UCF alumnus Alex Martins ’01MBA, CEO of the Orlando Magic, was selected as the new chair of the University of Central Florida Board of Trustees in a unanimous vote by his fellow board members Thursday. He will serve a two-year term as chair beginning July 1.
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 DeVos Sport Business Management Program 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 University, 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 University 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.
