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Board of Trustees Update
Eastern Florida State College
District Board of Trustees
Alan H. Landman, Chair
Ronald Howse, Vice Chair
Winston Scott
Bruce Deardoff
Dr. Edgar Figueroa

A Brevard County resident since 1987, Alan Landman received his undergraduate degree
from the University of Florida in 1984 and his Juris Doctorate degree from the University
of Florida in 1987. Landman worked for one of Brevard's largest law firms until 1993
when he started his own practice specializing in criminal and family law. He is a
member of the Florida Bar as well as four United States District Courts, the Supreme
Court of Florida, and the United States Supreme Court. Landman was nationally recognized
in 2004 when one of his criminal trials was aired on Court T.V. In 1999, Florida Today
named him as the top DUI attorney in Brevard County after an analysis of more than
10,000 cases. Landman was appointed to a four-year term on the Eighteenth Circuit
Judicial Nominating Commission in 2008 by Gov. Charlie Crist, and reappointed for
another four-year term in 2012 by Gov. Rick Scott. Landman served as President for
the Indian Harbour Beach Little League and has contributed or been involved with numerous
community schools and charities. He was first appointed to the Board (succeeding Clarence
McCotter) for a term that started June 19, 2009 and ended May 31, 2013. Gov. Scott
reappointed Landman for a second four-year term in 2013 and reappointed him for a
third term in July 2017 that runs through 2021. Landman was renamed Chair of the Board in August 2021, a position he has held since the 2017-18
academic year. He was also board chair from August 2011-14 and again for the 2015-16
academic year. Landman served as the board's vice chair from August 2014 to August
2015 and again for the 2016-17 academic year.
Ronald Howse is a professional engineer, licensed in the state of Florida, and president
of a development, engineering and land planning company. The Cocoa resident received
his Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering from the University of Central Florida. He is
a former Board Member of the East Central Florida Regional Planning Council, former
Board Member of the Kissimmee/Osceola County Chamber of Commerce, and former Assistant
Director of the Public Works for the City of Altamonte Springs. He was first appointed
by Gov. Charlie Crist and then twice by Gov. Rick Scott to the Florida Transportation
Commission that helps guide the state’s transportation policy and currently serves
on the panel. Gov. Scott appointed Howse to the Governing Board of the St. Johns River
Water Management District. Gov. Scott appointed him to the Eastern Florida State College
Board of Trustees for a term that began July 15, 2015. He was reappointed for another
four year term in January 2021 by Gov. Ron DeSantis. Howse is the Vice Chair of the
Board, a position he has held since the 2017-18 academic year.

Winston Scott is a Senior Vice President at the Florida Institute of Technology, also known as Florida Tech, and former NASA astronaut who flew on two space shuttle missions in 1996 and 1997, logging over 24 days in space and conducting three spacewalks with nearly 20 hours outside the spacecraft. He is a former Navy Captain who also served as Vice President of Student Affairs at Florida State University and Executive Director of the Florida Space Authority. Scott earned a Bachelor Degree in music education from FSU and his Masters Degree in aeronautical engineering from the United States Naval Postgraduate School. Gov. DeSantis appointed Scott to the Eastern Florida State College Board of Trustees in March 2021.
Bruce Deardoff is the chairman of Deardoff Automotive Group, which is comprised of
several auto dealerships in Central Florida, including Island Mercury, Jaguar and
Land Rover on Merritt Island. The dealerships employ more than 350 people. He is also
a former member of the Canaveral Port Authority Board of Commissioners, appointed
in early 2010 to fill a vacant seat. He won election to the post later that year and
was reelected in 2012. Deardoff helped guide the Port through a period of unprecedented
growth that included more than $1 billion in capital spending on new projects. The
work strengthened the Port’s role as an important engine of economic growth along
the Space Coast and in Central Florida. A Brevard County businessman for more than
30 years, he has also dedicated countless hours to civic organizations and philanthropic
causes. Deardoff received a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing from Fordham University
in New York. Gov. Rick Scott appointed him to the EFSC Board of Trustees for a four-year
term that began in July 2018. Gov. Ron DeSantis reappointed Deardoff to a second four-year
term in January 2021.
Dr. Edgar Figueroa is a general surgeon with more than 30 years of experience in general and
trauma surgery. He practices with Steward Medical Group and at Sebastian River Medical
Center. Dr. Figueroa has been a leader in bringing state-of-the-art robotics to the
operating room. He is a Fellow of the American College of Surgery. Prior to his current
position, he practiced at Holmes Regional Medical Center, where he was on the Health
First Foundation Board, and also served as Assistant Professor of Surgery and Medical
Director at the University of Florida Health Science Center in Jacksonville. Dr. Figueroa
has also been a surgeon at Hollywood Medical Center, Memorial Regional Hospital Trauma
Center and Mount Sinai Hospital, all in South Florida. He received his Bachelor’s
Degree from the University of Puerto Rico and his Doctor of Medicine Degree from the
University of Central del Este also in Puerto Rico. Gov. Rick Scott appointed him
to the EFSC Board of Trustees in July 2018 and he was reappointed to a new four-year
term by Gov. Ron DeSantis in January 2021.