Board of Trustees
Valencia College District Board of Trustees
Each of the 28 community colleges in Florida's statewide system is under the local control of a lay District Board of Trustees composed of citizens who serve without pay and are legally vested with decision making power in all matters of college policy, programs, building, budget and personnel.
Each trustee is appointed by the governor. Eight Orange and Osceola County citizens form the Valencia College District Board of Trustees. Meeting in regular sessions, these civic-minded individuals contribute their time and talent to guiding the development of Valencia College so that it remains responsive to the educational needs of its local community.
Daisy Lopez-Cid
Chair
Daisy Lopez-Cid is the owner of Remax Premier Properties. She is the past president of the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals and is the president-elect of the Osceola Association of Realtors.
Beth Smith
Vice Chair
Beth Smith is the vice president of government and education for Cigna. Prior to her current job, she served as corporate manager of community relations for Orlando Health. Smith serves on the boards of the UCF Alumni Association, Winter Park Chamber of Commerce, Downtown Orlando Partnership, the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra and Leadership Florida Regional Council. Smith earned her bachelor's degree from the University of Central Florida, where she is pursuing a master's degree in public administration.
John Davis
Trustee
John Davis is currently Secretary of the Florida Lottery, appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis in October 2020. Prior to that, Davis served in a variety of roles in the public and private sector, including as executive vice president of the Orlando Regional Chamber of Commerce, president of the African-American Chamber of Commerce of Central Florida and as external affairs director for the state Department of Children and Families. Davis earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from Florida State University, where he played on the FSU football team. He later co-founded ProStyle, a fitness company designed to give clients the experience of training like a professional athlete.
Angel de la Portilla
Trustee
Angel de la Portilla serves as president of Central Florida Strategies, a consulting firm with experience representing real estate developers on local government matters involving land use and zoning changes, impact fee deferrals and reductions, assistance with permitting issues, and representation on real estate transactions with the public sector. He has also been involved as a government consultant on large-scale construction and transportation projects representing firms involved in design, engineering, program management, and construction. De la Portilla also serves on the board of directors of NAIOP Central Florida and Business Force.
Guillermo Hansen
Trustee
Guillermo Hansen, of Kissimmee, is the publisher and editor of the newspaper, El Osceola Star. He serves on the board of the Kissimmee/Osceola County Chamber of Commerce for which he founded the Minority Business and the Hispanic Business councils. He has also been an active member of the Osceola Tourist Development Council since 2000. Born and raised in Mexico, Hansen attended Croydon Technical College and London Tourism College.
John Martinez
Trustee
John Martinez is executive director at J.P. Morgan Private Bank. Previously, he was director of PNC Bank’s Capital Markets and a member of the Orange County Board of County Commissioners. Martinez earned his bachelor’s degree from Wake Forest University and juris doctor from the Florida State University College of Law.
Michael A. Sasso
Trustee
Michael A. Sasso is the managing partner at Sasso & Sasso, P. A., a Central Florida law firm. In his legal practice, Sasso devotes most of his time to general civil litigation and business law. President-elect of the Seminole County Bar Association, he earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Florida and his law degree from Barry University School of Law. He also serves on the Judicial Nominating Commission for the Ninth Judicial Circuit, and as a board member of the Central Florida Urban League.
Tracey Stockwell
Trustee
Tracey Stockwell is executive vice president and chief financial officer for Universal Orlando. Before joining Universal Orlando in 1997, she worked at Price Waterhouse. Currently treasurer of the Universal Orlando Foundation, Stockwell is a member of the Florida Institute of CFO's and has served in a variety of roles in the Orlando Economic Partnership. She earned her bachelor's degree from the University of Windsor in Ontario, Canada. She is both a Florida Certified Public Accountant as well as an Ontario Chartered Accountant.