Opening Doors and Minds: Professor Norma Camero-Reno’s Journey From Advocate to Educator

Throughout her life, Norma Camero-Reno, PhD, has been a professor, an attorney, and a community advocate and activist. But no matter what role she has officially held, she has long seen her mission as working to open doors for others and share her wisdom where she can. 

Since arriving at Schiller International University’s Tampa campus in 2025, that mission hasn’t changed. Now she’s sharing her hands-on experience in international affairs with the next generation of global leaders, policymakers, and advocates. 

An Expertise Born From Experience 

Camero-Reno grew up in Venezuela with two siblings and a mother who she says cared as much for the community as she did for her own family. Her mother cooked for local workers, acted as the town banker, took in neighborhood children without parents, and administered medical care in the middle of the night. 

Camero-Reno’s family, like their neighbors, didn’t have much. But their mother taught them to appreciate and share what they did have. 

“She always told me that the universe will take over when you do something,” Camero-Reno said of her mother. “If you do something good, it’s going to come back to you. And if you do something wrong, it’s going to get back to you too.” 

The Impact of a Global Education 

Camero-Reno says she has carried her mother’s words everywhere she’s gone. She strives to put as much good into the world as possible, even when it seems impossible. 

“I used to send a lot of help to Venezuela, thousands of pounds of food and medicine,” she said. “There was a point that I didn’t have money to send that. I always found somebody who took over and did it.” 

This resourcefulness and faith has come to define Camero-Reno’s career. But while she seems to have an innate ability to make things happen, she’s also spent years honing and upgrading her skills. Spurred by her drive to serve her fellow Venezuelans through decades of political turmoil, she earned master’s degrees in international law and business law as well as a Doctor of Human Rights. 

“It was a good path,” Camero-Reno said of her education. “It helped me and helped my country in many ways.” 

Bridging Local and International Advocacy 

Camero-Reno’s educational path brought her Tampa. While she has made herself at home in the city, she holds dual citizenship and returns to Venezuela frequently. 

Along the way, Camero-Reno has founded and worked with numerous organizations. For example, she has served as the president of Casa Venezuela Tampa Bay, a policy adviser to U.S. and international officials at multiple levels, and an advocate with the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Hispanic Advisory Council (SHAC).  

“We act like ambassadors of the sheriff to the Hispanic community,” she said of the SHAC, an organization she’s been active in for almost 20 years. “You don't want to talk to them? That's okay, you talk to me. There is a community there, and they love the fact that they have representation.” 

This work has earned Camero-Reno accolades, including the Sheriff’s Legacy Award and induction into the Hillsborough County Women’s Hall of Fame. Perhaps more importantly, she has earned the trust of local leaders (she’s known as Superwoman in the sheriff’s office) and the community itself. She uses that influence to ensure everyone has a voice and a place in local decision-making. 

“I open doors,” Camero-Reno said. “I don’t want to have a political seat. I’m not interested. Let me work from behind the curtains, where I can do a better job.” 

Bringing Her Impact to a New Audience 

Despite already wearing so many hats, Camero-Reno decided to add yet another role to her repertoire in March 2025. That month, she joined Schiller International University’s Tampa campus as a professor in the Master of Arts in International Relations and Diplomacy program. 

“At Schiller, they have all these international degrees, they have branches in different countries, and they have different points of view,” she said. “I thought, ‘This is the place I want to work.’” 

That feeling only grew when she began meeting Schiller’s students. 

“I see people from all over the world: Uganda, Russia, China,” she said. “I am having the time of my life. This is what I’m meant to be. I have to be a teacher. I love it.” 

Creating an Open, Dynamic Learning Environment 

Since arriving at Schiller, Camero-Reno has been sharing her wisdom with students in classes on international law and international affairs. With her unique blend of high-level education and real-world experience, she is able to explain not just how NATO or international treaties work but what happens when they don’t work correctly.  

However, once Camero-Reno has explained a topic, the floor is open. 

“When I stop talking, I want students to ask me anything,” Camero-Reno said, and she means anything. No matter how politically charged a subject may be, she allows her classroom to be a space where students can poke, prod, and understand. She sees it as a place of trust. 

"It's beautiful,” Camero-Reno said of her classroom environment. “We learn a lot.” 

Making Her Mark at Schiller 

As of mid-2026, Camero-Reno has only been at Schiller for about a year, but her approach and insights have already made her a student favorite. 

“After they finish a class, students ask me questions, or ask me for a reference, because we have trust,” she said. “I have one student who was working in the United Nations. He asks me questions, and I answer him. That’s the kind of relationship I like to keep. My students know if they have a doubt, they can come to me.” 

Despite receiving so many awards and nominations, Camero-Reno says interactions like that stick with her most. 

“One of the things that really makes me proud is when a student comes to me and says thank you, that they see the world in a different way because of me,” she said. “I don’t need anything else. It’s those little moments.” 

Learn to Lead in a Truly Global Community 

In and out of the classroom, Norma Camero-Reno is passionate about helping others have an impact in their communities and on the global stage. When she came to Schiller International University, she found a community that shared that same goal. 

“The first thing I noticed at Schiller is the friendship they create,” she said. “The ambience, the way they treat their students, the way they talk to the student, the way they go and have a coffee with the student and have a conversation.” 

This is the type of environment students find when they enroll in our Master of Arts in International Relations and Diplomacy program. In addition to taking classes on research, conflict and peace strategies, and the international economy, students in the program take on internships, find mentorship, and engage in real-world learning projects with a diverse group of experts and peers. 

Find out more about Schiller’s six-decade legacy, our international learning opportunities, and this program’s flexible learning schedule. 

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