A well-regarded civic leader who has helped propel Orlando’s trajectory as the fastest major metro area in the United States, Martins has spent 30 of his nearly 40 years in professional sports management as part of the Orlando Magic organization. For his many years of dedicated service and leadership, Martins became the 14th person inducted to the NBA franchise’s Hall of Fame.

The Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½Â grad, who earned his master’s in business administration in 2001, joins the likes of fellow Hall of Famers Shaquille O’Neil, Anfernee “Pennyâ€� Hardaway and Dwight Howard.

“His decades of work with the Orlando Magic and his continued investment in our university reflect the character and commitment that define Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½.â€� — Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ President Alexander N. Cartwright

“Chair Martins leads with humility, generosityÌý²¹²Ô»å a deep sense of responsibility to this community,â€� says Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ President Alexander N. Cartwright. “His decades of work with the Orlando Magic and his continued investment in our university reflect the character and commitment that define Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½. As chair of our Board of Trustees, I see every day how deeply he believes in this institution and the opportunities we create for Central Florida. His induction into the Orlando Magic Hall of Fame is a well-deserved recognition of a remarkable careerÌý²¹²Ô»å all of us at Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½Â are proud to celebrate this moment with him.â€�

Man of the Hour

Martins was inducted on Monday, March 23, at Kia Center, near the Orlando Magic Fan Experience.

“We are excited to welcome Alex Martins into the Orlando Magic Hall of Fame,� says Orlando Magic chairman Dan DeVos. “His innovative business acumen has transformed our organization, while working tirelessly to make the Magic an invested community partner. For his efforts that spanned three decades, this is truly a worthy recognition for Alex and his family, and we look forward to continuing to work with him in his role as vice chair.�

Ties that Bind

Martins was named  in 2021 and also serves on the dean’s executive council for the . Martins served on the developmental board of the globally acclaimed  at Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½, which is funded through a $9 million endowment by Rich and Helen DeVos and awards dual master’s degrees in sport managementÌý²¹²Ô»å business administration. Under Martins’ leadership, the Magic contributed $1.5 million to the construction of Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ Downtown in 2015, the first major private donation for the campus.

He is a member of the College of Business’ Hall of Fame and recipient of the university’s Distinguished Alumnus Award.

Magic Career

Martins serves as vice chair of the Orlando Magic. In this position, he acts as a senior advisor to the Magic Board of Directors to advance long-term strategic initiatives and serve as a resource to Magic executives.

Martins also represents the Magic as the team’s alternate governor to the NBA Board of Governors, and oversees all operations of the Orlando Solar Bears of the ECHL and the Osceola Magic of the NBA G League.

Martins served as the Orlando Magic’s CEO for 14 seasons (2011-25). He has held various senior-level management capacities with the Magic between 1989-98 and upon his return to the organization in 2005, including director of media relations, executive vice president of marketing and franchise relations, presidentÌý²¹²Ô»å chief operating officer.

During his tenure as CEO, the Sports Business Journal named the Magic as one of the “Best Places to Work in Sports,� the only franchise in the four major professional sports leagues to receive the recognition in 2024.

His effort and collaboration with local business and political leaders helped to secure the Kia Center as a sports and entertainment home, which opened in October 2010. The Kia Center was named the Sports Business Journal’s Sports Facility of the Year in 2012.

Martins has also held senior executive positions with the New Orleans Hornets, the NFL’s Cleveland Browns and Tavistock Group. He started his career as a student assistant in the Villanova sports information department, assisted in the Philadelphia 76ers public relations department and was also the assistant sports information director at Georgetown University.

Harold Mills, an Orlando entrepreneur who also has held executive positions in several companies, was unanimously chosen to continue serving as vice chair for two years. He was elected as the board’s vice chair in February.

Martins oversees all operations of the Orlando Magic and has spent more than three decades in professional sports management. A well-regarded civic leader, he earned his MBA from Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½, where he is a member of the College of Business’ Hall of Fame and recipient of the university’s Distinguished Alumnus Award.

He serves on the dean’s executive council for the Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ College of Business. Martins served on the developmental board of the at Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½, which is funded through a $9 million endowment by Rich and Helen DeVos and awards dual master’s degrees in sport management and business administration. Under Martins’ leadership, the Magic contributed $1.5 million to the construction of Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ Downtown in 2015, the first major private donation for the campus.

“I want to thank the board for their confidence and for the honor of serving as your chair for the next two years,� Martins says. “I look forward to working alongside you and working closely with President Cartwright and our faculty, staff and students to continue to help us become one of the great universities in this country.�

Martins has previously chaired a number of community organizations, including the Metro Orlando Economic Development Commission and The Central Florida Partnership. Martins serves or has served on the boards of the Orlando/Orange County Convention & Visitors Bureau, the Central Florida Commission on Homeless and the Governor’s Council of the Orlando Economic Partnership.

Mills is the CEO of VMD Ventures, which invests in entrepreneurs in technology and service industries. He joined the Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ Board of Trustees in 2019 and is the chair of the board’s Finance and Facilities Committee.

He previously served as chairman and CEO of ZeroChaos, a global workforce management company that he built into a multi-billion-dollar company with operations in over 53 countries.

Mills serves on the boards of Guidewell and Florida Blue, Rollins College, Nemours Children’s Hospital, the Dr. Phillips Performing Arts Center and LIFT Orlando, among others. He is a past board member for Florida Council of 100, Florida A&M University, and the Jacksonville Branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta and the former chairman of Florida Citrus Sports.

Mills earned a bachelor’s degree from Purdue University and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

“I’m excited to continue the great work of this university,� Mills said. “We’re grateful to have President Cartwright and the rest of his team lead us on this journey celebrating the enormous achievements of this institution and pursuing its grand aspirations. It’s rewarding and fulfilling work.�

Martins and Mills thanked current board Chair Beverly Seay for her service. Seay will remain a Board of Trustees member, focusing the remainder of her term on the board on academic excellence, student success and strengthening Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½â€™s partnerships with the simulation and defense industries.

President Alexander N. Cartwright praised Seay for her leadership and for helping to convince him to come to “this amazing place.�

Addressing Martins and Mills, Cartwright said, “You have both been incredibly active as trustees, engaged and helpful. You’ve asked all the right questions, and you continue to push for what we are looking for, which is to become an exceptional institution. I look forward to working with you to make that happen as quickly as possible.�

The 13-member Board of Trustees consists of six members appointed by the governor and five appointed by the Board of Governors. The chair of the university’s Faculty Senate and the president of Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ Student Government also are members.

The selections — chosen from 60 business categories — were based on their contacts in regional business circles, “culminating in a highly selective biographical guide to the people who really run Florida.�

Four people named to the list are on the Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ Board of Trustees: Chair Beverly Seay and members Alex Martins ’01MBA, Harold Mills and William Yeargin.

• Seay, a longtime leader in Central Florida’s modeling and simulation industry, has served on the board since 2013. She is a member of the National Center for Simulation Hall of Fame and also served as chair of the Dean’s Industry Advisory Board for the College of Engineering and Computer Science.
• Martins, vice chair of the board, is CEO of the Orlando Magic. He is also a member of the College of Business Hall of Fame, serves on the Dean’s Executive Council, and is a recipient of the university’s Distinguished Alumnus Award. He earned his degree in business administration.
• Mills is CEO of VMD Ventures, which focuses on enabling aspiring entrepreneurs who create technologies and tech-enabled services that create new market spaces.
• Yeargin is CEO of Correct Craft, which manufactures fishing, utility and recreational boats and operates watersports parks.

Names of others with Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ roles:

• Thad Seymour Jr., former interim president of the university, who retired earlier this year. He previously oversaw development of the Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ Downtown campus and was a senior vice president of Tavistock Development, where he led strategy and development for Lake Nona Medical City.
• Clint Bullock ’95, is a board member of the Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ Foundation and general manager and CEO of the Orlando Utilities Commission. He earned his degree in marketing.
• Brian Butler is a board member of the Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ Foundation and president and CEO of Vistra Communications in Tampa.

Other Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ alumni at organizations in Orlando and around the state:

• George Cheros ’78 ’80MBA, president and CEO of National Center for Simulation, earned his degrees in accounting and business administration
• Steve Hogan ’01, CEO of Florida Citrus Sports, earned his degree in journalism and played football at Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½.
• Inez Long ’98²Ñµþ´¡, president and CEO of Black Business Investment Fund Florida, earned her degree in business administration.
• Karen Moore ’79, founder and CEO of Moore Inc., Tallahassee, earned her degree in history and played volleyball and tennis at Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½.
• Terry Shaw ’90MBA, CEO of AdventHealth, Altamonte Springs, earned his degree in business administration.
• John Sowinski ’86, founding partner of Consensus Communications, earned his degree in public administration and was president of Student Government.
• Rasesh Thakkar ’84, senior managing director of Tavistock Group, earned his degree in accounting.
• Richard J. Walsh ’77 ’83MS, CEO of Knob Hill Group, who previously served as chair of the Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ Board of Trustees, earned his degrees in political science and public policy and was awarded an honorary doctorate in 2014.

Ava Parker, a former member of the Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ Board of Trustees, is now president of Palm Beach State College, West Palm Beach.

“Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ and the Orlando Magic have been partners for more than 20 years, dating back to their first donation to the Golden Knights Club,â€� said President John C. Hitt. “Most recently, they were the first to step forward to help us secure the new Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ Downtown campus.â€� The Orlando Magic’s $1.5 million pledge will support a new academic building that will be the centerpiece of the downtown campus.

Caryn Grant, a student in the DeVos Sport Business Management program, spoke of her academic journey beginning as a sports journalist and now serving local sports-based organizations through the DeVos program. “On a daily basis, I am moved by the mosaic of backgrounds and career goals expressed by my classmates, with the common factor being our desire to make a difference through the power of sport,� she said.

She thanked the Orlando Magic for giving annually to help fund many of the initiatives within the program. “Donors like the Orlando Magic give more than just dollars to the university,� she said. “They give time, experience, opportunity and inspiration.�

Alex Martins, chief executive officer of the Orlando Magic, and Marcos R. Marchena, a senior partner of Marchena and Graham law firm, were among the 20 trustees named to university boards around the state.

Martins of Winter Park also is a member of the Metro Orlando Economic Development Commission, and has served on numerous other Central Florida boards, including the Central Florida Commission on Homelessness, Coalition for the Homeless, Orlando/Orange County Convention & Visitors Bureau, and Seaside National Bank.

He earned a B.S. in business administration from Villanova University and a masters at Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½, where he serves on the advisory council for the dean of the College of Business Administration.

He has served on the Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ board since 2013.

Marchena of Orlando is chairman of the Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ Board of Trustees. He also serves as general counsel for the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority, and previously was a board member of the Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ Foundation, Higher Education Funding Council, Valencia College Board of Trustees, and Central Florida YMCA.

He earned a B.A. in political science at Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½, graduated from Stetson University College of Law, and has been a member of The Florida Bar since 1985.

He has served on the Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ board since 2011.

The 13-member Board of Trustees is responsible for budgeting, implementing programs and maintaining education standards of Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½.

President Hitt and first lady Martha Hitt contributed $100,000, as did trustee Alex Martins, a Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ alumnus and CEO of the Orlando Magic, and Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ Foundation Board of Directors member Dick Nunis. Other leading personal contributors include trustee Robert Garvy and Phyllis Klock, chairwoman of the Foundation Board of Directors.

The commitments from Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½â€™s leadership include gifts from trustees, deans, vice presidents, and members of the Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ Foundation and Alumni Association boards of directors.

“Our university’s leaders are making generous personal investments in Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ Downtown because they know the campus will greatly expand educational opportunities for students,â€� said Mike Morsberger, vice president for alumni relations and development. “Their support, along with the commitments from our community partners, is vital to make this innovative campus a reality.â€�

Earlier in January, the Orlando Magic and CFE Federal Credit Union each pledged $1.5 million toward the construction of the new academic building that Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ would share with Valencia College.

Orange County commissioners voted unanimously to contribute $3 million, and Valencia College will contribute $2 million.

Additionally, the value of in-kind contributions of land and infrastructure by the City of Orlando and the developers of Creative Village is approximately $75 million.

Pending approvals, the campus will open in fall 2018. Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ Downtown will offer students an innovative learning environment within walking distance of a wide array of internship and job opportunities in fields such as digital media, communication, public service and health-related programs. Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ will share the campus with Valencia College, which will offer programs in digital media, health information technology and culinary and hospitality, including workforce training and other certificates to increase access to education in the immediate downtown area.

The new academic building at Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ Downtown will complement a renovated Center for Emerging Media building where Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½â€™s nationally ranked graduate video gaming school, the Florida Interactive Entertainment Academy, is located. One-third of the new building will be funded by private donations. The university also is contributing $20 million from its resources and asking the state for an additional $20 million.

The 12th annual list is made up of leaders in politics, business, education, sports, health, philanthropy and other fields.

Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ President John C. Hitt earned the No. 4 ranking, following Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer; attorney, businessman and philanthropist John Morgan; and Lars Houman, president and CEO of Florida Hospital and Florida Division Adventist Health System.

Under Hitt, who has been president since 1992, Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ has become the nation’s second largest university with about 61,000 students. The magazine praised Hitt for leading the effort in October of breaking ground with industry and government partners on the Florida Advanced Manufacturing Research Center in Osceola County, a $270 million project to develop sensors for assorted electronic devices. Hitt also received the Historical Society of Central Florida’s 2015 John Young History Maker Award for lifetime achievements making a historic impact on the community.

Others with Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ roles named to the list were:

In addition to alumni Martins and Marchena (College of Sciences, Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ Class of 1982) several other Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½Â graduates are on the top-50 list:

The 11th annual list in the magazine’s July edition represents the region’s political leaders, educators, business owners, tourism officials and others who lead and inspire.

Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ President John C. Hitt earned the No. 4 ranking. The top three names on the list are Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer, attorney and businessman John Morgan, and Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs.

Hitt, Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½â€™s president since 1992, leads the nation’s second-largest university with nearly 60,000 students. The magazine praised the development of high-tech and research areas at Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½, as well as the creation of the Blackstone LaunchPad to help students develop entrepreneurial ideas into successful businesses.

Others with Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ roles who were named to the list are:

In addition to Martins, Marchena (College of Sciences, Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ Class of 1982) and Atchison (College of Business Administration, ‘92), there are five other Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½Â alumni on the top-50 list:

A separate list in the Orlando article includes 12 people to watch in the coming years, including these Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ graduates:

Hitt placed No. 7 on Maxwell’s annual compilation, which includes names from government, business, health care, legal and other fields.

Hitt has been president since 1992 and has built Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ into the nation’s second-largest university with nearly 60,000 students. 

“He’s respected and visionary,â€� Maxwell said. “Right now, Hitt’s top challenges are keeping college affordable and dealing with a Legislature prone to cutting education.â€�

Hitt also founded the Florida High-Tech Corridor Council and has been involved with numerous local and state organizations, including the Metro Orlando Economic Development Commission Fundraising Campaign, Council of 100, Orange County Chairman’s Transportation Commission, and others. Former Gov. Jeb Bush once called Hitt and Walt Disney the two most transformative figures in Central Florida’s history.

Others on the list with connections to the university are:

To see the complete list, click .

The appointment, which is subject to confirmation by the Florida Senate, was made in Miami during a meeting of the Board of Governors of the State University System. Martins replaces former Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ trustee Meg Crofton, who moved to California.

Martins holds an MBA from Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½, where he is a member of the College of Business Administration’s Hall of Fame and serves on the Dean’s Executive Council for the college.

He has spent 26 years in professional sports management, mostly in executive positions with the Magic, and became the team’s CEO in 2011.

Over the past eight years, Martins also led the Magic in a transformation of its business operations, which saw the most successful business year in franchise history in the 2010-11 season.  The transformation received the recognition of the SportsBusiness Journal, which named the Magic as a finalist for Professional Sports Team of the Year, the only NBA team to be named a finalist.

In addition, Martins was instrumental in helping to secure the new state-of-the-art Amway Center in Orlando, which opened in October 2010.  The facility was named a finalist for the SportsBusiness Journal’s Sports Facility of the Year Award for two consecutive years, and captured the award in 2012.  Additionally, the Amway Center was honored with the 2013 Customer Experience Award by TheStadiumBusiness Awards.

Martins also is past chairman of the Metro Orlando Economic Development Commission and The Central Florida Partnership. He serves on the board of directors of the Orlando/Orange County Convention & Visitors Bureau, the Central Florida Commission on Homelessness, the executive committee of the Dr. Phillips Performing Arts Center and the Central Florida board of directors for Seaside National Bank & Trust.

Martins, a native of New Jersey, earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Villanova in 1986. He lives in Orlando with his wife, Juliet, and two daughters.

Each state university in Florida has a 13-member Board of Trustees responsible for budgeting, implementing programs and maintaining education standards. The Board of Governors appoints five of the trustees; the governor appoints six members, and the other two members are the chair of the Faculty Senate and the president of the student body.

The appointment will run until January 2016.