The Pasco-Hernando State College (PHSC) District Board of Trustees (DBOT) elected a new chair and vice chair for the 2020-2021 academic year at its July 21 board meeting, held via Zoom. Trustee Marilyn Pearson-Adams was elected to serve as chair, succeeding Alvaro Hernandez, and Trustee Rao Musunuru, M.D., was elected to serve as vice chair, a post previously held by new Chair Pearson-Adams.
Marilyn Pearson-Adams, of Brooksville, is the president of Century 21 Alliance Realty, a director with the Greater Hernando County Chamber of Commerce, and previously served as a board member of the Pasco Hernando Workforce Board. Pearson-Adams has served on several professional committees and organizations, and holds relevant real estate industry certifications. She has served on the PHSC DBOT since 2014.
Musunuru, of New Port Richey, Fla., a practicing board certified cardiologist, in Pasco County since 1981, has served as chief of medicine, chief of staff, chairman of continuing medical education and chair of the board of trustees at Regional Medical Center Bayonet Point in Hudson. He has been an active American Heart Association volunteer since 1979 and is a past recipient of the AHA National Chairman’s Award, National Physician of the Year, and National Volunteer Advocate of the Year Award. In 2012, he received the state of Florida Education Commissioners’ Business Recognition Award and in 2013 he was honored with the Association of Community College Trustees (ACCT) Southern Region Trustee Leadership Award. Dr. Musunuru has served on the PHSC DBOT since 1999.
“Chair Pearson-Adams and Vice Chair Musunuru are passionate about PHSC’s mission to provide accessible, affordable higher education and workforce training to the community,” said PHSC President Timothy L. Beard, Ph.D. “As prominent community leaders in, respectively, Hernando and Pasco County, we look forward to the wisdom and guidance that our new board leaders will provide through the year.”
Alvaro Hernandez, outgoing chair, was recognized for his exemplary leadership throughout his 2019-2020 term. Hernandez has served as a trustee since 2017.
Each July, the board elects new leaders and reviews meeting and event dates for the upcoming academic year.
Pasco-Hernando State College (PHSC) serves the educational needs and interests of its community by awarding certificates, diplomas, associate, and baccalaureate degrees. As a comprehensive, multicampus learning-centered institution, PHSC utilizes various instructional modalities and support services. PHSC provides an accessible, diverse teaching and learning environment rich with opportunities for students to achieve academic success and cultural growth in a global society.