People

Dr. LaTanya L. McNeal, executive dean of the Palm Beach State College Belle Glade campus, was inducted into the Inner City Youth Golfers Inc.’s Community Giants Class of 2022 during a ceremony Dec. 10 at the Eastpointe Country Club in Palm Beach Gardens. As a Community Giant, she was also honored with their Administrator of the Year award.

“Dr. McNeal received the award for her love and commitment to the youth, and her service and dedication to the community. Those qualities embody ICYG’s purpose and mission,” said ICYG Executive Director Essie Knowles.

McNeal, who is a 26-year veteran in public (K-12) and higher education, joins 11 others who were inducted into the class. ICYG recognizes a community giant as a person of exceptional ability, importance and reputation. They have a goal to make some of our inner cities better places to live, work, shop, and enjoy life a little bit better through the sport of golf.

At the collegiate level, she has served as a Student Learning Center manager responsible for the student tutoring labs in English, Mathematics, Science and Technology, assistant dean of student services and currently executive dean and dean of Student Services at the Belle Glade campus. McNeal has held the position of clinical adjunct instructor at Jacksonville University in Jacksonville, Fla. teaching the Masters in Education program. She has also served as an adjunct professor at PBSC, where she has taught the Introduction to the College Experience.

She is an alumna of Leadership Palm Beach County’s Engage Class of 2022 and is a graduate of the PBSC Lead to Influence Academy.  McNeal holds a Doctorate in Higher Education & Organizational Leadership, a master’s degree in Law, Policy and Advocacy (2022) and a master’s degree in Education. She is a certified Life Coach and holds a certification from Vanderbilt University-Peabody College of Education and Human Development.

Currently, she serves as a trustee with the Central Palm Beach County Chamber of Commerce, Lakeside Medical Center board member and secretary; a member of the Quality, Patient, Safety and Compliance Committee with the Health Care District of PBC; Pahokee Housing Authority board member; LORE board member; chair of the Marjorie S. Fisher advisory board for the Boys & Girls Clubs Palm Beach County; past advisory chair for the Belle Glade Teen Center Boys & Girls Clubs; advisory board member for the Dolly Hand Cultural Arts Center; a member of the Pahokee Rotary Club and Glades Chamber of Commerce; and a charter member of Alpha Alpha Upsilon Omega Chapter, Wellington, Fla., Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.

Under her leadership, the Belle Glade campus was designated this year as the official host of the Muck City Sports Hall of Fame awards ceremony, an annual tribute that recognizes athletes and patrons who got their start in the communities of Belle Glade, Clewiston, Pahokee and South Bay on the eastern shore of Lake Okeechobee.  The campus also partnered this year with Lakeside Medical Center to support workforce and education needs in the Glades and served three times as a location for the Back to School PBC! Event that provides free backpacks, school supplies, books, and other community resources to students from low-income, homeless, and foster families to help prepare them for the new school year.

For more information on the ICYG, visit www.icyg.org.