The UCF Foundation Board of Directors has elected four new members. The new directors were unanimously elected by the full board and approved by the UCF Board of Trustees.
All four were selected for their community leadership and professional expertise. The new members will guide the foundation by supporting fundraising efforts, acting as financial and investment advisors, managing the foundation’s real estate and governing the business affairs of the foundation.
The additions to the UCF Foundation Board of Directors are:
Ricardo Cardenas ’92 was named president and chief operating officer of Darden Restaurants in January 2021. In this role, he has responsibility for all restaurant operations as well as supply chain, development, franchising & international and consumer insights. Previously, Cardenas served as chief financial officer for Darden Restaurants. As CFO, Cardenas lead all financial functions for the company including finance and accounting, corporate reporting, corporate tax, treasury and investor relations. An accounting and finance graduate, Cardenas is a 2018 UCF College of Business Hall of Fame recipient.
James Harhi ’97 is an entrepreneur and founder of JFH Technologies LLC, which specializes in family entertainment centers and consulting. Harhi founded and sold three other small businesses and is now a partner at ProParks Attraction Group, which specializes in the amusement industry by owning, operating, and consulting for domestic and international clients. He holds a degree in interdisciplinary studies and has volunteered as a UCF social media ambassador. His wife, Brooke (Bloodworth) Harhi ’00 ’02MA, holds both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in English.
Stuart Heaton is the executive vice president and chief operating officer of Elevation Financial Group and is a key executive officer of its affiliated companies. He has served for more than two decades as a senior executive directing and managing a broad spectrum of operational, legal and capital-related activities for micro-to-large cap publicly traded companies. In addition, he is a licensed attorney who has practiced law in both the private sector and in-house for 30 years. He is a parent to two Knights — Geoffrey ’17 and Christopher, a current student.
Michael Hinn ’92 is the co-founder and CEO of Knight Agency, an Orlando-based brand consultancy founded in 1994. Hinn won the UCF Alumni’s Lifetime of Service Award in 2012 for his 18-plus years of contributions to UCF, UCF Alumni and Pegasus magazine. He is also an honorary inductee to the Nicholson School of Communication and Media Hall of Fame, a member of UCF’s President’s Circle, The Charles Millican Legacy Society and UCF Athletics Shareholders Society. Hinn’s wife, Christine Summa Hinn ’90, is also a proud alumna with a degree in organizational communication.
