President's Message

Dear Fellow DC Area Gators:

I am honored to serve as your President this year. When I first came to the area from California, the first thing I did was to look up the local Gator Club. Just like I expected, the local Gator family opened their arms and made me feel welcomed. My goal for next year is to expand the involvement of this great family and make others coming to the area or already in the area feel welcomed. One thing that is consistent with the local alumni I meet is their enthusiasm and passion for all that is Gator.

We have one of the largest concentrations of alumni outside of the state of Florida. Our local alumni hold various positions of importance including Senators, Congressman, CEOs, and Civic Leaders. We will continue to leverage these relationships for the benefit of the local club and the National Alumni Association.

In the coming year, I look forward to continuing the great work our previous Presidents achieved and expand a number of programs including our academics program, our community involvement activities and networking tools. We will expand our scholarship programs so that area high school students can experience how great it is to be a Gator. We also hope to further develop community ties by giving back to the place we call home. We intend to do this by continuing and expanding our activities with organizations like Habitat for Humanity, Special Operations Warrior Foundation and others. We will also expand networking sessions and invest in tools to allow our local alumni to interact at a professional and business level.

There is one thing Gators often don’t lack in and that is their ability to socialize. To this end, we will continue to support and will expand Gator gathering events including game watching, athletics and networking sessions.

I look forward to a rewarding and fruitful year for the DC Gator Club. I encourage you to connect or reconnect and become involved with our great organization. With your involvement and help we will achieve this and many more great things.

Warm Regards,

Joe Hernandez
Class of ’95, ’98 and ‘98
President