Florida Tech President Named President of Sunshine State Conference

MELBOURNE, FLA. — Anthony J. Catanese, Ph.D., president of Florida Institute of Technology, has been named president of the Sunshine State Conference (SSC), an NCAA Division II multi-sport organization. His two-year term begins this spring.

President of Florida Tech since 2002, Catanese is credited with augmenting the university’s participation in the SSC with five more competitive sports. They are men’s and women’s golf and tennis, and women’s soccer. His goal is “to continue the work to make the SSC the best Division II Conference in America.”

The Sunshine State Conference, formed in 1975, today includes baseball, men’s and women’s basketball and golf, women’s rowing, men’s and women’s soccer, softball, men’s and women’s tennis and women’s volleyball. Member institutions are Florida Tech, Barry University, Eckerd College, Florida Southern College, Lynn University, Nova Southeastern University, Rollins College, Saint Leo University and the University of Tampa.
Before coming to Florida Tech, Catanese was president of Florida Atlantic University (FAU) in Boca Raton, Fla., where he also was professor of finance and real estate. While there, he started a Division I football program, created nationally-ranked teams in softball and swimming, and joined the Atlantic Sun Athletics Conference. He became its president from 2001 to 2002.

From 1986 to 1990 he was dean and professor of architecture and planning at the University of Florida’s College of Architecture in Gainesville, Fla. Prior to that post he was director of the Center for Planning and Development and a research professor at Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta.
He continues his lifelong interest in sports by competing in road races locally and statewide as a Master’s Runner. He recently completed his thirtieth marathon.