Notable Alumni of the University of North Florida
The University of North Florida (UNF) has produced a diverse array of accomplished graduates who have made significant contributions to their respective fields. From business and politics to the arts and sciences, UNF alumni have left their mark on the local, national, and international stage. This article highlights some of the university's most notable alumni, showcasing their achievements and contributions.
Introduction
Established in 1965 and beginning classes in 1972, the University of North Florida has grown into a respected public research university. UNF initially served as an upper-division college before admitting freshmen in 1984. Today, the university is organized into six colleges, offering a range of undergraduate and graduate programs. Its alumni have gone on to achieve success in various fields, and the university recognizes their accomplishments through several prestigious awards.
Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award
The Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award represents the highest honor bestowed upon a UNF graduate. This award recognizes exceptional professional accomplishments and contributions to society.
Sam Inman
Sam Inman (’88), the president and CEO of Community First Credit Union of Florida (CFCU), received the Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award. Inman's career at CFCU began in 1990, and he progressively advanced through various leadership roles. Starting as assistant accounting manager, he quickly rose to become the institution’s first internal auditor. He was promoted to VP of Finance and then to Chief Financial Officer in 1997. Inman played a crucial role in growing Community First’s assets from $156 million to over $2.8 billion. He successfully led a 2016 planning process that set a goal of reaching $2 billion in assets by 2020, a target that was not only achieved but surpassed. He is also credited with building the organization’s risk management function, expanding the ATM and branch network, and growing the retail investment services program to over 5,000 clients with $400 million in assets under management. As CFO, Inman ensured the financial health of the credit union by developing and implementing long-term strategies and policies. He oversaw departments including finance, accounting, investment and insurance, and credit card operations. Inman chaired the asset liability management committee, responsible for the credit union's financial condition, new product development, and marketing strategies. Inman also serves on the UNF Foundation Board, the Nonprofit Center of Northeast Florida board, and the UNF Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation Advisory Council.
Alumni Service Award
The Alumni Service Award honors UNF alumni who have demonstrated outstanding volunteer service at the local, state, national, or international level. This includes service to UNF, clubs, service organizations, or other community involvement.
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Kristin Kelli (Wilson) Bethel
Kristin Kelli (Wilson) Bethel has dedicated over 4,100 hours to community service in Jacksonville. Her volunteer work began in high school, tutoring children at the Children's Home Society of Florida and organizing fundraisers. At UNF, she raised awareness about human trafficking as a campus representative for Rethreaded. Bethel is an advocate for heart disease awareness, creating Tommy's Tigers in memory of her father. She volunteers with the Sunshine Foundation, sharing stories of children and their mission. For the past eight years, Bethel has been involved in "Halloween Doors and More" to benefit Community PedsCare. She also performs for nursing home residents through the Alzheimer's Association and collects pop tabs to support daily expenses. As an adoptee, Bethel is committed to showing others the importance of helping others and making a difference.
Alan Hartley
Alan Hartley (’05) is the founder, CEO, and CIO of Black Cypress Capital Management. He has served on the University of North Florida Foundation board for over twelve years. Hartley's career began as a research associate at Ergates Capital, followed by a role as a generalist/IPO equity analyst at Morningstar. He then managed $50 million in assets for investment advisors. Hartley launched Black Cypress during the recession, starting with $400,000, and has grown the firm to manage over $220 million. He graduated from the UNF Coggin College of Business summa cum laude in 2005 with a B.B.A. in finance and holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation. Hartley has been published in Morningstar, SumZero, and other publications.
Amy Wilhem
After graduation, she became the middle school health teacher for Northwestern Middle School before leaving to teach science at San Jose Catholic School. In 2006, she started teaching at Christ the King Catholic School, where she stayed for 17 years. She spent five years developing the programs and educator training that allowed CTK to become the first STEM accredited Catholic grade school in Florida, achieving Platinum status for Duval County in 2021. Department of Education as a Green Ribbon School for their practice of sustainability. In 2018, Wilhelm completed a master’s in education from Adams State University with a focus on STEM Education. She also received a Leadership in STEM Education certificate through the NASA Endeavor STEM project. She served on the Project Learning Tree Steering Committee and helped create virtual training for the PLT programs during the COVID-19 pandemic. Although having recently retired from teaching, Wilhelm currently leads a team of professionals to develop a STEM Coordinator Certificate as part of a badging program at UNF.
Honorary Alumni Award
The Honorary Alumni Award recognizes friends and supporters of the University of North Florida for their exceptional service to the university.
Rep. Garrison
Through his role as a state legislator, Rep. Garrison has been exceptionally supportive of UNF's efforts to secure recurring funding and capital requests for new and existing buildings on campus. He tirelessly advocates for UNF and continuously promotes the university in Northeast Florida and across the state. After earning his degrees from Samford University and the University of Illinois College of Law, Garrison moved to Fleming Island in 2001. As part of the law firm Bradley, Garrison & Komando, P.A., he specializes in defending clients in criminal matters and government law. He previously worked as an Assistant State Attorney in Clay and Duval counties. Elected to the Florida House of Representatives in 2020, Garrison has worked to address challenges including protecting communities, creating jobs, and promoting mental health. As Chair of the Health Care Appropriations Subcommittee, he expanded access to Florida KidCare and invested in opioid addiction programs.
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Other Notable Alumni
Main Made Studios
This year’s award goes to Main Made Studios. Growing up, Main’s parents owned a marina deck in South Florida, but his interests always lied in the arts, focusing on photography before expanding into typography and branding. When he moved up to North Florida, he enrolled in the UNF Graphic Design program. To earn money as an undergrad, he was bartending at TacoLu and tinkering with some welding projects at home in his spare time. While taking ceramics and sculpture classes, he loved the hands-on nature and thought “this is more my speed,” and pivoted his concentration. Once he graduated with his BFA, he got a job with a graphics company working on promotional materials and vehicle wraps, while still freelancing welding work from his garage. Main Made Studios is an architectural fabrication shop that designs, builds and executes an array of custom metal projects. Main is joined by graphic design alumna Sara Pool (‘14), and sculpture alumni Mark Ewing (‘14) and Kayla Smith (‘22).
Brazil (’03)
Brazil (’03) graduated from UNF with a bachelor’s degree in sociology and a nursing degree from FSCJ. From a young age, she had an interest in health care and a desire to make an impact on people’s lives. Currently, Brazil serves as the co-founder and COO for Gravity Diagnostics, a medical laboratory located in Covington, Kentucky. Established in 2016, they provide accurate and time efficient test results for patients across the country. Originally focused on toxicology and pharmacogenomics testing to help combat the opioid epidemic, they added infectious disease testing including upper respiratory diagnostics. By the end of 2020, Gravity had been averaging 20,000 tests a day and from clients across the country, including some from her alma mater. Brazil also made a generous donation to the North Florida Ospreys athletic department toward enhancements for the UNF Arena.
Brockelman
Brockelman graduated from UNF in 2012 after serving as the student body president. He earned two bachelor’s degrees (Corporate Finance and Marketing) from the UNF Coggin College of Business. He was a member of the UNF Presidential Envoys and Sigma Chi - University of North Florida. Brockelman serves as the Vice President of Government Affairs at VyStar Credit Union, one of the nation’s largest credit unions. Prior to joining VyStar, Matt was a partner at The Southern Group, the Southeastern United States' largest lobbying firm. Matt is involved with several community nonprofit boards including Family Support Services of North Florida, The Cathedral District Jacksonville and Build Up Downtown, and he’s very active in civic life.
Hacker (’08, ’09)
Hacker (’08, ’09) is an alumnus of the UNF Construction Management program, having earned his bachelor’s degree at the UNF College of Computing, Engineering & Construction (CCEC) before returning to the UNF Graduate School to complete his MBA. He returned to his alma mater in 2011 to serve as an adjunct professor. Hacker started Construction Specialties of North Florida in 2006 while he was a sophomore at UNF. CSNF quickly became the number one installer of storm shutters in Jacksonville.
Rhodes Robinson
Dr. Rhodes Robinson has served UNF as a member of the UNF - College of Arts and Sciences Dean's Leadership Council for over a decade. He recently finished his term as council chair and remains active as a member. He has 30 years of experience in the environmental consulting field and holds B.S. and M.S. degrees in wildlife biology from NC State. He has served as director and chair of the Ways and Means committee for the Society of Wetland Scientists, and is former president for the Society of Wetland Scientists Professional Certification Program.
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Brian Tollberg
"I think when I was rookie, my second start out was against (Ken) Griffey, Jr. and my first start out was against Luis Gonzalez and (Steve) Finley and those guys. I think you try to be a little bit better than you need to instead of just trying to execute pitches that the catcher puts down. After the first couple times that you face 'superstars' and you get them out by throwing a good pitch, you realize that it's no different. If you make a mistake, you're not going to get that ball back, it's definitely going to be hit hard somewhere. I think that's the biggest thing, just having a plan of attack, especially for the guys that you don't want to beat you." - Tollberg, Brian.
Rod Baptiste
Baptiste starts his day with an early call time. He is on the anchor desk reporting on the day’s top stories. His goal is to present news stories to viewers, ensuring they’re accurate and easily digestible as people begin their day. He takes pride in being a trusted source in Atlanta and enjoys the opportunity to put a smile on viewers faces when they wake up each morning. As morning anchor, he controls the flow of the broadcast. He works closely with the producer, making sure the right approach is taken before going on the air and presenting a story.
Jason Biles
LeBron James, Steph Curry, Jason Biles… just a few all stars on the USA Basketball National Team headed to the Olympics. Biles joins the Olympic squad from the Houston Rockets, where he’s served as the head athletic trainer and director of performance rehabilitation for 14 seasons. In 2013, he received the NBATA Assistant Athletic Trainer of the Year Award voted on by his peers and had the opportunity to work the NBA All-Star Game.
Blair
Blair’s path was anything but conventional, but he is a quick learner that gets stuff done. Unlike many other CFOs that rose up solely in finance, Blair’s communication background allowed him to bring a new perspective to the company, transitioning from the myopic accounting viewpoint to a more operational and transformational role.
Bobo
Bobo has always loved running. He focused on running collegiately and, while our campus’s proximity to the beach allured him, it was seeing the culture Coach Pigg cultivated that affirmed his decision. Bobo studied multimedia journalism in the UNF School of Communication, but at the time, he didn’t know exactly what he wanted to do. After graduation, he continued his journey down the road at the University of Florida, working as an intern in the Gators video department while pursuing a master’s in mass communication. Bobo now serves as the creative director for the Oregon Ducks Cross Country and Track and Field teams.
Bond
Originally from Tennessee, Bond started her collegiate career at the University of South Florida before transferring to UNF. In her four seasons at UNF, Bond was a seven-time ASUN Player of the Week, two-time Defensive Player of the Year, two-time All-Conference selection and a four-time Honor Roll member. She was applying to public health jobs when she stumbled upon an opening at Fanatics. With her admiration of the sports team and her passion for social media, she interviewed and was hired as their Social Media Specialist.
Bradley
Bradley learned about UNF over 20 years ago after completing her bachelor’s degree in English education from the University of Belize. She wanted to pursue a master’s degree and found UNF’s Belizean cohort, which worked alongside the UNF College of Education and Human Services. Bradley embraced her study abroad opportunity in Jacksonville by meeting new diverse people and experiences. Bradley graduated that December and returned home, always singing the praises of UNF’s life-changing education opportunities on campus.
Earle
A bright futures scholarship recipient, Earle loved that UNF provided a smaller campus enclosed within a nature preserve. She lived at home during college but wanted to get a true “collegiate” experience, so she threw herself into on campus activities. She was a sister of Kappa Alpha Theta, a committee chair for Osprey Productions, and the president of PRSSA. She used her connections to land a job with Archetype, a PR agency in New York focused on technology. She loves the organization and the talented, kind people she works with. As her career continues to progress, she’d love to grow her team and manage people as they expand their corporate storytelling. She’s currently completing her MBA online at UF as she utilizes her education and experience to teach the next generation of PR students, so don’t be surprised to see her pop up as a guest lecturer real soon.
Luce
After earning my bachelor’s degree in communications in 2002, I landed my first newspaper job in Jacksonville at a tiny weekly called The Mandarin News. Then The Business Journal, then The Florida Times-Union - and eventually to The Boston Globe, where I landed in 2007 as a copy editor/designer. When The Washington Post reached out to me in 2014, I knew I had to hear them out - and I’m glad I did. Now, I monitor news, select stories and write headlines for washingtonpost.com, and help craft the alerts for our mobile apps.
Sweat and Dunning
Sweat and Dunning graduated from UNF in 2014 after completing their degrees in communication. Sweat’s degree focus was multimedia journalism and Dunning’s was public relations. After graduating, Sweat moved up the editorial ladder and became editor-in-chief of the local Jacksonville culture and lifestyle publication Void Magazine. Dunning is now the manager of social media and digital advertising for Eataly USA in New York City, an international food and beverage company.
Michael D. Reynolds
Michael D. Reynolds (born 1954) is a Professor of Astronomy and served as the Dean of Mathematics & Natural Sciences and Professor of Astronomy at Florida State College in Jacksonville, Florida. Reynolds received his AA from Florida Junior College, BA in Natural Sciences from Thomas Edison State College 1980, his master's degree in Science Education from the University of North Florida 1982, and a Ph.D. Reynolds has written several astronomy books, including Binocular Stargazing (2003), Falling Stars (2000), and Observe Eclipses (1995). He also co-authored a college-level astronomy lab text, Basic Astronomy Labs (1996) and most-recently A Laboratory Guide for Astronomy (2015) with Michael Bakich; published by Morton Publishing.
Other Notable Alumni
The University of North Florida is 2683rd in the world, 931st in North America, and 880th in the United States by aggregated alumni prominence. Below is the list of 17 notable alumni from the University of North Florida sorted by their wiki pages popularity. The directory includes famous graduates and former students along with research and academic staff.
- Todd Haley: American football coach.
- Sara Walsh: Sportscaster for NFL Network.
- Dallas Moore: Professional basketball player for the Shandong Hi-Speed Kirin.
- Martin Sjögren: Football coach for Hammarby IF team.
- Beau Beech: Professional basketball player for the Formosa Dreamers.
- Tony Miles: Professional poker player.
- Patrick Faber: Belizean politician.
- Cord Byrd: Secretary of state of Florida.
- Luke Delaney: Retired NASA astronaut.
- Tracie Davis: Senator for District 5 in the Florida Senate.
- Reggie Fullwood: Former member of the Florida House of Representatives.
- Jason Fischer: Former member of the Florida House of Representatives.
- Betty Holzendorf: Served in the Florida Senate (1992-2002).
- Oreste Calleja: Maltese playwright.
- Rebecca Heflin: Novelist.
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