James A. Drake
President
Brevard Community College

James A. Drake was named President of Brevard Community College in March 2007, after serving as Interim President since October 2006. Prior to his appointment at BCC, a comprehensive community college serving 27,000 students annually, Dr. Drake served as Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs and Director of the UCF Southern Region campuses, in partnership with Brevard Community College. During his twelve-year tenure, he has worked closely with the BCC administration and with community leaders to increase access to affordable higher education for Brevard County residents.

A native of Columbus, Ohio, Dr. Drake earned the Ph.D. degree from the Ohio State University in 1973. Two years earlier, while completing his doctoral studies, he accepted an offer to join the faculty of Ithaca College (Ithaca, NY). During his eight-year service as a tenured Associate Professor and academic administrator, he served as chair of the Department of Education, Associate Director of Graduate Studies, and Director of Televised Studies. In the latter role, he worked closely with PBS station WNET/13 in New York, and Dave Bell Associates/Media 5 in California, for the distribution of creditearning television courses for teachers in New York State and New Jersey.

In 1979, Dr. Drake joined the University of Tampa (Tampa, FL) as Dean of Metro College, and also served as Assistant Provost of the University. Subsequently, he was named Vice President and Dean of Findlay College (now the University of Findlay), where he served from 1984-87. In June 1987, he accepted a full-time research consultancy and equity partnership with The Travis Group, Inc., an Ohio-based management consulting firm for which he co-directed the higher-education
division.

In 1988, Dr. Drake joined the South Carolina higher-education system as Executive Director of the University Center of Greenville, a multi-university campus governed by nine public and private institutions. Working closely with Greenville Technical College, the state’s largest comprehensive community/technical college, he led the growth and development of the Greenville Center from a single office to a state-of-the-art multi-university campus. From 1991-93, at the request of the S. C. Commission of Higher Education, he also helped develop a second University Center in the Hilton Head area.

The author of seven books and more than fifty articles, Dr. Drake has remained active as a writer and researcher throughout his career. Two of his books, Ponselle: A Singer’s Life (Doubleday & Company), and Richard Tucker: A Biography (E. P. Dutton Company), with forewords by the renowned tenor Luciano Pavarotti, were named “Books of the Month” by the National Book Clubs of America. Locally, Dr. Drake co-authored the book Cocoa: A Living History, a centennial history of the city, for which he and the late Joseph R. Moss received an award from the Florida Historical Society.
Dr. Drake has also written books and articles on an array of subjects including critical thinking, educational philosophy and theory, ethnic history, management and leadership, and American cultural history. He is a contributor to American National
Biography, the 24-volume series published by the Oxford University Press in 1999. He has also served on the editorial board of a vocal-music journal published by the Oxford University Press, and formerly by the Duke University Press.

He has been active in numerous civic and professional organizations, serving on the governing boards of numerous community agencies including United Way of Brevard County, Junior Achievement of East Central Florida, Brevard County Schools Foundation, the National Space Club—Florida Committee, Space Business Roundtable, Economic Development Commission of the Space Coast, LEAD Brevard, the Board of Directors of Wuesthoff Health Systems, and the Brevard County Administrative Board of SunTrust Bank, among others.

Dr. Drake is founding and current chair of the Education for Economic Development Committee of the Economic Development Commission, an advisory committee with representatives from the major public, independent, and for-profit colleges and universities that operate campuses and centers in Brevard County. Dr. Drake has also served as a lay member of committees of the Florida Bar Association, including the 18th Judicial Circuit Nominating Commission and 18th District Grievance Committee. In total, he has served on more than 40 committees, subcommittees, and task forces, primarily in charitable organizations, since becoming a resident of Brevard County.