After being honorably discharged from the Marine Corps, he completed a Bachelors Degree, four Masters Degrees, and a Doctorate Degree. Every one of these degrees had a specific purpose. For example, he completed the Masters Degree in Counseling and Human Development so that he would be qualified to counsel the veterans and military personnel who pursued their degrees at the education centers he administered for Northwest Florida State College on Eglin Air Force Base and Hurlburt Air Force Base. He completed the Masters Degree in Political Science (augmented by 18 graduate hours of history) so he could teach the history and political science courses veterans and military personnel needed at these two centers at Eglin and Hurlburt (it can be difficult to get professors to teach on the bases because they consider the conditions “primitive” compared to being on campus). He completed the Masters Degree in Management so he would be qualified to lead his college through the transition to offering a four-year degree in Management that so many veteran and military students needed. Thousands of veterans and military personnel are better off today because of his hard work on their behalf.

Dr. Goetsch has been a dynamo in economic development for more than 30 years now. His commitment to creating jobs for veterans, military personnel who separate from the service in Okaloosa County every year, and the people of Florida continues to this day. In Okaloosa and Walton Counties, his name is synonymous with economic development and assistance to veterans. He has created numerous institutes that to this day are still helping Floridians and Florida companies improve and expand. He is also well-known in economic development circles statewide (as well as outside of the state). Because of his contributions to economic development, thousands.

EDUCATION AND TRAINING ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Dr. Goetsch completed an Associate Degree prior to enlisting in the Marine Corps. After serving in the Marine Corps he completed a Bachelors Degree, Four Masters Degrees, and a Doctorate Degree. He also completed an additional 36 semester hours of graduate work to augment two of his Masters Degrees as shown below:
• Doctorate in Educational Leadership. Nova Southeastern University, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, 1979.
• Masters in Educational Leadership. University of West Florida, 1976.
• Masters in Counseling and Human Development. Troy State University—Florida Region, 1988 (Plus an additional 18 semester hours in Psychology).
• Masters in Political Science/lnternational Relations. Troy State University—Florida Region, 1992 (Plus an additional 18 semester hours in History).
• Masters in Management. Troy State University—Florida Region, 1996.
• Bachelors in Education. University of West Florida, 1975.
• Associate in Science. Pensacola Junior College, 1969.

PROFESSIONAL HISTORY

Dr. Goetsch has served the state of Florida and its citizens with distinction as a professor and administrator at Northwest Florida State College for 40 years (1976 to present). He retired as Vice-President of the College on December 30, 2011 but continues to teach part-time as Professor of Business and Management. During his 40 years with the College he has established himself as one of the most widely published college professors in the United States (he has written more than 60 books in the fields of business, professional development, economic development, and political science as well as more than 600 columns/articles in these fields). He also established himself and his institution as leaders in economic development, and became known statewide for his leadership in economic development. His often stated philosophy concerning community colleges and economic development is this: “If community colleges are going to prepare people for jobs, they must do the hard work of creating jobs. Otherwise they become brain drains on their communities.”

His professional achievements in higher education are summarized in this section:

Vice-President for Community Relations, Economic Development, Branch Campuses, and Workforce Development at Northwest Florida State College. Responsibilities included: the College’s relationships with business, industry, government, and the military; administration and leadership of six branch campuses (including the Joint Campus shared with the University of West Florida); founder and administrator of the College’s Leadership Institute, Quality Institute, and Institute for Professional Development; and principal administrator of the Colleges’ military education centers at Eglin Air Force Base and Hurlburt Air Force Base. Previous positions with the College include instructor, professor, department chair, division director. Dean, and Provost. Dr. Goetsch continues to serve as Professor of Business and Management on a part-time basis. During his 40 years with the College, Dr. Goetsch has served thousands of Florida’s students helping them develop into solid citizens who continue to contribute to Florida’s economic well-being through their leadership in business, industry, and the military (education related awards summarized below. Prior to joining the College full-time Dr. Goetsch worked in the private sector in an engineering firm (Southern Prestressed Concrete) from 1968 to 1971 and again from 1973 to 1976.

Achievements as an administrator:

Dr. Goetsch distinguished himself as an administrator at the College by playing a leadership role in: 1) transitioning the College from Okaloosa-Walton Junior College to Okaloosa-Walton Community College to Okaloosa-Walton College to Northwest Florida State College, 2) establishing and building three new campuses for the college (the Fort Walton Beach Campus, Robert L.F. Sikes Campus in Crestview, and the South Walton Campus; 3) expanding the Chautauqua Center in DeFuniak Springs; 4) establishing the College’s distance learning program; 5) establishing the College’s Leadership Institute, Quality Institute (operated in conjunction with the Okaloosa Economic Development Council), and the Institute for Professional Development; 6) leading the team that established the College’s first four-year degree program (B.S. in Project Management); and 5) transforming the College into a regional leader in economic development.

Achievements as a Professor and Instructor:

Dr. Goetsch distinguished himself as a teacher by being named: 1) America’s Technical Program of the Year in 1984 by the U.S. Department of Education, 2) Florida’s Technical Educator of the Year in 1986 by the Florida Vocational Association, 3) OWJC’s Outstanding Instructor of the Year in 1976, 4) the University of West Florida’s Outstanding Instructor of the Year in 1982, 1983,1984, and 1985 (while teaching as an adjunct professor), 5) a Master Teacher in 1990 by the National Institute for Staff and Program Development, 6) a Master Teacher in 1990 by Phi Delta Kappa, and 7) Outstanding Vocational Educator of the Year in 1988 by the Okaloosa Vocational Association.

Achievements as a Scholar:

Dr. Goetsch distinguished himself as a scholar by: 1) authoring 60 plus books in his academic fields—six of which are bestsellers and have been translated into several foreign languages including Korean, Indonesian, Malaysian, Spanish, and Hindi (most of these books can be seen by searching on Dr. Goetsch’s name at Amazon.com); 2) authoring more than 600 articles and columns in professional journals; 3) being enshrined on Prentice Hall Publishing Company’s Wall of Fame; 4) being selected as a speaker at numerous professional conferences; and 5) being named editor and principal author for the journal Patriot Update.

Achievements as an educational leader in economic development:

Dr. Goetsch distinguished himself as a leader in economic development by: 1) co-founding the Okaloosa Economic Development Council, The Walton Economic Development Council, the Walton Economic Development Alliance, the Technology Coast Manufacturing & Engineering Network, and the Gulf Coast Alliance for Technology Transfer; 2) being selected by the Florida Economic Development Council three times as Northwest Florida’s “Economic Development Volunteer of the Year” for Region 1 (1992, 1996, and 2008); 3) serving on the Board of Directors of the Florida Manufacturing Technology Center, an affiliate organization of Enterprise Florida; 4) serving on the Board of Directors of Florida’s Great Northwest (the 16 county regional economic development organization); 5) leading the countywide effort to earn Okaloosa County’s designation as a “Blue Chip Community for Economic Development” from the Florida Department of Commerce (when Jeb Bush was Secretary of Commerce); 6) authoring the book, Economic Development 101 that is used by economic development councils throughout the United States for training volunteer board members and officers; 7) serving as the strategic planning consultant on economic development for numerous counties and cities; 8) serving as Chairman of the Board of the Okaloosa Economic Development Council twice (1997 and 2012); 9) serving as President of the Niceville-Valparaiso Chamber of Commerce twice (1989 and 2007); 10) serving as President of the Fort Walton Chamber of Commerce in 2004; 11) serving on the Boards of Directors of the Niceville, Fort Walton Beach, Crestview, and Walton County Chambers of Commerce; 12) receiving the “James Campbell Community Service Award” and “Chamber Champion Award” from the Niceville-Valparaiso Chamber, the “Spirit of Freedom Award” from the Northwest Florida Daily News, “Member of the Year” award from the Niceville-Valparaiso Chamber in 1986, and the “Community Engagement ” award from the Carnegie Foundation in 2009; and 13) being named one of only two lifetime board members of the Niceville-Valparaiso Chamber of Commerce; 14) being named the only lifetime board member of the Okaloosa-Economic Development Council in the EDC’s history; and 15) Serving as Florida’s representative on the Southern Technology Council (the economic development arm of the Southern Growth Policies Board—comprised of the 13 southern governors).

Achievements in business and industry relations for the College:

Dr. Goetsch distinguished himself in the area of business and industry relations by: 1) establishing the College as a regional leader in corporate training by developing several corporate training institutes housed at the College and administered by him including The Leadership Institute, the Institute for Professional Development, and The Quality Institute; 2) providing corporate training for more than 100 companies annually for more than 20 years; 3) serving on the Boards of Directors of companies in the region including the Fort Walton Medical Center and Fort Walton Machining; and 4) becoming the most frequently quoted person in the history of the Northwest Florida Daily news on business issues.

Achievements in Resource Development:

Dr. Goetsch distinguished himself in the area of resource development, raising millions of dollars for the College by: 1) authoring or co-authoring the only
two Title III grants the College has ever received; 2) writing the College’s Carl Perkins grants for a period of 16 years; and 3) assisting the College’s Foundation in raising hundreds of thousands of dollars in private donations from business and industry.

Achievements in Maintaining Relationships with the College’s Principal Partner in Higher Education:

Dr. Goetsch distinguished himself in maintaining positive relationships with the College’s partner institution, the University of West Florida, as evidenced by: 1) maintaining positive relationships over 20 plus years while working with four different UWF presidents and four different directors of the College’s Joint Campus with UWF in Fort Walton Beach; 2) being selected as a Distinguished Alumnus of UWF in 2002; 3) being selected as one of UWF’s “Top Forty Alumni” in its first 40 years of operation in 2007; 4) serving as an adjunct professor for UWF at the undergraduate and graduate levels and earning “Instructor of the Year” honors from UWF in 1982, 1983, 1984, and 1985.

Dr. Goetsch served as President of the Niceville-Valparaiso Chamber of Commerce twice (1989 and 2007) and of the Fort Walton Beach Chamber of Commerce in 2004. He also served on the Boards of Directors of the Niceville-Valparaiso Chamber of Commerce, Fort Walton Beach Chamber of Commerce, Crestview Chamber of Commerce, and Walton Chamber of Commerce for multiple three-year terms. Dr. Goetsch is one of only two individuals named as lifetime directors of the Niceville-Valparaiso Chamber of Commerce.

ADVOCACY ON BEHALF OF VETERANS

• Florida Defense Support Task Force. Dr. Goetsch served as the founding Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Florida Defense Support Task Force—an organization established by the Florida Legislature whose members are appointed by the Governor, Florida Senate, and Florida House of Representatives. After his term as chairman expired, he served as the Task Force’s permanent vice- chairman. The goal of the Task Force is to make Florida the most military-friendly state in the United States. Under Dr. Goetsch’s leadership, the Task Force was transformed from a piece of legislation into a fully staffed organization with a vibrant membership of high-level board members including the Lt. Governor, members of the Florida House of Representatives, and several retired generals and admirals. During his tenure as chairman, the Task Force developed a comprehensive strategic plan for making Florida the most military-friendly state in the U.S., supported the efforts of one of its members (Judge Pat Maney) to establish Veteran’s Rehabilitation Courts throughout Florida (this project is now a reality), hired a high-level, well-connected lobbyist on Washington, D.C. to help Florida stay prepared for a new round of Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) Commission activities, and worked with the Florida Legislature to recommend and assist in the development of legislation (and corresponding funding) to help military bases and veterans in Florida (See letter from Governor Scott appended to this package).

• Principal Administrator for Northwest Florida State College’s Military Education Centers. Dr. Goetsch administered the education centers at Eglin Air Force Base and Hurlburt Field for 30 years, providing advising, counseling, and courses for military personnel and veterans throughout the region. During these years he served thousands of active duty military students and veterans who pursued college degrees at these two military education centers.

• Responsible for Military Relations for Northwest Florida State College. Dr. Goetsch was the Colleges “lead” administrator for military and veteran’s relations for 30 years. This responsibility involved representing the College at all military functions at Eglin Air Force Base and Hurlburt Field, working closely with the education officers at both bases to provide courses and degree programs on the bases, administering the College’s education centers at both bases, and being a member of the Military Affairs Councils of the Niceville-Valparaiso and Fort Walton Beach Chambers, and representing the interests of military personnel, veterans, and their families within the College.

SUMMARY OF CIVIC ACTIVITES AND CONTRIBUTIONS

Dr. Goetsch distinguished himself as a civic and community leader by: 1) co-founding the Okaloosa Economic Development Council, The Walton Economic Development Council, the Walton Economic Development Alliance, the Technology Coast Manufacturing & Engineering Network, and the Gulf Coast Alliance for Technology Transfer; 2) being selected by the Florida Economic Development Council three times as Northwest Florida’s “Economic Development Volunteer of the Year” for Region 1 (1992,1996, and 2008); 3) serving on the Board of Directors of the Florida Manufacturing Technology Center, an affiliate organization of Enterprise Florida; 4) serving on the Board of Directors of Florida’s Great Northwest (the 16 county regional economic development organization); 5) leading the countywide effort to earn Okaloosa County’s designation as a “Blue Chip Community for Economic Development” from the Florida Department of Commerce (when Jeb Bush was Secretary of Commerce); 6) authoring the book. Economic Development 101 that is used by economic development councils throughout the United States for training volunteer board members and officers; 7) serving as the strategic planning consultant on economic development for numerous counties and cities; 8) serving as Chairman of the Board of the Okaloosa Economic Development Council twice (1997 and 2012); 9) serving as President of the Niceville-Valparaiso Chamber of Commerce twice (1989 and 2007); 10) serving as President of the Fort Walton Chamber of Commerce in 2004; 11) serving on the Boards of Directors of the Niceville, Fort Walton Beach, Crestview, and Walton County Chambers of Commerce; 12) receiving the “James Campbell Community Service Award” and “Chamber Champion Award” from the Niceville-Valparaiso Chamber, the “Spirit of Freedom Award” from the Northwest Florida Daily News, “Member of the Year” award from the Niceville-Valparaiso Chamber in 1986, and the “Community Engagement ” award from the Carnegie Foundation in 2009; and 13) being named one of only two lifetime board members of the Niceville-Valparaiso Chamber of Commerce; 14) being named the only lifetime board member of the Okaloosa-Economic Development Council in the EDC’s history; and 15) Serving as Florida’s representative on the Southern Technology Council (the economic development arm of the Southern Growth Policies Board—comprised of the 13 southern governors).

HONORS AND AWARDS 

• “Distinguished Alumnus.” University of West Florida, 2002.
• “Selected as one of the “Top Forty Alumni” in the University of West Florida’s first 40 years of operation, 2007.
• “Community Engagement Award.” Carnegie Foundation, 2009 (Awarded to the College on the basis of Dr. Goetsch’s economic development activities).
• “Career Recognition.” U.S. House of Representatives, 2011 (Sponsored by Representative Jeff Miller).
• “David L. Goetsch Gallery.” The Gallery of the Leadership Institute of Northwest Florida State College was named after Dr. Goetsch following his retirement, 2012.
• Profiled in Florida Trend Magazine upon retirement, 2012.
• “Outstanding Technical Program in the United States” in 1984 (Dr. Goetsch’s Engineering Graphics Program that pioneered the concept of Computer-Aided Design). Presented by U.S. Secretary of Education Terrell Bell.
• “Outstanding Technical Educator in Florida” in 1986. Presented by the Florida Vocational Association in conjunction with the Florida Department of Education.
• “Outstanding Instructor of the Year” in 1982,1983,1984, and 1985, University of West Florida (as an adjunct).
• “Outstanding Instructor of the Year” in 1976, Okaloosa-Walton Junior College.
• “Administrative Excellence Award” in 1994, Florida Association of Community Colleges.
• “Research Award” in 1988, Phi Delta Kappa.
• “Master Teacher Award” in 1990, National Organization for Staff and Program Development (NISOD).
• “Master Teacher Award” in 1990, Phi Delta Kappa.
• “Leader of Leaders Award” in 1997, Okaloosa Economic Development Council.
• “Spirit of Freedom Award” in 2006, Freedom Newspapers, Inc. and Northwest Florida Daily News.
• “James Campbell Community Service Award” in 2005, Niceville-Valparaiso Chamber of Commerce.
• Florida’s “Economic Development Volunteer of the Year” (Region 1) in 1992, 1996, and 2008. Chosen by the Florida Economic Development Council.
• “Merit Award.” Florida Manufacturing Technology Center, an affiliate of Enterprise Florida,
• “Leadership Award.” Leadership Walton: A program of the Walton Chamber of Commerce,
• “Member of the Year” in 1986, Niceville-Valparaiso Chamber of Commerce.
• “Instructor Excellence Award.” L-3 Communications/Crestview Aerospace Corporation (for excellence in providing on-site corporate training for employees, 2005.
• “George Washington Honor Medal” in 1972, Freedom Foundation at Valley Forge.