was the Director of School Counseling & BRACE Advisement at Broward County Public Schools, leading over 600 counselors and advisors at 241 schools serving more than 260,000 students. Ralph led critical district programs, including but not limited to, academic advisement, college & career readiness (CCR), social/emotional learning, mindfulness, enrollment and withdrawal, home education, and foreign exchange. Most reverently, he was also one of the leaders in the recovery efforts at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. He successfully grew his team from five to 45 staff through various local, state and federal grants and funding. Together, Ralph and his team created numerous legacy programs, such as founding a local college access network, a student ambassador program that helps peers with CCR activities, and establishing professional learning communities for district CCR leaders at the state and national level.
Ralph’s efforts have delivered incredible results, such as generating over $1B in scholarships, increasing FAFSA completion rates by over 15%, and increasing graduation rates to record highs. As a result, Ralph’s innovation and success has been recognized time and again by organizations, such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, National College Attainment Network, Florida College Access Network, Florida School Counselor Association, Consortium of Florida Education Foundations, and he was also inducted into the Broward Education Hall of Fame in 2019.
Expertise
- College and career readiness
- College counseling and advising
- Community engagement
Education
- Bachelor’s Degree of Science – University of Florida
- Master’s in Education – University of Florida
- Specialist in School Counseling & Certification in Education Leadership – University of Florida
