Jeffrey Roth, First Inductee into the SFSC Panther Alumni Society Hall of Fame

AVON PARK, Fla. – Dec. 9, 2022 – With the thousands of alumni and exceptional graduates that South Florida State College (SFSC) has nurtured since 1965, selecting an outstanding alumnus to the SFSC Panther Alumni Society Hall of Fame was a difficult task. In its inaugural year, SFSC’s most prestigious alumni honor was awarded on Thursday, Dec. 8, during the SFSC Foundation’s annual Christmas Luncheon at the Hotel Jacaranda in Avon Park. The award was presented to someone who has committed an entire career to serving his community – Jeffrey L. Roth.

“The SFSC Alumni Association is excited to present its first Panther Alumni Society Hall of Fame Award,” said Anastasia Fuchser, coordinator, SFSC institutional advancement and alumni development. “The Foundation’s advisory council felt compelled to recognize our alumni that are making a difference in and around their communities and career fields. We are proud of our Panther alumni and want to honor them with this award. We look forward to showcasing many more of our esteemed alumni in the coming years.”

Roth currently serves as a financial advisor with Edward Jones from his office at the Hotel Jacaranda in Avon Park, Fla. He earned his Associate in Arts from SFSC in 1990 and went on to Webber International University where he graduated in 1994 with a Bachelor of Science in Business Management and a minor in Finance. In 2012, he was awarded a Master of Arts in Management and Leadership from Webster University’s George Herbert Walker School of Business & Technology. Roth returned to SFSC as an adjunct professor to teach Project Management from 2012 to 2014.

Much of Roth’s renown in the community comes from his involvement with the Children’s Advocacy Center in Sebring and The Rotary Club of Sebring. In nominating his father to the SFSC Panther Alumni Society Hall of Fame, Noah Roth illustrated his father’s dedication to protecting children in our community when he said, “During his 15 years as a director, he coordinated a team of nine elements involved in child abuse investigation and treatment. [Those elements included a 54-person team from several local and state agencies.] The sole purpose for him waking up each morning was to minimize the trauma of child abuse victims and provide prevention support to families needing assistance. This was a private/public partnership between the Highlands County Board of Commissioners and the Champion for Children Foundation of Highlands County.”

Through Roth’s application for grants and various private donations, the Children’s Advocacy Center was awarded $160,000 annually. Before leaving to join the Edward Jones Financial Firm, Roth oversaw a $1.5 million construction project that allowed the Children’s Advocacy Center to routinely facilitate 400-450 families annually.

“Through the leadership skills he had accumulated over the years, he was able to manage all facility, operational, promotional, educational, and budgetary matters concerned with the Children’s Advocacy Center,” Noah Roth said.

As a member of the Rotary Club of Sebring, Jeff Roth has invested countless hours of personal time to help raise funds to eradicate polio around the world, clean trash from roadsides during the club’s “adopt a highway” program, as well as other club projects. Roth has been a member of The Rotary Club of Sebring for 28 years and served on its board for 16 years. “He did not join the organization for its stature or its look on an application, but because he is obsessed with enriching the lives of those around him,” Noah Roth said. “The Rotary Club is one of the dozens of civic action organizations and professional boards he has sat on for the sole purpose of taking action in our community for a better tomorrow.”

If Jeff Roth sounds like a real Boy Scout, he is. In fact, before graduating from high school, Roth had earned a minimum of 21 merit badges, served a minimum of six months in a leadership position, completed an Eagle Scout Project, and passed a board of review to become an Eagle Scout, the highest rank attainable in the Boy Scouts of America. After graduating from SFSC in 1990, he took a job with the Gulf Ridge Council as senior district executive/camp director. In 2004, Roth was recognized for creating a culture where young men could learn leadership skills and was awarded the Citizen of the Year award by the Calusa District Boy Scouts. The award is presented to community leaders who provide outstanding civic service to the adults and/or youth in the community.

“Jeffrey Roth is a man who inspires with his actions alone,” Noah Roth said. “He serves not in hope of recognition, but for change to make the world a little better than he found it.”

For more information about the Panther Alumni Society Hall of Fame, call the SFSC Alumni Association at 863-453-3133 or email alumni@southflorida.edu.