Southwest Florida College, Tampa Campus, Holds 37th Commencement Ceremony

Graduation Ceremony will take place Thursday, June 16, 2011 at The Tampa Theatre.

Mr. Gilbert T. Gonzalez

Tampa, Fla., (May 25, 2011) – A self-made entrepreneur whose career has been dedicated to changing the way small disadvantaged technology solutions businesses are perceived by Government contracting organizations and large national contractors, will accept an honorary degree and deliver the commencement address to 191 students receiving bachelor’s degrees, associate’s degrees and diplomas at Southwest Florida College’s 37th commencement exercise, planned for Thursday, June 16 at The Tampa Theatre.

Gilbert T. Gonzalez will deliver the Commencement Address and will also receive an Honorary Doctorate Degree in Humane Letters. Gonzalez is the President and Founder of Mission Critical Solutions and leads the company’s overall strategic direction. His depth and breadth of experience in designing IP-Converged Technology and IT/telecommunications mission critical solutions for commercial, military, and other Federal, state and local government clients has resulted in the fastest-growing privately owned technology firm in the Tampa Bay area for four years running.

In 2000, Gonzalez led Mission Critical Solutions to become a certified minority owned 8(a) small disadvantaged business (SDB) as well as a certified HUBZone business. Mission Critical Solutions was a finalist in 2004 and 2005 for the for the Greater Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce Small Business of the Year and in 2005, Gonzalez was named the Small Business Person of the Year for Florida by the U.S. Small Business Administration.

In addition to leading a full-time staff of over 230 with branch and project offices located throughout the country, Gonzalez has published both software and case studies related to the fields of Strategic Management and Business Policy. He holds both the Low-Voltage Specialty Electrical Contractor (ES) and an Unlimited Electrical Contractor (EC) licenses for Mission Critical Solutions.

The Tampa native holds a Masters of Business Administration (MBA) degree in Management of Information Systems (MIS) and Economics from University of South Florida (USF), graduating with Honors and is a frequently requested lecturer at business forums.

Since the College was founded in 1974, approximately 5,200 students have graduated with degrees, diplomas and certificates in career fields such as health care, legal studies, education, business, design and information technology – all of which offer high growth potential. This year’s ceremony will be held at 6 p.m., Thursday, June 16 at The Tampa Theatre. For more information on the event and directions to The Tampa Theatre, please call (813) 630-4401 or visit swfc.edu.

About Southwest Florida College: Southwest Florida College is an accredited, private institution of higher learning that is listening to employers and providing its students with placement assistance in today’s most demanding career fields. The college is located in Fort Myers, Tampa, Port Charlotte and Bonita Springs. The Institute of Interior Design is also located within the Bonita Springs campus. For more information, call 813-630-4401 or visit www.swfc.edu.

Contact: Diana Sabino
Director of Marketing Communications
Website: www.swfc.edu
E-Mail: info@swfc.edu

###