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Born and raised in New York, Bill was a
sergeant with the New York Port Authority
Police Department for more than ten years
in the 70s and 80s. At the age of 50, he
went back to school to earn an MBA. “I
had to do that because I needed new
education to reinvent myself after I retired
from the police department,” he recalls,
adding that this experience sparked his
passion for education.
After a 43-year career in law enforcement,
Bill retired a couple of years ago. These
days, everyone around SCF recognizes
him. He attends all the SCF basketball
games, volleyball games, musical
theatrical presentations, and fundraisers.
“I accompany my wife to every event she
attends,” he says. “I spend a lot of my
evenings with her at public appearances.
It takes a lot of time being the First
Gentleman!”
Commitment to Education
Now that he is retired, Bill is heavily
involved in the SCF Foundation as well as
the Kiwanis Club of Bradenton.
The SCF Foundation raises funds to help
deserving students improve their lives
with a State College of Florida education.
Established in 1957, SCF Manatee-
Sarasota is the region’s rst and largest
public college. Since 1959, more than
50,000 students have graduated from SCF.
The college offers associate and bachelor’s
degrees as well as workforce certicates
and professional enrichment courses.
“Throughout my career, I’ve seen enough
death and destruction and third world
countries,” Bill explains. “So now my
focus is on SCF as well as Kiwanis. I’m
a rm believer in the mission of these
organizations.”
According to Bill, the SCF Foundation
gives away about $1.9 million a year in
scholarships. “About a month ago, we
raised $150,000 of scholarship money
for police and firefighters,” he adds.
“That’s huge. Fortunately, we live in a very
philanthropic community.”
He says it’s incredibly important to catch
the students who slip through the cracks
of the public-school system, and that’s
exactly what the SCF Foundation does.
He recalls one SCF student in particular
- a military sniper who could not pass
remedial math. “Through scholarship,
we were able to get him up to speed in
math,” he says. “He ended up graduating
top of his class and received a full ride
scholarship to the computer engineering
program at University of Florida.”
Bill points out that the average student
at SCF is 26 years old. “So, we’re really
dealing with adult learners who have fallen
through the cracks. They realize they’ve
got to get on with their life, but they can’t
live on minimum wage,” Bill emphasizes.
“That’s the greatest thing we can do
as a nation is get people back into the
workforce. Catching those people and
getting them the funds, they need for
school is critically important.”
Kiwanis: An Unseen
Force in Manatee
In addition to his involvement with the
SCF Foundation, Bill is also on the board
of the Kiwanis Club of Bradenton. Since it
was founded in 1922, the Kiwanis Club of
Bradenton has built a strong reputation for
helping the children of Manatee County.
“Kiwanis is a tremendous force in this
community,” Bill emphasizes. “When you
look at the history, there are probably