2009 outstanding alumnus named

E. Ann McGee, Ed.D., President, Seminole Community College Sanford/Lake Mary

E. Ann McGee, President of Seminole Community College, just north of Orlando, is St. Petersburg College's 2009 Outstanding Alumnus.

McGee grew up in Largo and is a graduate of St. Petersburg College, Florida State University and Nova Southeastern University. She won the Apollo Award at SPC in 1968; was in Phi Beta Kappa at FSU; and is in the Practitioner’s Hall of Fame at Nova. She recently completed an eight-year term as a charter trustee for Florida State University.

Before her appointment at SCC, she was Vice President for Development and Executive Director of the BC Foundation at Broward College in Fort Lauderdale, raising more than $21 million in 10 years. She also was a Provost for Broward College, as well as Dean of Students and a faculty member at Florida Keys Community College.

McGee was appointed President of SCC in 1996. SCC enrolls approximately 32,000 students in programs that extend from adult basic education to career workforce majors to transfer studies.

She serves on the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) Presidents’ Academy Executive Committee; the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) Board; the Steering Committee for Florida’s Community College Presidents’ Council; and the Higher Education Research Development Institute (HERDI). She also is active on local Chamber of Commerce and civic boards.

McGee has been recognized by the Association of Community College Trustees (ACCT) as the top community college CEO in the nation (2006); by Phi Theta Kappa with the Shirley B. Gordon Award of Distinction (2005); and by the Seminole Chamber of Commerce with the “Lifetime Achievement Award” (2004).

McGee’s passion for community colleges extends back to her enrollment at St. Petersburg Junior College when she was 16. Believing in life balance and adventure, she has gone paragliding in the Teton Mountains; spent two days on an aircraft carrier (complete with a carrier landing and take-off); attended the Air Force’s Air War College; and recently climbed the mast of a 400-foot sailing yacht while cruising off St. Lucia.

McGee joins a long list of award recipients dating back to 1984.

The St. Petersburg College Alumni Association annually presents the Outstanding Alumnus Award to honor alumni who, through their accomplishments, have made meaningful contributions to their professional fields and their communities.

They are persons who exemplify how best to use and develop the education gained while at SPC and who, as a result, are outstanding representatives among our alumni.