Last night I had the great pleasure of introducing Brent Burns, BBA ’81 as the 74th inductee into the FAU Alumni Association’s Hall of Fame. Brent joined distinguished alumni from eight of FAU’s colleges in being recognized for their exceptional service and commitment to their profession or the community.
Past Hall of Fame and Distinguished Alumni honorees include a congressman, a senator, a NASA astronaut, an Emmy-winning news anchor, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and a Grammy-winning performer, as well as business executives, scientists, educators, healthcare professionals and more.
Brent, a College of Business alumnus, is executive vice president and chief operating officer of JM Family Enterprises, located in Deerfield Beach. He oversees JM Family’s three operating business units – Southeast Toyota Distributors, World Omni Financial Corporation and JM & A Group – and has been instrumental in the company’s ongoing success. In his free time, he serves on the boards of Kids In Distress and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Broward County.
The eight Distinguished Alumni of the Colleges are:
Gary Enzor, BAS ’84, MBA ’90; College of Engineering and Computer Science
Chairman and CEO, Quality Distribution
Randy Goin Jr., BARC ’00, MA ’02; College for Design and Social Inquiry
Chief of Staff, Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education
Melissa Hart, MFA ’90; Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters
Tony-nominated Broadway performer
Andrew S. Horowitz, BS ’15; Charles E. Schmidt College of Science
Medical Student at Tufts University
Peter F. Striano III, BA ’94; College of Business
Managing Partner, Northwestern Mutual
Carol Tuttas, PhD, RN; MSN ’02; Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing
Chief Programs Officer, Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools
Valerie Smith Wanza, PhD ’09; College of Education
Chief School Performance and Accountability Officer, Broward County Public Schools
Erica Young, PhD; BA ’05; Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College
Staff Scientist, Courtney Miller at Scripps Research Institute
Congratulations to these impressive alumni on their many accomplishments. We are proud to call you Owls!