MIAMI—Tere Blanca has been named chair of the City Year Miami board of directors. City Year partners with public schools to help keep students on track to graduate. There are 24 chapters across the U.S.

Launched in 2008, City Year Miami's goal is to place full-time, trained young adults in Miami-Dade County Public Schools to provide individual attention to students. The Miami chapter is the nation's fifth largest.

The 2013 City Year Miami program involves 203 corps members serving about 3,000 students at 17 Miami-area schools. Plans are currently underway to expand City Year Miami's impact to 300 corps members serving students at 30 schools annually.

“We are tremendously fortunate to have Tere Blanca leading our board in Miami,” says Michael Brown, co-founder and CEO of City Year. “Her remarkable combination of business acumen and passionate civic commitment will help City Year Miami grow so that it can help more students and schools succeed.”

Blanca is the founder, president and CEO of commercial real estate brokerage and advisory firm Blanca Commercial Real Estate. She will continue the work of her predecessor, former board chair and City Year Miami co-founder Brad Meltzer.

“For many students, City Year Miami corps members are the only reliable resource to turn to,” says Blanca. “With City Year's involvement, struggling schools have the necessary power to support the growing number of students who need a little extra attention. City Year Miami's staff and volunteer leaders have done a tremendous job growing the organization over the past five years. I am hopeful that we can expand our reach even further over the next five years.”

Now entering its sixth fiscal year, City Year Miami has more than tripled its annual operating budget since launching. More than one-third of these dollars come from private philanthropic sources that see value in helping the nonprofit expand its reach into the public school system.

“City Year Miami's impact extends far beyond educational enrichment, helping to break the cycle of poverty and enhancing quality of life in our community,” says Saif Ishoof, executive director of City Year Miami. “As one of Miami's preeminent business leaders, Tere understands the relationship between education and economics. Our City's ability to continue attracting new investment, new companies and new residents hinges on our ability to provide an exceptional education to our children.”

Aside from overseeing Blanca, which she launched in 2009 and has since grown to become one of South Florida's fastest-growing commercial real estate services firms, she spends her time giving back to the South Florida community through numerous organizations. She participates as a member of the University of Miami's President's Council and School of Business Real Estate Advisory Board; the Urban Land Institute's South Florida/Caribbean chapter; the World Presidents' Organizations (WPO) Miami-Ft. Lauderdale chapter; the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce; the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties (NAIOP) South Florida chapter; Commercial Real Estate Women Miami (CREW Miami); Young Presidents' Organization (YPO); and The Beacon Council, for which she previously served as chair.

Over the years, Blanca has earned several honors from her peers and leading news outlets, including being recognized in Real Estate Forum magazine's 20th Anniversary “Women of Influence” feature. She earned a bachelor's degree in business administration with a concentration in international marketing and finance and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Miami.