Melanie A. Boyd currently offers her expertise to Gulf Coast State College in Panama City, Florida, having accrued nearly three decades of professional success in academia. Since 2008, she has excelled as a professor of business and technology, teaching various classes such as Intro to Management and Leadership, Intro to Entrepreneurship, Small Business Accounting, Microcomputer Applications, Human Relations, Business Law, Introduction to Office Management, Principles of Management, Business Communications and Intro to Data Processing. Ms. Boyd began serving as the chair of business and technology in 2012. In addition to teaching and overseeing all the programs within the department, she is responsible for supervising all 13 full-time educators and five support personnel members. Equally important, Ms. Boyd must remain abreast of the ever-changing technology and works closely with the Economic Development Alliance to ensure that the department keeps its programs aligned with industry needs.
Before joining the faculty at Gulf Coast State College, Ms. Boyd served as the public works director for the city of Parker, Florida, from 2006 to 2008, in which she managed four departments: Utility, Street, Parks and Trash. For five years until 2006, she worked as a bookkeeper of finances for Boyd Construction Specialties and served as supervisor of elections for Bay County, Florida, from 1997 to 2001. In the earlier years of her career, Ms. Boyd taught corporate finance as an adjunct instructor at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. She also taught basic accounting and principles of management as an adjunct instructor at Gulf Coast Community College from 1993 to 1996.
Notably, Ms. Boyd served as an aerospace ground equipment mechanic in the United States Air Force from 1985 to 1990. In this post, she performed periodic maintenance and repairs of support equipment for primarily the F-15s, as well as supervised, trained and evaluated personnel. In honor of her contributions to the military, she was decorated with an Achievement Medal and a Commendation Medal. Among other accolades, she was honored as a Notable ‘Nole by Florida State University Panama City in 2022, having also accepted an Honor Graduate Leadership Award. Ms. Boyd attributes her vast professional and personal success to her parents, David and Emma, as their constant support and encouragement allowed her to believe in herself no matter the task or challenge.
Highly educated, Ms. Boyd earned an Associate of Science in aerospace ground equipment from the Community College of the Air Force in 1980, followed by an Associate of Arts in pre-business administration at Gulf Coast Community College in 1991. Continuing her studies, she went on to matriculate at Florida State University, where she achieved a Bachelor of Science in management and a Master of Business Administration in 1993 and 1995, respectively. Furthermore, Ms. Boyd completed additional graduate hours in computer technology education at Emporia State University in 2009, along with graduate hours in accounting education at the Keller Graduate School of Management of DeVry University in 2010. Notably, in 2015, she obtained an education specialist degree in curriculum and instruction at the University of West Florida.
Additional educational pursuits to Ms. Boyd’s credit include an executive leadership certificate from Cornell University in 2011, a graduate certificate in human performance technology from the University of West Florida in 2014 and a professional certification in higher education leadership from Pennsylvania State University in 2014. She is currently pursuing a certificate in emergency management and homeland security from Florida State University.
Active in her community, Ms. Boyd frequently collaborates with a local emergency response team and is a member of the local chamber of commerce. Looking toward the future, she plans to remain working for the business and technology department of Gulf Coast State College for many years, noting her contributions to the department as her most notable career achievement. Likewise, she plans to continue to develop programs to keep the academic community on the cutting edge.
