NADE 2009 Keynote Speakers

SANFORD C. SHUGART Dr. Sanford C. “Sandy” Shugart serves as the fourth president of Valencia Community College, one of the nation’s largest and most celebrated two-year colleges. Valencia, the second largest producer of graduates in the country, is especially well regarded for its learning centered approach to higher education, its economic development programs, and its outstanding academic programs. Dr. Shugart came to Valencia after serving as president of North Harris College in Texas and Vice President of the North Carolina Community College System. He received his doctorate from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He is a published poet and songwriter and enjoys life with Jane, his wife of 23 years, and their four children in Orlando, Florida. BELLE S. WHEELAN Dr. Belle S. Wheelan currently serves as President of the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and is the first African American and the first woman to serve in this capacity. Her career spans 33 years and includes the roles of faculty member, chief student services officer, campus provost, college president, and Secretary of Education. She was the first African American and/or woman to serve in several of these roles. She has served as Director of Developmental Education and Director of Academic Support Services at San Antonio College. Dr. Wheelan has received numerous awards and recognition including four honorary degrees; the Distinguished Graduate Award from Trinity University (2002), and from the College of Education at the University of Texas at Austin (1992); Washingtonian Magazine’s 100 Most Powerful Women in Washington, DC (2001); and the AAUW Woman of Distinction Award (2002).