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CF Foundation

Distinguished Alumni

The Distinguished Alumni Award is presented to an alumnus/a, who exemplifies the College of Central Florida’s tradition of excellence through their personal accomplishments, professional achievements, or humanitarian service. One recipient is selected each year.

Tom James Headshot The 2026 Distinguished Alumni Award recipient was Tom James. Born and raised in Ocala, Mr. James earned an Associate in Arts degree from CF in 1992. Currently, he is the vice president of business services at the Ocala Metro Chamber & Economic Partnership, where he oversees sponsorship procurement and manages relationships with the CEP’s Executive Tier partners and Executive Tier events. Mr. James also hosts the CEP Weekly Buzz and writes the Beyond Networking article in CEP Network Magazine. Additionally, Mr. James is a freelance television sportscaster with more than 25 years in the business. A two-time Edward R. Murrow Award winner and former NBC-TV affiliate sports director and main anchor, he currently does play-by-play and studio hosting for the ESPN family of networks, CBS Sports Network, Celebrity Sweat, ESPN Wide World of Sports, Florida Gulf Coast University, and the ASUN Conference.

Previous CF Distinguished Alumni

  • May 1996: The Honorable Craig Curry
  • Aug. 1997: Richard Knight
  • May 2001: Morrey Deen
  • Aug. 2001: The Honorable Mary Sue Rich
  • Dec. 2001: Lewis Dinkins
  • May 2002: Jim Williams
  • Aug. 2002: Mary Steddom
  • Dec. 2002: Jim Huber
  • May 2003: Roy Abshier
  • Dec. 2003: Kay Johnson Boyer
  • Aug. 2004: Bobby James
  • 2005: Lori Hornby
  • Aug. 2005: Michael Mangan
  • May 2006: The Honorable Gerald Ergle
  • Dec. 2006: Judge Hale R. Stancil
  • Fall 2007: Van McKenzie
  • Spring 2008: Dean Blinkhorn
  • Fall 2008: Sandra Himmel
  • Spring 2009: Clinton Hart
  • Spring 2010: Dr. Stacy Dickson
  • Spring 2011: The Honorable Charles Dean
  • Spring 2012: Gloria James
  • Spring 2013: George Tomyn
  • May 2014: Sindy Schneider
  • May 2015: Sheriff Chris Blair
  • May 2016: Capt. Shane Ferguson
  • Dec. 2016: Mike Joyner
  • May 2017: Judge Carlos E. Mendoza
  • May 2018: Luther Drummond
  • May 2019: John and Shirley Rudnianyn
  • May 2020: Benjamin Marciano
  • May 2021: Ire Bethea
  • May 2022: Dr. Jennifer Sumner
  • May 2023: Melissa Tony Stires
  • May 2024: Marty Smith
  • May 2025: The Honorable Dennis Baxley
  • May 2026: Tom James