7 honorees selected as 2024 Pensacola State College Distinguished Alumni

Seven trailblazers ─ Judge Gary and Carissa Bergosh, Dr. Richard Fountain, Rep. Michelle Salzman, Commissioner Michael Kohler, James “Jim” Reeves and Senator Doug Broxson ─ were recently recognized as 2024 Pensacola State College Distinguished Alumni.

Marty Stanovich, president and CEO of First Tee Gulf Coast, served as the master of ceremonies for the awards gala held June 22 in the Jean and Paul Amos Performance Studio on the College’s Pensacola campus.

Also on hand for the celebration were 2022 Distinguished Alumni honorees  – Gerry Goldstein, Spirit of PSC; and Mary Hoxeng, Road Less Traveled award recipients.

Four of the honorees are also set to establish new $25,000 scholarships. Judge Gary and Carissa Bergosh and their family are establishing the Bergosh Family Endowed Scholarship with the goal of supporting the “underdogs,” who may not have otherwise have an opportunity to attend college. Dr. Richard Fountain and his family are establishing the Cleveland Kennedy Fountain Memorial Endowed Scholarship in honor of Dr. Fountain’s son. Jim Reeves has established the Cara Morris, Madison Bales and Stefanie Shaddock Endowed Scholarship in celebration of three of his long-time, exemplary employees. All honorees received contributions to the Alumni Association scholarship fund from friends in recognition of their selection as Distinguished Alumni.

The Pensacola State College Alumni Association has agreed to match each donor’s $12,500 gifts to establish future endowed scholarships. The College Foundation now has over 300 donor-funded scholarships.

The awards and honorees were:

Community Impact – Judge Gary and Carissa Bergosh

The Community Impact Award is presented to alumni who have demonstrated a deep commitment to creating positive change and fostering social, economic or environmental improvements.

Gary L. Bergosh serves the First Judicial Circuit of Florida. Over his 18-year career, he has presided over 50 civil and more than 100 criminal jury trials, including death penalty cases. Bergosh oversees family law cases and presides over the Escambia County Veterans Court.

Adopted at age 12 by a U.S. Navy Petty Officer 1st Class, he lived around the world as a child. His father inspired him to serve his country. After working as a teamster with United Parcel Service to pay for college, Bergosh earned a commission in the U.S. Marine Corps in 1989. He served on active and reserve duty for 25 years, retiring as a lieutenant colonel.

He served as the Battalion’s Executive Officer in Kuwait and Iraq during Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. Bergosh was nominated for the Bronze Star and awarded the Meritorious Service Medal for his service in Southwest Asia.

During his legal career, Bergosh served as a Florida Assistant State Attorney, a senior attorney with the Department of Defense Office of the General Counsel, and a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney. He has overseen complex civil cases involving the Federal Tort Claims Act, Medical Care Recovery Act, Federal Claims Collection Act, and federal labor and employment litigation.

In May 2004, the Pensacola Business Journal selected Judge Bergosh as one of Pensacola’s 40 up-and-coming individuals under 40 (40 under 40). In November 2021, he was honored by the Florida Bar Association with the Florida Patriot Award.

Born and raised in Pensacola, Carissa Bergosh was the first person in her family to attend college. After receiving an academic scholarship to Pensacola Junior College, she earned an associate of arts degree in 1986, a bachelor of arts in Elementary Education from the University of West Florida in 1989, and a master’s degree in Guidance Counseling and Personnel Services from the University of Memphis in 1991.

From 1990 until 1996, she taught at schools in Memphis, Tennessee and Manassas, Virginia, and was a teacher/guidance counselor in the U.S. Department of Defense Dependent Schools in Okinawa, Japan. In 1996, Carissa Bergosh joined the Escambia County School District as a teacher/guidance counselor at Bratt, Bellview and Blue Angels elementary schools.

In January 2003, then-Gov. Jeb Bush appointed Carissa Bergosh to serve on the Escambia County School Board in a Florida Constitutional political position for one year due to an emergency vacancy.

Carissa continued teaching and volunteering after her time on the Escambia County School Board. In 2009, she was appointed the first School Liaison Officer between Northwest Florida education agencies and Naval Air Station Pensacola.

Lifetime Achievement – Dr. Richard Fountain

The Lifetime Achievement Award is presented to an alumnus who has reached state, regional, or national recognition and represents the highest level of achievement in their profession or service.

Dr. Richard Fountain is the dean of the College of Business at the University of West Florida and a Clinical Professor in the Department of Accounting and Finance.

Named dean in January 2020, Fountain has led the University through the establishment of Human Resource Management and Executive Master of Business Administration: Leadership Practice and Purpose degree programs. During his tenure, the University also established the Aylstock, Witkin, Kreis and Overholtz Center for Leadership and the College of Business Hall of Fame.

Before his current post, Fountain was chair of the Department of Accounting and Finance. During his two years as chair, he more than doubled the number of students in the Master of Accountancy program.

Fountain has strengthened and built new relationships with local accounting firms and other businesses to increase student internships and permanent job opportunities. He established the Accounting and Finance Advisory Council, comprised of 25 community business leaders who serve as guest lecturers and mentors and aid in recruiting efforts. He’s cultivated relationships with colleges and high schools to recruit more undergraduates, resulting in the completion of an articulation agreement with Pensacola State College.

Fountain has also served on the UWF Development Foundation’s Board of Directors and the UWF College of Business Advisory Council. He has been the faculty advisor for the Delta Sigma Pi business fraternity and on the national board for the Cenikor Foundation, serving as chairman from 2010-2012.

Before joining the University, Fountain was a Mississippi attorney for over 30 years. He founded the Law Offices of Richard M. Fountain in 1987. He earned an associate degree from Pensacola Junior College, a bachelor’s in accounting from UWF, a Master of Laws in Taxation from the University of Florida, and a juris doctorate from the University of Mississippi.

A member of the Hinds County Bar Association and the Mississippi Bar Association, Fountain supports Pensacola High School Athletics, serving as a voluntary historian and publisher of “Florida’s Oldest High School Football Team” and “A History of Pensacola High School Softball.”

Against the Odds – District 1 Representative Michelle Salzman

The Against the Odds Award is presented to an alumnus who has succeeded despite financial, sociological or physical adversity.

Michelle Salzman was first elected to the Florida House of Representatives in November 2020 and is now in her second term.

She is the chair of the Healthcare Regulation Subcommittee and serves on the Appropriations Committee, Health and Human Services Committee, the Rules Committee and the Health Care Appropriations Subcommittee.

A business owner, philanthropist, wife, mother and wounded warrior, Rep. Salzman has served on many boards, including Autism Pensacola, Escambia County Public Schools Foundation and the Pensacola MESS Hall Foundation.

She also serves on the executive board for the Republican Party of Florida as the chair of the appointee caucus. Rep. Salzman served in the U.S. Army for five years and has a Computer Analytics and Business Administration degree.

Distinguished Service – Escambia County District 4 Commissioner Michael Kohler

The Distinguished Service Award is presented to an alumnus who has exhibited exceptional dedication, leadership, and contributions in service to their organizations, community, or society.

Michael Kohler first ran for office in 2022 following a 33-year career in the U.S. Navy. His military career began in 1988 in Pensacola as a hospital corpsman at Naval Hospital Pensacola. Kohler retired as the Executive Officer of Navy Medicine Operational Training Command ─ a tenet command onboard NAS Pensacola.

Kohler graduated from Pensacola Junior College in 1991 with an associate degree in nursing. In 2004, he earned a Master of Education degree from UWF.

Active and engaged in his community, Kohler coordinated a Health Excellence Symposium for the Greater Pensacola area from 1999-2001 and was vice chair of the Escambia County Republican Party from 2011-2014. He was the Rock N Fly Half Marathon and 5K race director from 2014-2020, raising over $230,000 for the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society.

Since 2012, Kohler has served on the Escambia County Health Facilities Authority, which donated $1.5 million to local nonprofits and managed $1.4 billion in bonds for Escambia County. He resigned after being elected to the Escambia County Commission.

Kohler is also a member of AMVETS Post No. 12, American Legion Post 240, Escambia County Republican Executive Committee, Everman’s Co-Op, Gulf Coast Navy Nurse Corps Association, National Rifle Association, Northeast Pensacola Sertoma club, Pensacola Navy League, Pensacola Military Officers Association of America, Tri Gulf Coast, USA Triathlon, University of West Florida Alumni, Veterans of Foreign Wars Post No. 706, Warrington Elks Lodge No. 2108, and West Florida Wheelman.

Hometown Hero – Jim Reeves

The Hometown Hero Award is presented to an alumnus who has achieved success within the College’s service area and has demonstrated notable community involvement.

A Pensacola real estate developer and philanthropist, Jim Reeves served in the Florida House of Representatives, is a former City of Pensacola councilman, and is a founding member of the Irish Politicians Club. He is also the father of the current Pensacola mayor, D.C. Reeves.

After graduating from Pensacola High School, Reeves enlisted in the U.S. Marines and attended Pensacola Junior College. He earned an undergraduate degree from Florida State University and a law degree from Stetson University College of Law.

He serves on many boards, including the Institute for Human and Machine Cognition, Pensacola Cultural Center, Tourism Development Council, Gulf Breeze Rotary and the Downtown Improvement Board.

In 2022, Reeves was named a Pensacola State College Foundation Fellow for his significant contributions to the Institution. In 2015, Reeves and the McGuire Martin family established the Molly McGuire Culinary Arts Endowed Scholarship, one of the PSC Foundation’s largest endowed scholarships.

Reeves’ latest vision is a $250,000 endowed scholarship to train inmates in carpentry, plumbing, electrical, HVAC, and welding. He believes these skills will help prevent recidivism and provide opportunities for constructing tiny home options for low-income families.

Over his lifetime, Reeves has received the Mayor’s Award for Revitalizing Downtown Pensacola from 1972-1977, Gulfside National Bank Chairman of Boards Certificate of Recognition for Charter Board Member and Legal Council in 1986, Gulf Breeze Rotary Citizen of the Year for 2010-2011, and the Florida Bar Association 50-year member distinction in 2012, to name a few. His favorite is the 1999 Gulf Breeze Rotary Rotarian of the Century award.

Spirit of the Emerald Coast – Senator Doug Broxson

The Spirit of the Emerald Coast Award is presented to an alumnus who has made significant contributions to the overall well-being and prosperity of the Emerald Coast community, inspiring others to embrace its rich heritage and continue the legacy of stewardship and community pride.

Part of a Florida family that settled in the Santa Rosa County area in the early 1800s, Senator Doug Broxson ─ the youngest of Bart and Annie Gordon Broxson’s 11 children ─ was born in Pensacola in 1949 at the old Sacred Heart Hospital. He grew up at Broxson Station on the Gulf Breeze peninsula.

In 1956, his father was elected the Santa Rosa County sheriff and moved the family to Milton. Broxson played football at Milton High School and graduated in 1967.

In 1971, he graduated from Evangel University in Springfield, Missouri. While in college, he met and married Mary Bernhardt. After college, the couple moved to Santa Rosa County, where Broxson built a career in real estate, property insurance sales and investments.

In 2010, Senator Broxson was elected to the Florida House of Representatives and re-elected in 2012 and 2014. In 2016, he was elected to the Florida Senate and re-elected in 2018 and 2020 to serve District 1, which includes Escambia, Santa Rosa and Okaloosa counties.

Each 2024 Distinguished Alumni Award recipient also received anonymous donations in their honor, which will be applied to the Alumni Association’s program funds to continue funding the matching scholarship program. Other guests made private gifts to be applied directly to the announced scholarships.

The Distinguished Alumni Awards are held every two to three years, and the PSC Alumni Association Board of Directors votes on honorees. The call for nominations is announced one year before the event date.