The FSU Alumni Association’s Circle of Gold recognizes worthy individuals who, through their service and achievements, personify the university’s tradition of excellence. It is given to those alumni and/or friends of FSU who, through their dedication and loyalty to the University, exemplifies the Alumni Association’s core values of Tradition, Leadership, Family, Spirit and Greatness.
Circle of Gold and Bernard F. Sliger Honorees will be recognized at the Florida State University Alumni Awards during Homecoming weekend.
Please join us in congratulating our 2023 Circle of Gold honorees.
Fred Tresca
(B.S. ’82), College of Business
Woodland, Texas
Entrepreneur Fred Tresca is the founder and managing director of The Aberdeen Organization, where he is responsible for group operations, investments and strategy. Previously, Tresca was the co-founder, principal and managing director of the Branta Group and a partner at Price Waterhouse, where he was a founding partner of their practice in Central Asia and Kazakhstan. Tresca is involved in various boards and committees, including the Bravo! Vail Board of Directors, Vail Valley Foundation Board of Directors, Amegy Bank Advisory Council, Montgomery County Youth Services Board of Directors, The Woodlands Methodist Church and various social clubs. He actively gives back to Florida State University through the College of Business, where he has been recognized for his service as a Charles A. Bruning Distinguished Speaker. Tresca is also a member of the Business School Board of Governors and was inducted into the college’s Hall of Fame in 2015.
Maura Hayes
(B.S. ’82), College of Communication and Information
New York, New York
Maura Hayes is the director of operations for Times Square Studios. Having spent 42 years with the Walt Disney Company, Hayes began her career as a dancer and singer at Walt Disney World in “The Diamond Horseshoe” and the “Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular.” Hayes received Disney’s “Partners in Excellence” award for her spirit and commitment to the guest experience. In 1999, Hayes relocated to New York City to oversee operations for the Disney production facility, “Times Square Studios.” She now leads a team that oversees client and production services for all East Coast properties. She serves on the executive boards of Times Square Alliance and Lincoln Square Business Improvement District. Always answering the call for FSU, Hayes has turned up the lights on Broadway at Time Squares Studios to welcome FSU alumni for various university events. She’s served the university on the Alumni Association’s National Board of Directors, having helped found the Young Alumni Council. Hayes is a previous Inspire honoree and a staunch advocate for supporting the CARE program at FSU and giving back to the next generation of students through mentorship.
Fred Flowers
(B.A. ’69, M.S. ’73), College of Arts and Sciences, College of Social Sciences and Public Policy
Tallahassee, Florida
Fred Flowers of Flowers Law LLC is an expert trial attorney who, for over 40 years, has litigated hundreds of cases involving civil rights, personal injuries, wrongful deaths, wills, probate and guardianship. He was notably the first African American athlete to wear an FSU uniform. Flowers joined the varsity baseball team as a walk-on player and pitched under FSU Hall of Fame coach Fred Hatfield. In addition to his athletic pursuits, Flowers helped create the Black Student Union and was a founding member of the Chi Theta Chapter of Omega Psi Phi fraternity, the first African American Greek-letter organization at FSU. In 2004, he was immortalized in the iconic Integration Statue on FSU’s campus. Flowers has been a member of the Florida Bar since 1981 and has played an active role at Florida State, including establishing the FSU Civil Rights Institute.
Jeanne Curtin
(B.S. ’92, MBA ’99, JD ’01), College of Social Sciences and Public Policy, College of Business, College of Law
Tallahassee, Florida
Jeanne Curtin is the policy chief of the Water Quality, Supply and Treatment Subcommittee for the Florida House of Representatives. She has held positions as deputy general counsel of the Florida Department of Elder Affairs and director of its Livable Florida initiative and in private practice. At FSU, she has served as assistant dean for development and professor of legal research and writing and law practice management at the FSU College of Law. Curtin is the current Chair of the FSU Alumni Association National Board of Directors and serves on the College of Law’s Board of Visitors. She has twice served as a volunteer coach of the law school’s nationally recognized Moot Court team and as chair of the strategic planning committee for the Women for FSU. Committed to student success, she’s endowed a scholarship in honor of her late mother, the Roberta “Bobbie” Rusk Clark Endowment for Marching Chiefs, to support clarinetists. She and her husband, Larry, also established the Larry and Jeanne Curtin Endowed Scholarship in the College of Law to recruit top students to FSU.
Kathy Mears
(B.S. ’03, MPA ’11), College of Social Sciences and Public Policy
Tallahassee, Florida
Kathy Mears is the assistant commissioner for the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. She has spent over 25 years in the highest levels of state government. Mears has worked in the offices of the Florida House Speaker, the Florida Senate and the Office of the Governor, holding leadership roles in policy and communications. She also previously worked as Florida State University’s chief lobbyist, helping secure record funding during her tenure. Mears is active in the Tallahassee community, serving on FSU Health’s Transformational Committee and as a member of the Board of Directors for Capital Health Plan.