Meet the university, local leaders who will impact you

Jumping into a new town, there's a whole slew of new people who make decisions affecting your everyday life.

Here at the Alligator, we follow the moves these people make like it's our job…mostly because it is. So without further adieu, we present you with the faces of the people who will help shape your college experience.

Bernie Machen

• UF President
• Undergraduate school: Vanderbilt University
• Previous job titles: President of the University of Utah, Dean of the University of Michigan School of Dentistry, President of the American Association of Dental Schools
• Goals for next year: Make UF a top 10 school in a category other than partying
• What he looked forward to freshman year: The opportunity to meet new people at a school where he didn't know anyone.
• Advice for freshmen: Meet as many people as you can.
• Fun fact you didn't know: When not in the office, Machen enjoys taking trips on his motorcycle.

Joe Glover

• Provost
• Undergraduate school: Cornell University
• Previous job titles: Professor at the University of California, Berkeley and the University of Rochester, UF Mathematics Department Chairman, UF associate provost of Academic Affairs, Interim Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
• Goals for next year: Maintain the quality of UF despite the economic hard times
• What he looked forward to freshman year: "I was excited to be in a whole new world at a university 300 miles away from my home."
• Advice for freshman: Expect to work hard.
• Fun fact you didn't know: Enjoys ballroom and Latin dancing; says he began before ABC's "Dancing with the Stars" became popular.

Kevin Reilly

• Student Body President
• Major: Political science
• Party affiliation: Gator
• Previous positions: Student Senate Allocations Committee Chairman, Student Senate President Pro Tempore, Student Senate president
• Freshman fear: Not being able to find his classes
• Goals for next year: Make students' lives better and easier
• Advice for freshmen: Branch out by meeting new people and trying new activities

• Fun fact you didn't know: Reilly said he's just an ordinary guy who enjoys Gators football and baseball

Kellie Dale

• Student Senate President
• Major: Economics, political science
• Party affiliation: Gator
• Previous positions: Student Senate Member-at-large, Gator Party Leader, Allocations Committee Vice-Chairwoman
• Goals for next year: Get more freshmen involved in Senate and make sure students are heard in regard to budget cuts
• Freshman fear: "I was nervous to live on my own without my parents."
• Advice for freshmen: Try anything even remotely interesting
• Fun fact you didn't know: Dale and her family are applying to have dual citizenship in Italy

Dianna Fuller Morgan

• UF Board of Trustees Chairwoman
• Undergraduate school: University of Florida, Rollins College
• Previous job titles: Walt Disney World Co. Senior Vice President of Public Affairs
• Goals for next year: Preserve the quality of UF despite the likely continuation of budget cuts
• Freshman fear: "I recall that first day as I moved into Broward Hall, said good-bye to my parents and, for the first time in my life, felt very alone," Morgan wrote in an e-mail
• Advice for freshmen: "The same advice I gave my own children as they were students here: If you can learn to manage your free time, you will be successful."

Lauren Poe

• Gainesville City Commissioner - District II
• Political affiliation: Democrat
• Presidential candidate: Obama
• Marital status: Engaged to Emily Monda. No children.
• Day job: Teaches economics and federal government at Santa Fe College in the high school dual enrollment program.
• Local issue you think will have the biggest impact on UF students in the next year: I think the Commission's efforts to hold irresponsible bar and club owners accountable for their illegal actions will make our students' entertainment options safer for everybody. Of course, a few people may lose their ability to frequent their favorite club if the owners and their patrons don't choose to follow the law.
• How you like to spend a typical Gators football game day: I get up early to get my ESPN fix. Then, I go watch the game with a large group of friends at a house we have dubbed the "Ranch."

Thomas Hawkins Jr.

• Gainesville City Commissioner-At-large
• Political affiliation: Democrat
• Presidential candidate: Obama
• Marital status: Single. I do have three brothers living in Gainesville: Will, Alan and Matt.
• Day job: Attorney
• One thing you think would change if students became more involved in Gainesville politics: I think that the students who choose to get involved in local politics do so for the same reasons other residents do. They care about their quality of life, local energy policy, the state of their roads and other infrastructure, etc. In other words, students aren't different from other Gainesville residents. Their increased political activity could only make Gainesville a better place, but I don't think it would change the issues Gainesville cares about.

Craig Lowe

• Gainesville City Commissioner - District IV
• Political Affiliation: Democrat
• Presidential candidate: Obama
• Marital status: Single, no children
• Day job: City Commissioner
• What you think of UF's relationship with the surrounding community: I would like for the university to work together more closely with the city in locating facilities, activities and infrastructure to enhance the interface between the two entities. This would be beneficial for both UF and Gainesville. Also, we need help in recovering costs for urban services provided to the university campus such as fire and rescue. For comparison, FSU main campus not only pays for fire service but also buys electricity from the Tallahassee public utility, thus providing additional revenue.
• How you like to spend a typical Gators football game day: Spending quality time with friends.

Sherwin Henry

• Gainesville City Commissioner - District I
• Political affiliation: Democrat
• Presidential candidate: Obama
• Maritial status: Married to wife, Charmaine, for 37 years. I have a daughter, Renee, attending Santa Fe College, and a son, Gerard, who is in the Navy.
• Day job: I work as a research assistant at UF's Center for Biotechnology.
• Local issue you think will have the biggest impact on UF students in the next year: The city is considering establishing a hospitality district. Some students may be up in arms because the feel it will curtail their partying. It will require bar owners to institute policies to make sure that they don't serve underage drinkers. We're trying to provide a positive atmosphere while they're out enjoying themselves in the community.

Pegeen Hanrahan

• Mayor of Gainesville
• Political affiliation: Democrat
• Presidential candidate: Obama
• Marital status: A lifelong Gainesville resident, she is married to Tony Malone, a civil engineer with CH2MHill. Their daughter Evyleen was born in September 2005 and their son Quinn was born March 2007.
• Student involvement in local politics: We're expecting record-breaking turnout among young voters this election, so politicians are going to be more sensitive to them, and I think that's a good thing.
• How you like to spend a typical Gators football game day: I normally go to the games. My 3-year-old daughter is a big Gators fan, and she can identify Tim Tebow, Urban Meyer and even some of the defensive linemen in photos.

Jack Donovan

• Gainesville City Commissioner - District III
• Holds two master's degrees: a Master of Divinity from the T.S. King School for Ministry in Berkeley, Calif., and a Master of Public Policy from Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government.
• Volunteered with the Peace Corps in Micronesia between 1966 and 1968.
• Married to Rev. Alisun Donovan. They have three children: Brigitte, Erin and Jesse.
• Currently serves as a member of the Community Redevelopment Agency, the implementation committee of the Gainesville/Alachua County 10-year Plan to End Homelessness, the Alachua County Poverty Reduction Advisory Board and the Gainesville/Alachua County Metropolitan Transportation Planning Organization, among other local bodies.

Jeanna Mastrodicasa

• Gainesville City Commissioner-At-large
• Political affiliation: Democrat
• Presidential candidate: Obama
• Marital status: Married Clay Sweger in January 2008.
• Day job: UF's Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs.
• One thing you think would change if students became more involved in Gainesville politics: Student involvement has been hit and miss over the years, but if students became more involved in Gainesville politics at a solid level, they could definitely impact who is elected in any city-wide election, and they could elect a student to represent them at the city level.
• How you like to spend a typical Gators football game day:
• Watching the University of Georgia Bulldogs on TV (or in person); I go to a few Gators home football games but not most.