Dr. Jill Landesberg-Boyle
In May of 2007, Dr. Jill Landesberg-Boyle was named the fourth president, and first woman president, at Florida Keys Community College. The college had been placed on academic warning status in its last re-affirmation visit and enrollment was down to nearly 600 FTE, leaving many to question whether it could be sustained. Dr. Jill Landesberg-Boyle went into action quickly and began a recruitment strategy that turned the school into the fastest growing in the community college system.
Dr. Jill Landesberg-Boyle focused on branding overalling the image from a outdated look with primary colors to a sophisticated palette of soft greens and blues. Knowing that students are fully in the digital age and web connected, she knew that the website was a significant part of the branding inititive. She hired Third Wave Digitial to design an award winning website.
Dr. Jill Landesberg-Boyle also instituted an aggressive fundraising program, attracted millions of dollars to the small college. During her tenure, she brought extensive support to the small community college, including competitive grant funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF) , the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) agencies and a significant congressional appropriation. The role the college played in the internationally broadcasted sinking of the Vandenberg was yet another key to elevating the marine science program which now attracts students from around the country. A highlight of her work at FKCC was having the honor to collaborate with the Honorable Ileana Ros-Lehtinen on important work for homeland port security with the Department of Defense. Her administrative leadership led to congressional approval for a $2.24 million federal appropriation, despite the lack of any established federal record.
Dr. Jill Landesberg-Boyle solicited many national and local partnerships, beginning with a key partnership with Raytheon Corporation featured in Florida Trend Magazine. She also was very active in environmental concerns on campus, including participating in events, ensuring environmental building standards, initiating solar workforce development classes, and choosing a master plan featuring sustainable, native landscaping.