ANGELA GARCIA FALCONETTI
PRESIDENT, POLK STATE COLLEGE, WINTER HAVEN
Polk County’s largest institution of higher education, Polk State College has about 13,000 degree-seeking students, 9,000 people in workforce training and 1,200 employees. Under Falconetti’s leadership, the college has secured more than $82 million in state funding. Nearly 70% of its graduates remain in Polk County. In 2022, the college was allocated $13.2 million for the design and planning of the future Polk State Haines City-Davenport Campus.
EDUCATION: New York University (BA), University of North Florida (Ed.D, M.Ed.)
SOMETHING SURPRISING: I taught dance professionally in New York City at the Broadway Dance Center, where I served as a substitute tap instructor teaching members of the Rockettes.
INDUSTRY TREND: A positive trend within the higher education industry is the development of public-private partnerships to advance opportunities for students and our workforce talent pipeline. Polk State, for example, benefits from strong partnerships with our healthcare organizations including AdventHealth, BayCare, Lakeland Regional Health and Orlando Health.
