Mr. Mark Logas

Professor of Political Science

PERSONAL BACKGROUND
Professor Mark Logas is a native Floridian, born and raised in Central Florida. He is married and has two daughters.

EDUCATION & DEGREES
Professor Logas earned his AA degree from Lake-Sumter Community College in 1983, his BA from the University of Central Florida in 1985, and his Masters degree from UCF in 1990. He was also Student Government President at Lake-Sumter during the 1982-1983 academic school year.

COLLEGE LEVEL TEACHING EXPERIENCE
Professor Logas has been a full-time, tenured Political Science faculty member at Valencia College since 2002. In addition, he has taught Mass Media & Politics, State Government & Public Policy, and Politics in Film classes at UCF since 2009. He also taught as an adjunct instructor at Lake-Sumter Community College and the University of Central Florida between 1988 and 1996.

VALENCIA COLLEGE YEARS
Since his arrival in 2002, Professor Logas has taught U.S. Government classes, including dual enrollment sections for seven years at Hungerford Prep High School. In addition, Professor Logas restructured the State & Local Government class on the East Campus and has offered it each semester since his arrival. On occasion, his students have been recognized on government television when visiting city council and county commission meetings in person. Professor Logas was also asked to create a Government & Media class which was added to the catalog in Spring 2003. Professor Logas was the coordinator for the college-wide Civic Leadership Internship Program for six years. The program received national recognition at various conferences and coverage by local news media highlighting students who achieved their goal of becoming civic leaders through leadership initiatives that made a difference in our community. For over six years, Professor Logas served as the coordinator of the East Campus Veterans Group where he put together the annual Veterans Day program. In 2018, one of the few remaining Tuskegee Airmen, Richard Hall, participated as the Keynote Speaker.

VALENCIA COMMITTEES
Professor Logas is the coordinator of the Bill Castellano Civic Leadership Scholarship Committee, a member of the Tenure Review Committee, and was elected to serve on the Faculty Senate in 2012. During his tenure at Valencia he was one of the leaders of the college-wide Learning Outcomes Committee, Faculty-2-Faculty Committee, Valencia SPD Travel/Funds Committee, Director of Library Service Hiring Committee, has taught a LinC class with Professor Linda Neal, and has participated in numerous Destinations workshops to enhance student learning and expand teaching skills for faculty in the classroom.

ACADEMIC AWARDS
Professor Logas is proud of the academic awards he has received, including being named "Professor of the Semester-Spring 2004" by the Alpha Gamma Omega Chapter of Phi Theta Kappa, earning the "Certificate of Appreciation for Making A Difference" as coordinator of the Civic Leadership Internship Program in 2006, being a recipient of the 2007 National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development (NISOD) Excellence Award, being nominated for the 2012 Lake-Sumter Community College Distinguished Alumni and Hall of Fame Awards, being selected in 2013 as a recognized Valencia College leader and participant in Pivot 360, being nominated by peers for the 2014 Valencia College Faculty Association Award for Excellence in Teaching, and being selected for a Valencia College Sabbatical Leave during the Fall 2015 semester to research ways to encourage pre-college and college-level students to learn about government. His research and commitment to that mission has earned him credit by elected officials and academic leaders for working with state legislators to help pass the Civics Literacy Requirement. In 2009, Professor Logas was one of three statewide community college professors nominated and elected to serve on the executive council of the Florida Political Science Association. He was nominated again in 2012 and elected to his second term on the executive council. In 2015, Professor Logas was nominated again and elected to serve his third term on the executive council. In 2017, after serving as the Event Coordinator for the FPSA Annual Conference, Mark was elected as 2nd Vice President. In 2018, Mark was nominated and elected 1st Vice President. In 2019, Mark was nominated and elected as President of the Florida Political Science Association.

BROADCAST RADIO & TELEVISION CAREER
Prior to coming to Valencia College, Professor Logas spent over 25 years in broadcast radio and broadcast television covering state and local government and coordinating election coverage.

On the broadcast radio side, Mark has worked as a radio disc-jockey, news reporter, talk show host, and news director. In addition, he has covered every election since 1978 and has provided political analysis on radio stations WDBO, WFLA, WLBE, WQBQ, and WMFE/NPR in Orlando. Between 2002 and 2010, Mark worked exclusively with WLBE Radio providing election night coverage and analysis. Since 2013, Mark has been the guest host for Bud Hedinger on the popular “Good Morning Orlando” radio show on 93.1FM/540AM WFLA. In 2014, Mark solo-anchored 93.1FM WFLA's election night coverage. In 2016, he hosted “Decision 2016: The Presidential Election” on 93.1FM WFLA, providing political shows with special guests, while taking listener calls before each debate. Mark also anchored election night coverage from Super Tuesday through the General Election. In 2018, Mark anchored 93.1FM/WFLA’s Mid-Term Election Coverage. Sadly, in 2016, there were two major stories that impacted Orlando. Mark anchored coverage of the Pulse Nightclub Shooting and Hurricane Matthew. In 2017, Mark anchored live coverage of Hurricane Irma providing important information for listeners to help them stay safe during the storm.

On the broadcast television side, Mark has worked as a television news assignment editor at WCPX-Channel 6 (currently WKMG), was hired as the first weekend assignment editor at WESH-Channel 2, where he also worked as election coordinator, a researcher in the investigative unit, and as an assignment desk manager. He was the assistant news director at WVIR-NBC 29 in Charlottesville, VA., returning to Central Florida as special projects producer at WFTV-Channel 9. He has also provided political analysis on WUCF-PBS Channel 24 in Orlando.

BROADCAST NOMINATIONS, AWARDS, AND INTERVIEWS
Professor Logas was nominated for an Emmy Award for "Best TV Newscast" in 1996, earned the "Best TV Newscast Award" in 1997, and received the "Associated Press Best TV News Story Award" in 2000. In addition to his television work, Mark returned to radio in the early 1990's with two successful radio talk shows. Professor Logas was added to the Central Florida Radio Hall of Fame in 2008.

Throughout his broadcasting career, Mark has interviewed well-known people from all walks of life: President Ronald Reagan, Vice President Dick Cheney, Attorney General Janet Reno, Senator Bob Graham, Senator Paula Hawkins, Governor George Allen, Congressman and FL Attorney General Bill McCollum, Governor Jeb Bush, Congressman Daniel Webster, Congressman Louie Gohmert, Congressman Cliff Stearns, Lt. Col. Allen West, civil rights leaders Coretta Scott King, Julian Bond, Bishop E.W. Jackson, and Mat Staver, Florida Highway Patrol Lt. Kim Montes, newsmakers Phyllis Schlafly, Cheney Mason, Bobby Schindler, and James O'Keefe, local leaders Orlando Mayor Glenda Hood and Orange County Mayor Richard Crotty, journalist-columnist-Ukraine Holocaust researcher Greg Dawson, journalist Pavlina Osta, entertainers Jay Leno, Mike Farrell and Jamie Farr (M*A*S*H), Micky Dolenz, Davy Jones, & Peter Tork (The Monkees), Weird Al Yankovic, Dean Butler (Little House on the Prairie), William Devane (Honky Tonk Freeway, -24-), and Charles Keating (Another World, Brideshead Revisited) to name a few.

GUEST SPEAKERS
Through his years in broadcasting, Professor Logas has developed lasting professional relationships and has asked several of these individuals to share their knowledge with students in his various classes. Here are a few of the guest speakers who have visited his students:

Ben Aycrigg~News Anchor/“Walter Cronkite of Central Florida” WDBO Channel 6 for 35 years, Carole Nelson~first female reporter and television news anchor in Orlando, Vanessa Echols~Co-anchor Daybreak newscast WFTV Channel 9, Bruce Hamilton~television news anchor WESH Channel 2 and talk radio host at 580-WDBO Radio, Josh Wilson~ Investigative Reporter WFTV Channel 9, Robin Smythe~General Manager Central Florida News13, Henry Maldonado~General Manager WKMG Local6, Stan Knott~General Manager WOFL-FOX35, Bill Bauman~General Manager WESH Channel 2, Bob Jordan~News Director WFTV Channel 9, Pete Delis~Chief Videographer WESH Channel 2, Marty Stebbins~Meteorologist WESH Channel 2, Greg Dawson~ Columnist Orlando Sentinel and Holocaust Author, Mike Thomas~Columnist Orlando Sentinel, Ron Wallace~Publisher Daily Commercial, Bud Hedinger~Host of Good Morning Orlando! WFLA 540 AM, Shannon Burke~Host of Shannon Burke Show WFLA 540 AM, Pat Campbell~Host of Pat Campbell Show WFLA 540 AM, Michael Yaffee~ Host of Beyond Reason WFLA 93.1 FM, Tom Benson~Program Director Clear Channel Communications/iHeart Media, Pat Duggins~News Director WMFE Radio, Mac McNair~General Manager WLBE 790AM Radio, Congressman Ric Keller~District 8, Congressman Daniel Webster~District 9, Bill McCollum~Florida Attorney General, Lou Frey~former Congressman & Founder of the Lou Frey Institute at UCF, Representative Dan Webster~District 10, Tom Hurlburt~U.S. Marshall, Gabriel Maldonado~FBI Special Agent, Lt. Kim Montes~Public Information Florida Highway Patrol, Dick Batchelor~Civic Leader Liberal Radio Commentator and former FL House Representative, Tico Perez~Conservative Radio Commentator, Fred Brummer~Orange County Commissioner District 2, Tiffany Moore-Russell~Orange County Commissioner District 6, John Martinez~Orange County Commissioner District 3, Steve Triggs~Communications Manager Orange County Government, Jorge Figueredo~Orlando-Orange County Expressway Authority, Lisabeth Fryer~Casey Anthony’s Attorney, Cheney Mason~Casey Anthony’s Attorney, Mark O’Mara~George Zimmerman’s Attorney, Mary Schindler, Bobby Schindler, Suzanne Carr~Terri Schiavo’s Mother, Brother, and Sister.

PUBLICATIONS AND PRESENTATIONS:
Presenter, Community Forum: Community Land Trust and Affordable Housing, Callahan Community Center, April 22, 2019; Presenter, Community Forum: Community Land Trust, Dr. James R. Smith Neighborhood Center, May 9, 2019; Invocation, Orlando City Council Meeting, March 25, 2019; Published, The Political Scientist, Vol 4, Issue 1, August 2018, “US Government-Who Needs It? We The People!”; Published, 2018 Florida Political Chronicle Volume 25 N.2, “US Government-Who Needs It? We The People!”; Published, 2018 Jameson Parker Barking Backward March 3, "What Makes You Think Your Child Is Getting An Education?" Presenter; 2016 FL Political Science Association Conference, “US Government-Who Needs It?”; Interviewed, The Steve Gruber Show, November 11, 2015; Interviewed, Breitbart News Sunday, November 8, 2015; Interviewed, Central Florida Future-Campus Safety, November 5, 2015; Presenter, Created Equal-Central FL Civil Rights, Seminole Co. Library, January 26/28, 2015; Interviewed, Orlando Magazine-Flood Stage, June 2014; Guest Speaker, UCF College Republicans, 2013; Guest Speaker, Spirit of ’76 Gun Club-2nd Amendment Rights, 2013; Guest Speaker, Osceola County Women’s Republican Club-Affordable Care Act, 2013; Guest Speaker, Florida Frontiersmen Association, 2013; Guest Speaker, Lake County Republican Women’s Club-Education Reform, 2013; Featured, East Campus Concentrate, July 2013; Presenter, Florida Political Science Association Conference 2012, Roundtable-Cheney Mason; Featured, Hillsborough College Online News, August 2012; Presenter, Hillsborough Community College-Washington Center RNC Internship, 2012; Presenter, Florida Political Science Association Conference 2011, Government & Media; Quoted, Vitae: Bill Castellano, A Valencia Legend, Summer/Fall 2009; Author, Vitae: Driven To Succeed, Summer/Fall 2008; Presenter, Orange County School Board-Keep Hungerford Prep Open, April 2007; Featured, Valencia Source, Volume 14 Issue 2, 9/21/2005; Guest Speaker, Phi Theta Kappa-Valencia East Chapter, 2005

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
Through the years Professor Logas has volunteered his time and participated in community events including: Muscular Dystrophy Telethons, Public Broadcasting Telethons, reading to school children, conducting badge classes for the Boy Scouts of America, serving as emcee for several Greek Festivals, contributing pictures of old gas station signs and buildings to gassigns.org for historical preservation, participating as a panelist for the “Honky Tonk Freeway Fundraiser” to help raise money for the W.T. Bland Public Library in Mount Dora, teaching free government classes to area homeschool groups, volunteering to speak to various community groups about the Bill of Rights, Common Core, the Affordable Care Act, the Rights of the Criminally Accused, the 2nd Amendment, the Terri Schiavo Case, and Gentrification’s Impact on Minority Communities, writing articles about civic responsibility in educational magazines, conducting a workshop for Hillsborough Community College students as they prepared to intern at the 2012 Republican National Convention in Tampa, FL, addressing members of the Orange County Public School board asking them not to close the only high school in Eatonville, FL (the first established Black Township in America), and serving on the UCF Student Disability Services Faculty Advisory Board. In 2016, Mark served as the Moderator for the Ocoee Mayor/Commission Debate and was also the Master of Ceremonies for the Mothers Against Drunk Drivers Tree Dedication Ceremony. In 2017, he participated in the Dawn Brancheau Foundation Dream Big 5K Run at SeaWorld. In 2019, Professor Logas was asked to deliver the Invocation for the Orlando City Council Meeting on March 25th. He has also provided information related to Community Land Trusts at various neighborhood meetings in the Parramore and Washington Shores communities in Orlando.


Contact

East Campus
Building 1 Room 320
407-582-2028
mlogas@valenciacollege.edu

Hours