Florida Tech Fall Commencement Set for Saturday, Dec. 17
Mike Sole ’86, VP at NextEra Energy, to Offer Keynote Address
MELBOURNE, FLA. — Florida Tech will hold its fall commencement ceremonies Saturday, Dec. 17 at Clemente Center.
The university will bestow a total of 1,067 degrees, with about 740 students expected to participate in the two ceremonies. Graduates represent 43 countries and 34 states.
The first ceremony starts at 9:30 a.m. and will feature graduates from the Nathan M. Bisk College of Business and the College of Psychology and Liberal Arts. The ceremony for graduates of the College of Engineering and Science and College of Aeronautics begins at 2 p.m.
Florida Tech Interim President Robert L. King will preside over both ceremonies.
Offering the keynote addresses will be alumnus Mike Sole, vice president, environmental services at NextEra Energy, Inc. Sole earned a bachelor’s degree in marine biology from Florida Tech, graduating in 1986.
He has been serving his country and the state of Florida ever since.
A captain in the U.S. Marine Corps, Sole served in the Gulf War. He then was named secretary of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, overseeing Florida’s environmental regulatory programs and the acquisition, conservation and management of public lands.
His entry into the private sector began at Florida Power & Light Co., a NextEra subsidiary. At FPL, he was vice president, state governmental affairs, and was responsible for ensuring constructive government relations with state and federal officials on behalf of the largest electric utility in Florida.
He was later named to his current role as vice president, environmental services, at NextEra energy Inc.
For more commencement information, galleries from past commencements and a link to the live stream of the ceremony, visit https://www.fit.edu/graduation/fall-commencement/.