Arnhilda Badía was born in Havana, Cuba in 1945. Her primary and secondary studies took place at a catholic school, Dominicas Francesas. She left Cuba in 1965 with her ten month old baby, Felix Armando to start a new life in the United States. While living in North Carolina, she obtained her Bachelor’s Degree from Meredith College and received her Master’s Degree and Ph.D. in Romance Languages from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. She completed a post-graduate degree at Harvard University in Educational Leadership.

Dr. Badía moved to Florida in 1976 to start a dual language program in Pasco County Public Schools. In 1978 she moved to Tallahassee to become the State Foreign Language Supervisor and became a strong proponent of bilingual education. In 1981 she moved to Miami to head the Florida International University Modern Language Education Department. Later on, she was promoted to Director of Sponsored research and Associate Vice-President for Academic Affairs. In 1984 she ran for office and became a State Representative. She focused on passing legislation that had an impact on the education of English language learners, providing assistance to the elderly, and establishing a scholarship program for low-income Hispanic students.

Dr. Badía has devoted her life to advocacy for immigrant and minority students by promoting educational equity. With over 35 years of experience in teacher education, she has expertise in a wide variety of specialties including language policy, language acquisition, and curriculum development. She supported the Florida's Meta Consent Decree which was put into place following a lawsuit filed against the state in 1990. She was also a strong advocate for the implementation of the Florida Seal of Biliteracy, an award given by a school, school district or county office of education in recognition of students who have studied and attained proficiency in two or more languages by high school graduation.

Currently, as President of Badia & Associates, Dr. Badia works with school districts as an evaluator and educational consultant. She also designs and facilitates teacher-training workshops for teachers and administrators. She is the author of several series of classroom textbooks for children and adults. As the President of the José Martí Foundation, a non for profit organization, Dr. Badia works tireless to raise funds to award scholarships to low-income Hispanic students who reside in the United States. This organization has established a partnership with the National Association for Bilingual Education (NABE) to recognize Dual Language leaders for their accomplishments at local and state levels. She is married to Julio A. Alvarez, a retired electrical engineer. Her son, Felix Armando, is a medical doctor.