Jim Murdaugh

President, Tallahassee state College, Tallahassee

Founded in 1966, TSC has been consistently ranked as one of the top community colleges in the nation. It offers post-secondary education for residents statewide, especially those in Leon, Gadsden and Wakulla counties. Its main focus is offering seamless transfer opportunities and in-demand career training. It has nearly 16,000 students and about 1,500 employees. Murdaugh has been in a leadership role there since 1999 and president since 2010.

EDUCATION: Florida State University (BS, MS, Ph.D.)

MENTOR: I have been blessed to have had several incredible mentors in both my professional and personal life. Each of them influenced me in very specific ways, but none of them had the profound and lasting impact on me that my father had on both my professional and personal life. He taught me the importance of integrity, and knowing the difference between who I am and what I do and to never confuse the two.

READING: I have shared Necessary Endings, by Dr. Henry Cloud, with colleagues to help them gain the insight and courage to make the tough decisions that need to be made to be more successful in their professional and personal lives.

INSPIRING FLORIDIAN: I had the privilege of getting to know former Gov. Reubin Askew when I took a doctoral class he taught in public administration at Florida State University. I learned how his uncompromising principles and transformative impact on our state in a host of areas serves as an example of both what is possible to achieve in politics and how best to do so in collaboration with those who might disagree with you.

MOTIVATIONAL MANTRA: 'All knowledge is about the past, and all decisions are about the future.' It’s important to remember that our decisions as leaders should create the best conditions for others to be successful given the uncertainties associated with the consequences of a decision. And no one should have to guess what success looks like.