The OFFICIAL MAGAZINE of the USF ALUMNI ASSOCIATION SPRING 2021 UNIVERSITY OF USFSOUTH FLORIDA MAGAZINE ALUMNUS IN THE LEAD Chris Sprowls ’06 Speaker of the Florida House IT'S ALL ABOUT WHO YOU KNOW USF Alumni could save more with a special discount with GEICO! geico.com/alum/usf | 1-800-368-2734 | Local Agent Some discounts, coverages,payment plans and features are not availablein all states, in all GEICO companies, or in all situations. Boat and PWC coveragesare underwritten by GEICO Marine Insurance Company. Motorcycle and ATV coverages are underwritten by GEICO Indemnity Company. Homeowners, renters and condo coveragesare written through non-affiliated insurance companies and are secured through the GEICO Insurance Agency. GEICO is a registeredservice mark 2 UNIVERSITY of SOUTH FLORIDA of Government Employees Insurance Company, Washington, D.C. 20076; a BerkshireHathaway Inc. subsidiary. GEICO Gecko® image© 1999-2020. © 2020 GEICO The OFFICIAL MAGAZINE of the USF ALUMNI ASSOCIATION IT'S ALL ABOUT SPRING 2021 WHO YOU KNOW USFUNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA MAGAZINE FEATURES USF Alumni could save 28-31 Mr. Speaker Photo: Florida House of Representatives more with a special Chris Sprowls, ‘06, leads Florida’s House of Representatives discount with GEICO! 32-35 Bulls in Tallahassee Meet five more USF graduates serving in the legislature 36-39 Relevant research Muma College of Business helps assess region’s 28 quality of life UNIVERSITY 4 From the president 5 Building an Equitable Future 6-9 First look 10-19 University 10 20-21 Athletics 22-27 Philanthropy 48-51 Outstanding Young Alumni 52-57 Salute to Life Members FOREVER BULLS 58-59 Where’s Rocky? 40 5 minutes with the Chair 60-63 Alumni roundup 41 Meet your 2020 64-67 Class notes USFAA Board 42 USFAA Annual Report GORDON CLARKE geico.com/alum/usf | 1-800-368-2734 | Local Agent COVER PHOTO: House Speaker Chris Sprowls during a 44-47 Sweet tradition: recent appearance on the USF. St. Petersburg campus. 44 Alumni profile Photo by Cliff McBride, USF St. Petersburg campus. Photo: Courtesy of Some discounts, coverages,payment plans and features are not availablein all states, in all GEICO companies, or in all situations. Boat and PWC coveragesare underwritten by GEICO Marine Insurance Company. Motorcycle and ATV coverages are underwritten by GEICO Indemnity Company. Homeowners, renters and condo coveragesare written through non-affiliated insurance companies and are secured through the GEICO Insurance Agency. GEICO is a registeredservice mark SPRING 2021 3 of Government Employees Insurance Company, Washington, D.C. 20076; a BerkshireHathaway Inc. subsidiary. GEICO Gecko® image© 1999-2020. © 2020 GEICO From the President commitment to dismantling racism in society and to actively promoting racial equity across our campuses and in our com- munities. In her column on the facing page, now a standing feature in USF magazine, Elizabeth Hordge-Freeman, senior advisor to the president and provost on diversity and inclusion, discusses the Diversity, Anti-Racism and Equity (DARE) Dash- board that she created in collaboration with the Office of Deci- sion Support. This is an important resource designed to track the success of our efforts to support equity for faculty, students, staff and institutional support units at USF. As Elizabeth says, this is a bold effort at institutional self-assessment. The article that begins on page 10 will introduce you to Dis- mantling Racism Team Study Circles. Presented by USF’s Of- fice of Diversity, Inclusion and Equal Opportunity, this wonder- ful program brings a diverse group of faculty and staff members together for guided, candid discussions designed to enhance understanding. The conversations don’t end at the conclusion of the six-week program. Participants develop an action plan to help them facilitate similar discussions with their colleagues. The DIEO team’s goal is to involve as many members of our faculty and staff as possible in the ongoing study circles, which one participant describes as “an opportunity to learn how to be an anti-racist.” In recent weeks, we have marked two very somber mile- stones: One year since COVID-19 began to sweep across the ews United States (and the world), and surpassing the devastating loss of more than 500,000 people due to the virus. Our hearts go out to the families and friends of the victims. Far too many SANDRA C. ROA | USF N in our communities, as in communities throughout the nation, Photo: continue to face ongoing health and financial challenges. Like so many of you, I am hopeful that we are turning the corner Dear alumni, friends and thanks to adherence to risk mitigation measures, such as wear- supporters of USF: ing a face covering, and the distribution of vaccines. In the sto- ry that begins on page 18, USF Health virologist Michael Teng, I HOPE YOU AND YOUR FAMILIES are staying safe. one of the many scientists and researchers within the university With the Florida Legislature in the midst of its annual 60- who continue to make such a positive difference, discusses the day session, this is an opportune time to share our apprecia- remarkable science behind the vaccines and their safety. tion for our Bulls in the legislature and the entire Tampa Bay You also will find multiple stories in this issue that highlight region’s delegation. the selflessness of our USF community. Students pursuing any Speaker of the House Chris Sprowls, who earned his bach- major on any of USF’s campuses will benefit from BOLD (Bulls elor’s degree in political science from USF in 2006, continues of the Last Decade) donors who started an endowed scholar- to be a strong supporter of our university and our students. He ship, the Future Entrepreneur Endowed Scholarship. In the proposed consolidating our three separately accredited campus- story that begins on page 24, you will learn about what motivat- es in Tampa, St. Petersburg and Sarasota-Manatee in 2018, ed these alumni to generously support our students. and guided the measure through the legislative process. We I also am inspired by the six recipients of the 2020 Out- began operating under a single accreditation, as One USF, on standing Young Alumni award, presented by the USF Alumni July 1, 2020. Among other initiatives, Speaker Sprowls was Association. As you’ll read in their profiles, which begin on an important advocate for state funding for the USF Health page 48, they are richly deserving of this recognition of their Morsani College of Medicine and Heart Institute building in outstanding professional success and their civic contributions. downtown Tampa. Congratulations to Dr. Marlene “Joannie” Bewa, John Brennan, We’re also proud of five additional Bulls serving in the legis- Dr. Nicholas DeVito, Rogan Donelly, Dakeyan C. Graham and lature — Sen. Daniel Wright Burgess Jr., Sen. Joe Gruters, Rep. Dr. Chinyere “ChiChi” Okpaleke. James Buchanan, Rep. Linda Chaney and Rep. Jackie Toledo Whether it’s on our campuses, in our communities, or in — and appreciate the efforts of all the legislators representing Tallahassee, we appreciate the ongoing support of USF and the Tampa Bay region. These individuals are dedicated public our students from our alumni and friends. I wish you and your servants and they play a critical role in the success of our uni- families continued good health. versity and our region. Also in this issue are articles that highlight two of the many Steven C. Currall initiatives we continue to implement as part of our ongoing President and Professor 4 UNIVERSITY of SOUTH FLORIDA USF is published quarterly by University Communications & Marketing and the USF Alumni Association for alumni, The DARE Dashboard: friends and members of the USF community. Innovative approaches University Communications & Marketing to data transparency Interim Vice President for Communications and Marketing and AVP Public Relations and Communications Kim Hill, MBA ’18 USF Alumni Association By Elizabeth Hordge-Freeman Vice President and Executive Director Bill McCausland, MBA ’96 USF Content Editor Tom Woolf “For there is always light. If only we’re Design Editor Anne Scott brave enough to see it. If only we’re Alumni Content Editor Penny Carnathan ’82 brave enough to be it.” Contributors Anne DeLotto Baier ’78; Donna Campisano; Frederick J. Coleman; THESE STIRRING WORDS, written and Elizabeth Hordge-Freeman; Amy Harroun ’05; Aaron Hilf; spoken by Amanda Gorman at the 2021 Joey Johnston ’81; Kiley Mallard; Cliff McBride; Russell Nay ’18; Keith Morelli ’78; Ryan Noone; Sandra C. Roa; Erin Ryan ’20; Presidential Inauguration ceremony, reminded Melissa Wolfe ’13; Tom Zebold Americans that our ability to forge a more University Leadership equitable future requires courage to “see” Steven C. Currall, President and Professor and confront injustice. At the University of Keith Anderson, Interim Vice President for Research, Innovation South Florida, we have increasingly relied and Knowledge Enterprise Kim Hill, Interim Vice President for Communications on data to “see” racial and gender dispari- and Marketing ties and identify opportunities for growth. In BUILDING AN Karen A. Holbrook, Regional Chancellor, August 2020, Provost Ralph Wilcox tasked USF Sarasota-Manatee campus EQUITABLE Michael Kelly, Vice President for Athletics me with developing the Diversity, Anti-Racism David Lechner, Senior Vice President for Business and and Equity Dashboard, in order to identify Financial Strategy systemic inequities, establish new goals and Charles J. Lockwood, Senior Vice President for USF Health FUTURE Gerard Solis, General Counsel track our progress across all three campus- Jay Stroman, Senior Vice President for University es. Fitting of this bold effort at institutional Advancement and Alumni Affairs self-assessment, the dashboard is referred to Martin Tadlock, Regional Chancellor, ed efforts to bridge the recruitment gap for USF St. Petersburg campus as the DARE dashboard. Black student undergraduate enrollment and Ralph C. Wilcox, Provost and Executive Vice President To be sure, our ultimate goal has never programs to address the low enrollment of USF Board of Trustees been to simply compile standard data, but Latino students in graduate school.