The Honorable Tarlika Nunez-Navarro is Dean and Professor of Law at St. Thomas University College of Law. Under her leadership, the school has significantly elevated its profile and rankings in legal academia by achieving record enrollment, attaining the highest July bar passage rate in its history, and rising 13 points in the U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Schools” rankings.

Dean Navarro brings an esteemed background to her role. Appointed to the bench by both Senator Rick Scott and Governor Ron DeSantis, she made history as the first Colombian American to serve on the Circuit Court bench in Florida’s Ninth and Seventeenth Judicial Circuits. While serving on the judiciary, Dean Navarro was an adjunct professor at FAMU’s School of Law, teaching Advanced Trial Litigation, and conducted Lawyer Well-Being workshops at St. Thomas University College of Law.

Prior to her judicial career, Dean Navarro practiced law in the private sector, specializing in criminal defense, and served as an Assistant State Attorney in Broward County.

Throughout her distinguished career, Dean Navarro has received numerous awards and recognitions, including the Hispanic Bar Association of Central Florida’s Jurist of the Year award and the Broward County Hispanic Bar Association’s Jurist of the Month award. She was designated as a Champion for her work in the Seventeenth Judicial Circuit Drug Court program. Since becoming the dean of the College of Law, Dean Navarro has been honored as a Hispanic Women of Distinction by the Latina Style Magazine, recognized in Marquis Who’s Who in America for excellence in legal services and education, and named one of the Most Inspiring Leaders in the Educational Sector to Follow in 2025. She serves on the Florida Bar’s Mental Health & Wellness of Florida Lawyers Committee and was recently appointed as a trustee of the Florida Supreme Court Historical Society.

Dean Navarro holds the distinction of being the first alumni to serve as the Dean of St. Thomas University College of Law. She is part of a distinguished group of the College of Law’s graduates, which forms the largest cohort of female Hispanic judges in the nation.