Florida Congressman Bill Posey to Speak at May 8 Florida Tech Commencement

MELBOURNE, FLA. — The Charles and Ruth Clemente Center is the site of Florida Institute of Technology’s spring commencement ceremonies May 8 at 10 a.m. A
highlight of the event will be Florida District 15 Congressman William J. Posey delivering the commencement address.

Posey began his public service career as a Rockledge City Councilman in 1976 and went on to a seat in the Florida House of Representatives in 1992. Later,
as a Florida senator for the 24th district, Posey received numerous awards, including Legislator of the Year from several groups.

He is nationally known for his innovation in bringing greater accountability to government and authored the book Activity Based Total Accountability
(ABTA).

Based on Posey’s system for accountability, Florida Tech’s ABTA Institute, founded through a Florida Department of Education grant, is creating a system
for government oversight. The institute is collecting and analyzing data to produce consistent reports on how each of the 50 states spends valuable tax
dollars in a variety of areas.

Led by Deborah Sater Carstens, associate professor of management information systems, the program is intended to become a major step toward transparency in
government spending.

Founder and president of Posey & Co. Realtors, he has more than 30 years of residential and commercial real estate experience. He has served as
director of the Florida Association of Realtors and president of the Space Coast Association of Realtors.

“We are very pleased that Congressman Posey is taking time out of his busy schedule to speak to our graduates. We look forward to his words of inspiration
for the class of 2009,” said President Anthony J. Catanese.

At the ceremony, about 490 degrees will be awarded. Among them are 350 bachelor’s degrees, including those for 15 dual major graduates. Additionally,
Florida Tech will award more than 200 degrees from its extended graduate sites and 18 more to students in its University Alliance online programs.

Seven bachelor’s degree graduates will receive the Faculty Honors Award for maintaining a 4.0 (perfect) grade point average. Two are from Brevard County.

Receiving honors are James Branam-Lefkove, an applied mathematics graduate from Melbourne, Fla., and alumnus of Westshore Junior-Senior High School; Kelsey
McGinnis, a civil engineering graduate from Melbourne, Fla., and alumnus of Satellite High school; Steven Amago, an electrical engineering graduate from
Port St. Lucie, Fla.; David Chesnutt, a mechanical engineering graduate from Vero Beach, Fla.; Michelle Congdon, a chemical engineering graduate from
Gainesville, Fla.; Kelly Johansen, a chemical engineering graduate from Gulfbreeze, Fla.; and Stephen K. Jones, a molecular biology graduate from
Manchester, N.H.