Karelia Martinez Carbonell

Karelia Martinez Carbonell holds a Doctorate in Public Administration with a concentration on non-profit management. For her, it is a privilege to serve her community. She is civic-minded and gives back as much as possible. Karelia has served on numerous nonprofit boards in Coral Gables. And since 2013, she has served as president of the Historic Preservation Association of Coral Gables (HPACG) where she leads the organization’s mission of promoting the understanding and importance of historic resources and their preservation. Initially seeing herself as an accidental preservationist, her passion has grown into an ardent voice for preservation. Karelia embraces the calling. The journey from accidental preservationist to ardent advocate has had its share of challenges and celebrations, setbacks and breakthroughs, opposition, and accomplishments. And she accepts it all. Preserving heritage matters. It's personal.