Harold Mills, an Orlando entrepreneur who also has held executive positions in several companies, was unanimously chosen to continue serving as vice chair for two years. He was elected as the board’s vice chair in February.

Martins oversees all operations of the Orlando Magic and has spent more than three decades in professional sports management. A well-regarded civic leader, he earned his MBA from UCF, where he is a member of the College of Business’ Hall of Fame and recipient of the university’s Distinguished Alumnus Award.

He serves on the dean’s executive council for the UCF College of Business. Martins served on the developmental board of the at UCF, which is funded through a $9 million endowment by Rich and Helen DeVos and awards dual master’s degrees in sport management and business administration. Under Martins’ leadership, the Magic contributed $1.5 million to the construction of UCF Downtown in 2015, the first major private donation for the campus.

“I want to thank the board for their confidence and for the honor of serving as your chair for the next two years,” Martins says. “I look forward to working alongside you and working closely with President Cartwright and our faculty, staff and students to continue to help us become one of the great universities in this country.”

Martins has previously chaired a number of community organizations, including the Metro Orlando Economic Development Commission and The Central Florida Partnership. Martins serves or has served on the boards of the Orlando/Orange County Convention & Visitors Bureau, the Central Florida Commission on Homeless and the Governor’s Council of the Orlando Economic Partnership.

Mills is the CEO of VMD Ventures, which invests in entrepreneurs in technology and service industries. He joined the UCF Board of Trustees in 2019 and is the chair of the board’s Finance and Facilities Committee.

He previously served as chairman and CEO of ZeroChaos, a global workforce management company that he built into a multi-billion-dollar company with operations in over 53 countries.

Mills serves on the boards of Guidewell and Florida Blue, Rollins College, Nemours Children’s Hospital, the Dr. Phillips Performing Arts Center and LIFT Orlando, among others. He is a past board member for Florida Council of 100, Florida A&M şŁ˝ÇÖ±˛Ą, and the Jacksonville Branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta and the former chairman of Florida Citrus Sports.

Mills earned a bachelor’s degree from Purdue şŁ˝ÇÖ±˛Ą and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

“I’m excited to continue the great work of this university,” Mills said. “We’re grateful to have President Cartwright and the rest of his team lead us on this journey celebrating the enormous achievements of this institution and pursuing its grand aspirations. It’s rewarding and fulfilling work.”

Martins and Mills thanked current board Chair Beverly Seay for her service. Seay will remain a Board of Trustees member, focusing the remainder of her term on the board on academic excellence, student success and strengthening UCF’s partnerships with the simulation and defense industries.

President Alexander N. Cartwright praised Seay for her leadership and for helping to convince him to come to “this amazing place.”

Addressing Martins and Mills, Cartwright said, “You have both been incredibly active as trustees, engaged and helpful. You’ve asked all the right questions, and you continue to push for what we are looking for, which is to become an exceptional institution. I look forward to working with you to make that happen as quickly as possible.”

The 13-member Board of Trustees consists of six members appointed by the governor and five appointed by the Board of Governors. The chair of the university’s Faculty Senate and the president of UCF Student Government also are members.

The selections — chosen from 60 business categories — were based on their contacts in regional business circles, “culminating in a highly selective biographical guide to the people who really run Florida.”

Four people named to the list are on the UCF Board of Trustees: Chair Beverly Seay and members Alex Martins ’01MBA, Harold Mills and William Yeargin.

• Seay, a longtime leader in Central Florida’s modeling and simulation industry, has served on the board since 2013. She is a member of the National Center for Simulation Hall of Fame and also served as chair of the Dean’s Industry Advisory Board for the College of Engineering and Computer Science.
• Martins, vice chair of the board, is CEO of the Orlando Magic. He is also a member of the College of Business Hall of Fame, serves on the Dean’s Executive Council, and is a recipient of the university’s Distinguished Alumnus Award. He earned his degree in business administration.
• Mills is CEO of VMD Ventures, which focuses on enabling aspiring entrepreneurs who create technologies and tech-enabled services that create new market spaces.
• Yeargin is CEO of Correct Craft, which manufactures fishing, utility and recreational boats and operates watersports parks.

Names of others with UCF roles:

• Thad Seymour Jr., former interim president of the university, who retired earlier this year. He previously oversaw development of the UCF Downtown campus and was a senior vice president of Tavistock Development, where he led strategy and development for Lake Nona Medical City.
• Clint Bullock ’95, is a board member of the UCF Foundation and general manager and CEO of the Orlando Utilities Commission. He earned his degree in marketing.
• Brian Butler is a board member of the UCF Foundation and president and CEO of Vistra Communications in Tampa.

Other UCF alumni at organizations in Orlando and around the state:

• George Cheros ’78 ’80MBA, president and CEO of National Center for Simulation, earned his degrees in accounting and business administration
• Steve Hogan ’01, CEO of Florida Citrus Sports, earned his degree in journalism and played football at UCF.
• Inez Long ’98˛Ńµţ´ˇ, president and CEO of Black Business Investment Fund Florida, earned her degree in business administration.
• Karen Moore ’79, founder and CEO of Moore Inc., Tallahassee, earned her degree in history and played volleyball and tennis at UCF.
• Terry Shaw ’90MBA, CEO of AdventHealth, Altamonte Springs, earned his degree in business administration.
• John Sowinski ’86, founding partner of Consensus Communications, earned his degree in public administration and was president of Student Government.
• Rasesh Thakkar ’84, senior managing director of Tavistock Group, earned his degree in accounting.
• Richard J. Walsh ’77 ’83MS, CEO of Knob Hill Group, who previously served as chair of the UCF Board of Trustees, earned his degrees in political science and public policy and was awarded an honorary doctorate in 2014.

Ava Parker, a former member of the UCF Board of Trustees, is now president of Palm Beach State College, West Palm Beach.