Roberto Santiago

Roberto Santiago is the communications manager for NSU’s Division of Public Relations, Marketing, and Creative Services. He is responsible for promoting, publicizing, and marketing NSU’s efforts around work force development, career readiness, and student education and experience.

Prior to NSU, Santiago spent nine years working at Florida Atlantic University’s Broward campuses in Davie, Fort Lauderdale, and Dania Beach, as its community engagement and communications officer.  He spent his last two years at FAU working as the communications officer for the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at FAU’s Boca Raton and Jupiter campuses.

Prior to FAU, Santiago was the Public Relations Manager at Miami City Ballet for several seasons, working directly with founding Artistic Director Edward Villella. He says the highlight of his experience was spending a month in Paris with the Company, securing European and United States national press coverage.

Santiago is a former newspaper and magazine journalist who worked as an editor and reporter for The Miami Herald, the New York Daily News, and The Plain Dealer in Cleveland. Among the highlights of his journalism career: Interviewing Cuban dictator Fidel Castro in Havana, covering 9/11 in New York City, and having the experience of breaking the sound barrier as a passenger flying with the Blue Angels in their F/A-18 Hornet.

A graduate of Oberlin College with a bachelor’s degree in history and creative writing, Santiago is the author of "Boricuas: Influential Puerto Rican Writings – An Anthology” (One World/Ballentine Books, 1995). Santiago has lectured about Puerto Rican and black Hispanic issues at colleges and universities around the nation, including Harvard, Princeton, Brown, Columbia, and Vassar College. Santiago has written for many national publications, including Rolling Stone, Essence, and People Magazine. 

Born and raised in Spanish Harlem in New York City, Santiago lives with his wife and dog in Plantation. He trains in Wing Chun kung fu, Muay Thai, boxing, and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. He and his wife enjoy the performing and visual arts, spending time at the beach, reading, writing, cooking, traveling, and playing with their dog.