State College of Florida announces presidential finalists, sets public forum dates

Steven Walker, Sarasota Herald-Tribune
Updated ·2 min read

State College of Florida's presidential search committee announced three finalists to replace Carol Probstfeld, who announced her retirement as president effective July 1.

The three candidates, Tommy Gregory, Martyn Clay and Anthony Iacono, will participate in public forums on Wednesday and Thursday respectively. Each candidate is vying to replace Probstfeld, who has been president since 2013. The SCF District Board of Trustees approved the candidates March 20. Following the public forums, the board would likely bring one candidate to a vote at its April 30 board meeting. Once approved by the board of trustees, the selected candidate would also need to be approved by the Florida Board of Governors.

Gregory, a state representative (R-Lakewood Ranch), serves as the chair of the judiciary committee in the Florida House of Representatives. He's also a commercial litigation lawyer in Sarasota, and two of his three sons graduated from State College of Florida and Florida State University. He holds a bachelor's degree in economics from the Air Force Academy and a law degree from the University of Texas, according to his Florida House biography page.

Clay has been the president of Hillsborough Community College’s Plant City campus since 2012, and has 30 years of higher education experience, according to the biography posted by State College of Florida. He holds a bachelor's degree in history from Bucknell University, a master's degree in management from Webster University, and a Doctor of Education degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia, according to Clay's LinkedIn profile.

Iacono has served as the president of County College of Morris in New Jersey since September 2016. Before that, he served as the vice president of academic affairs at Indian River State College. Iacono earned a doctorate in American History from Mississippi State University, a master's and bachelor's degree in American History from the University of Central Florida, and an associate in arts degree from Indian River Community College.

Follow Herald-Tribune Education Reporter Steven Walker on Twitter at @swalker_7. He can be reached at sbwalker@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: State College of Florida names three finalists for president