At its August 10 meeting, the Valencia College District Board of Trustees elected Beth Smith, vice president of government and education for Cigna Healthcare, as chair, and Michael A. Sasso, managing partner at Sasso & Sasso, P.A., as vice chair.
“I feel honored and grateful to step into the role of chair for the Valencia College Board of Trustees,” Smith said. “Being able to serve in this capacity for such an extraordinary institution and continuing to drive our initiatives forward is a privilege that I won’t take lightly.”
Smith serves on the boards of Leadership Florida and the Foundation for Seminole County Public Schools. She earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Central Florida.
Sasso earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Florida and a law degree from Barry University School of Law. In addition to serving on the Valencia Board of Trustees, he has also been appointed by Governor Ron DeSantis to serve on the Judicial Nominating Commission for the Ninth Judicial Circuit and Florida Public Employee Relations Commission.
At the same meeting, the board elected trustee Tracey Stockwell, executive vice president and chief financial officer for Universal Orlando, as board representative to the Valencia College Foundation board of directors. Stockwell previously served as chair of the Valencia College District Board of Trustees from 2019 to 2021.
“Valencia College is fortunate to have such extraordinary community leaders serving on our Board of Trustees,” said Kathleen Plinske, president of Valencia College. “It is a privilege to have access to their expertise and insights, and I am grateful for how deeply they care about our students and their success.”
Valencia’s Board of Trustees is gubernatorially appointed and is vested with the responsibility for policy and governance decisions for the college. Other members of the board are Daisy Lopez-Cid, John Davis, Angel de la Portilla and John Martinez.