Karla Hernández-Mats

Karla Hernández-Mats is the past president of United Teachers of Dade, the largest teachers union in the southeastern United States. She served as UTD president for nine years, from 2016 to 2025, during which time she championed public education and led efforts that resulted in the successful passage of two countywide referendums to increase teacher pay, marking the largest pay increases in the history of Miami-Dade County Public Schools.

In 2022, Hernández-Mats was selected by the Democratic Party and asked to run as the lieutenant governor of Florida as the Democratic nominee.

Before her presidency, Hernández-Mats served as UTD’s secretary/treasurer from 2013 to 2016. She has been nationally recognized for her leadership, including being honored by Miami Today’s Achiever Series in 2019 for advancing public education throughout Miami-Dade.

She has been active on numerous boards, including the Florida Education Association Governance Board and Executive Cabinet, the United Way Board of Miami, the Florida AFL-CIO’s executive board, the Children’s Trust’s executive board and the Education Fund’s executive board. She is also the chairperson of the AFT’s Women’s Rights Committee.

A respected voice for public education, Hernández-Mats frequently addresses national groups on the challenges educators face and is an advocate for immigration reform and children’s rights. She has presented for organizations such as the AFT, the National Education Association, the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement, the Miami Women’s March and the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s Annual Legislative Conference.

Born and raised in Miami, Hernández-Mats is a first-generation American of Honduran descent and the first Hispanic officer elected to lead United Teachers of Dade. She holds a bachelor’s degree in emotionally handicapped education from Florida International University and a master’s degree in business management from St. Thomas University.

Before dedicating herself fully to union leadership, she spent over a decade as a classroom teacher, earning recognition as Teacher of the Year at Hialeah Middle School in 2010. She remains deeply involved in her community, actively volunteering and supporting humanitarian missions overseas.

Hernández-Mats is married with two children. Her lifelong commitment to public education, advocacy and community service continues to inspire those working for a better future.