The Hillsborough Community College Foundation, Inc. and presenting
sponsor Suncoast Credit Union hosted the 2014 Presidential Showcase on
Thursday, April 17 at the Renaissance Tampa International Plaza Hotel.
This year’s event honored the 2014 Distinguished Alumnus, Hillsborough
County Commissioner Ken Hagan, Champion of Education, Suncoast Credit
Union, and four outstanding HCC alumni.
Commissioner Ken Hagan is a native and lifelong resident. He was first
elected to the Board of County Commissioners in November 2002 and
reelected in 2004, 2008 and 2010. During that time, he has held the
leadership positions of Chaplain and Vice Chairman for two years each,
and he was chosen by his peers to serve as Chairman an unprecedented
five times. HCC is recognizing Commissioner Hagan for his lasting
contributions to the college and the Tampa Bay community.
Originally established in 1934 to serve Hillsborough County School
District educators, Suncoast Credit Union now operates as a full-service
credit union. With a commitment to civic engagement, Suncoast has been
an active and longstanding partner of HCC. Through their foundation,
support is provided to local schools, children and families via
scholarships, education initiatives, financial literacy and programs
related to health and emotional well-being. Suncoast Credit Union
President Tom Dorety joins us to accept this award on behalf of the
credit union.
Mistress of ceremonies was WFLA News Channel 8 anchor, Gayle Sierens.
Outstanding alumni of the year included Merle ‘Chip” Kelley, R.N.; Erik
Youngs, educator; Russell Spicola, Hillsborough County fire chief; and
Chris Brown, attorney. Student speakers are Christopher Rivera, HOPE
Scholar and Taya Green, Honors Institute. Since 2003, the event has
raised more than $1.2 million all of which benefit scholarships for
first-generation college students.
For more information, call the HCC Foundation office at 813-253-7018 or
go online to hccfl.edu/foundation.
Hillsborough Community College serves more than 46,000 students annually
at campuses on Dale Mabry Highway in Tampa and in Brandon, Plant City,
Ruskin and Ybor City. Hillsborough Community College is accredited by
the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.
For more information, please visit hccfl.edu.
The Hillsborough Community College Foundation’s primary purpose is to
raise private gifts from the community for scholarships, capital and
other projects, institutional priorities and unmet needs. Last year,
$1.2 million in scholarships was awarded to 1,300 deserving HCC
students. We thank our generous donors for making this assistance
possible.
