Peter Trakas, EdD
The University of South Florida (USF) College of Education welcomes Peter Trakas, EdD, as the new director of the Gus A. Stavros Center for Free Enterprise and Economic Education.
In this role, Trakas will lead the Stavros Center in its mission of advancing the effective teaching and integration of economic education, free enterprise and financial literacy into K-20 curricula. Trakas joins the Gus A. Stavros Center from the USF Foundation, where he served as the university’s Director of Corporate Relations.
“I am pleased to welcome Dr. Peter Trakas as the new director of the Gus A. Stavros Center,” said College of Education Dean R. Anthony Rolle, PhD. “Dr. Trakas possesses a strong background in relationship building and fundraising with leaders in business, corporations and nonprofit organizations, which serve as the foundation for effective partnerships in support of the Stavros Center’s mission and vision.”
Trakas brings with him more than 25 years of higher education administration experience in various roles within institutional advancement. He received his Doctor of Education in educational leadership from the University of Central Florida in 2003 and an MBA from Stetson University in 1998. His scholarship explores online giving, university advancement and the ways in which private and corporate stakeholders can be engaged by higher education institutions to support student success. Additionally, Trakas has taught undergraduate courses at USF, the University of Arizona Global Campus and Jacksonville University.
Trakas succeeds USF Professor Emeritus Dominic J. Puglisi, PhD, who has served as director and endowed chair of the Stavros Center since its inception in 1975.
“Having the privilege to collaborate with the Stavros Center and Dr. Puglisi during my time at USF, I have seen firsthand the impact that the center has on the teaching profession, and how teachers value the professional development they receive through the center’s seminars, workshops and other activities,” Trakas said. “The Stavros Center has a rich tradition of service to K-12 teachers, and it is an honor to be selected to continue that tradition as the center’s next leader.”
The Gus A. Stavros Center has a more than 40-year history of serving K-12 teachers while continuing its mission of strengthening economics education and free enterprise within Florida schools. Today, the center is recognized as the premier destination for economic education in the state of Florida and has received numerous honors in celebration of its excellence in economic education at the local, state and national levels.
Trakas begins his appointment to the role on May 27.