Polk State College District Board of Trustees selects 2024-2025 leadership

Tuesday, August 27, 2024 — The Polk State College District Board of Trustees (DBOT) selected Cindy Hartley Ross as Chair and Ann Barnhart as Vice Chair for the 2024-2025 Academic Year during the Board’s August meeting on Monday.

President Angela Garcia Falconetti expressed gratitude to Teresa V. Martinez for her service as Chair and Ross for her service as Vice Chair for the 2023-2024 Academic Year. The Board also includes members Ashley Bell Barnett, Greg Littleton, and Ashley Troutman.

“Polk State is fortunate to benefit from a Board comprised of dedicated leaders who work to support our College and community,” Dr. Garcia Falconetti said. “I am grateful to the entire Board for its unwavering support, and I look forward to a successful year ahead under Chair Ross’ leadership.”

Ross is a Polk State Distinguished Alumna who has served on the DBOT for 21 years, from 1999 to 2011 and since 2015. She has served as both Chair and Vice Chair in previous terms. She has also served on the Polk State College Foundation Board and as President of the Polk State College Alumni Association and continues to serve on the Foundation Board as liaison for the DBOT.

“I am deeply committed to Polk State College, which has impacted not only my life but also my family, which boasts 21 individuals who have either graduated or attended Polk State,” Ross shared. “We know firsthand the transformational power of a Polk State education, and this drives my service and work for our students, faculty, staff, and greater community.”

Ross is a Lakeland native and the owner of Social Graces, a company specializing in etiquette and protocol training. She served two terms as the Chair of the Association of Florida Colleges Trustees Commission. She also served as a member of the Board of Trustees for the Florida House in Washington, D.C., and has served on the organization’s Lakeland Council for more than three decades. She serves the Former Members of Congress Spouse Advisory Committee in Washington, D.C., and the Habitat for Humanity Advisory Council.

Ross has served as a Commissioner of the Florida Commission on the Status of Women and as a former member of the Girls Inc. of Lakeland Board of Trustees. Additionally, she is a former Board and Board of Governors member of the Polk Museum of Art and former President of the Polk Arts Alliance, where she served two terms as Board Chair. She is a recipient of the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) Woman of Distinction Award in Art for the Lakeland Metro Chapter.

Barnhart is an experienced healthcare and business professional who has worked in the Central Florida community for more than three decades including as a nursing instructor and consultant for what was then Polk Community College. She was appointed to the Polk State District Board of Trustees in July 2023. She currently serves as Vice President for Strategy and Growth for the AdventHealth West Florida Division.

Barnhart serves in leadership roles on the boards of the Winter Haven Area Chamber of Commerce, GiveWell Foundation, and Winter Haven Economic Development Council. She is also a member of the Associated Industries of Florida Board. In November 2018, Barnhart was selected as a member of Governor Ron DeSantis’s Transition Advisory Committee on Health and Wellness. She has a Master of Science and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Southern Connecticut State University.

“It is an honor to assume the Vice Chair role of our District Board of Trustees, especially during such a historic time in our College’s history as we develop the Polk State Haines City-Davenport Campus,” Barnhart expressed. “I am grateful to my fellow Board members and for Dr. Falconetti and her leadership.”

The District Board of Trustees is made up of members who are vested with oversight of all College policies, including matters related to programs, buildings, finances, and personnel. Florida’s governor appoints the members who serve without compensation. All appointments are subject to Florida Senate confirmation.

About Polk State College

Located in Winter Haven, Florida, and established in 1964, Polk State College is a multi-campus institution serving more than 14,000 students with Bachelor of Applied Science, Bachelor of Science, Associate in Arts, and Associate in Science degrees, as well as 9,000 individuals in a wide range of certificate and workforce training programs. The College also operates three charter high schools.

Polk State’s advantages include small class sizes; hands-on learning; dedicated faculty; day and night classes; online options; affordable tuition; excellent financial aid; and a diverse community and vibrant student life, including fine arts opportunities, clubs, and intercollegiate athletics.