State College of Florida taps Rep. Gregory as seventh president after national search

Rep. Tommy Gregory has been selected to serve as the seventh president of State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota.

SCF’s District Board of Trustees announced Gregory’s selection after a six-month national search, led by search firm Myers McRae. He is set to start leading the college on July 1.

Carol Probstfeld, the college’s leader since 2012, previously announced her retirement. She spent 27 years in higher education administrative leadership, including 21 years at SCF.

Gregory, 52, was elected to the Florida House in 2018 to represent Manatee County. He currently works as a commercial litigation attorney in Sarasota and chairs the Judiciary Committee in the Florida House.

According to the Florida Division of Elections, Gregory filed for re-election in January 2023. As of Tuesday evening, it was unclear whether Gregory plans to step down from his seat in the Florida Legislature.

“Tommy has a strong record of success leading teams and advising senior leaders in high-profile, high-pressure situations. His leadership skills were developed working with and for military general officers, CEOs, fighter pilots, law enforcement officers, astronauts, governors and legislators,” the news release said.

Rep. Gregory to lead State College of Florida

Gregory, a Lakewood Ranch resident, was born in Tampa. He graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy with a BS in economics in 1994 and from the University of Texas School of Law in 2000.

During his 20-year Air Force career, he deployed in support of Operation Southern Watch, Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom.

In his new role, Gregory, R-Lakewood Ranch, will oversee SCF’s expansion to a new campus in Parrish. In February, SCF’s leaders approved a $2.2 million architectural contract to design the first phase of the campus.

Open community forums were conducted in March at SCF’s Bradenton and Venice campuses and online. In-person interviews with the trustees were held on Friday, April 5, with the three finalists, according to an SCF news release.

“We are very grateful for the hard work of the volunteer search committee, consultant Myers McRae, the college community and all stakeholders who took the time to interview the candidates and provide their feedback,” Rod Thomson, SCF board chairman, said in the news release.

“We valued everyone’s input and found all the candidates highly qualified and selected Tommy as we believe him to be the best fit to lead SCF into the future,” Thomson said.

Probstfeld to retire in July

“The college has great momentum to continue its successful path forward,” Probstfeld, the retiring president, said in the news release.

“I look forward to working with Tommy as I transition to retirement and to helping the college community prepare to welcome the new president,” she said.

A search committee of six members, including SCF faculty, staff, a trustee, and two community members, interviewed candidates by video conference before recommending three finalists to proceed to the next phase.