MONEY

FLORIDA TODAY's latest Business Newsmakers

Wayne T. Price
Florida Today
Don Platt

Platt to head grad program at Florida Tech

Don Platt, an aerospace entrepreneur, assistant professor and longtime director of the Space Systems Master’s Programs at Florida Tech’s School of Extended Graduate Studies, recently was named director of the university’s Spaceport Graduate Center.

The Titusville site, located adjacent to the gate to Kennedy Space Center, offers 11 in-demand master’s degrees, including space systems, logistics management and commercial enterprise in space. It has graduated directors of information technology, NASA astronauts, high-ranking military officials, NASA program directors and executives from some of the nation’s largest employers, including FedEx and United Launch Alliance.

Platt, who has a Ph.D. in human-centered design engineering and master’s degrees in aerospace engineering and space systems, all from Florida Tech, sees growth ahead at the Spaceport site because it offers programs that align so well with the needs of industry.

“The current growth in the commercial space industry here along the Space Coast offers us the ability to serve a growing and changing space industry,” he said.

Since 1998, Platt has served as faculty member and program director at the Spaceport site. He also remains involved in the private sector.

He founded the aerospace company Micro Aerospace Solutions Inc. in 2002 and continues to be involved in the Melbourne-based operation. He spent three years as lead software engineer at Bionetics Corporation at Kennedy Space Center, where he designed and coded embedded systems used on space shuttles, among other duties. And he worked as a systems engineer for Boeing Corporation at KSC.

NcNees’ service noted

Mike McNees

Melbourne City Manager Mike McNees recently received a 30-year service award from International City/County Management Association (ICMA) at the 104th ICMA Annual Conference in Baltimore, Maryland.

ICMA Local Government Service Awards recognize and celebrate members’ dedication to public service and professional management at the local level. Awards are based on the number of years of full-time employment in local government. McNees was recognized for his 30-year career in local government leadership. In addition to his present position as Melbourne City Manager, he has also served as County Administrator for Blaine County, Idaho, and was the City Manager of Sarasota, Florida. Earlier in his career he held several management positions in Collier County, Florida, including six years as Assistant County Manager/COO.

Eastern Florida State College student honored

Susan Slaton

Eastern Florida State College bachelor's program student Susan Slaton recently received a state honor for her volunteer work on campus and in the community.

Slaton, a student assistant on the Cocoa Campus, is the recipient of the 2018 Florida Campus Compact Student Excellence in Service Award for the 28-member Florida College System.

A grandmother and the first member of her family to attend college, Slaton was cited for a wide range of work that benefited fellow students and residents of the Space Coast.

She has volunteered 900 hours with the college’s Service-Learning and Civic Engagement program, advising students and working with the college’s Rotaract Club to help disadvantaged youth.

Her involvement with other civic organizations includes Brevard Children in Need, which helps 1,600 homeless children, Crosswinds Youth Services, Junior Achievement and United Way Brevard.

Slaton was honored as a Service-Learning program Citizen Scholar when she received an Associate in Arts Degree from EFSC in 2016 and is now studying for a bachelor’s degree in business.

In 2017, she received another major statewide honor – the Florida Campus Compact Newman Civic Fellows Award. The Newman Civic Fellows Award is given to students for what the Compact calls “their ability to inspire.”

To submit a Business Newsmaker item contact Wayne T. Price at 321-242-3658 or wprice@floridatoday.com.