March/April 2002
'Hall of Fame' alumna honed work ethic at FSU
By Franklin D. Murphy, President, University Communications
Group
Lynda Keever believes in surrounding herself with smart people and working hard-a habit she had in college. In her last semester at Florida State University, for example, she took 21 credit hours and managed to work full-time in the Florida Legislature.
She has a reputation for hard work and tireless volunteerism, especially on behalf of education and Florida's economic health. Among her contributions is strong support for her alma mater.
She is a trustee of the FSU Foundation and member of the Board of FSU's Collins Center for Public Policy.
Professionally, Keever applies her hard-work ethic at Florida Trend magazine, where she is the publisher and chief operating officer. Florida Trend has 200,000 readers and is regularly recognized for editorial excellence.
She also writes a regular column in Florida
Trend.
"I end up writing about education or some aspect of education
probably more than any other topic in my columns," said
Keever, a former teacher.
Last November, Keever was the sixth FSU graduate inducted into the Florida Women's Hall of Fame. She joins FSU (FSCW) alumnae Barbara Jo Palmer, Paula Mae Milton, Wilhelmina Celeste Goehring Harvey, Dorothy Dodd and Marjorie Harris Carr.
At the Hall of Fame ceremony in the Capitol Rotunda, Gov. Jeb Bush said Keever "has done extraordinary things."
"If something is related to economic development and education in Florida, there is a pretty good chance that Lynda Keever will be involved," Bush said.
"I do feel like I have more things that I want to do for education and to truly help Florida in an economic recovery-hopefully through Florida Trend magazine," Keever said.
Others in Florida Women's Hall of Fame include former U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno, former Florida Education Commis-sioner Betty Castor, writer Zora Neale Hurston, former state Sen. Helen Gordon Davis and tennis star Chris Evert.
The governor made two posthumous selections to the Women's Hall of Fame 2001: Jessie Ball duPont, who used her own wealth to enhance the lives of Floridians, and Lenore Carrero Nesbitt, the first female, Hispanic judge on the U.S. District Court of the Southern District of Florida.
Although she lives in Clearwater, Keever's business often takes her to Tallahassee, where her ties to FSU are strong. Her grandmother, great aunt and aunt attended Florida State College for Women or FSU.
Keever earned a B.A. in government at FSU in 1969, with a minor in business administration.
Keever praises the leadership at FSU. "It's been very important," she said. "I think most people agree that Sandy D'Alemberte has done a wonderful job here... He has really helped put FSU on the map and has showcased the academic reasons for coming here. And the presidents who have gone before him have also done a wonderful job in positioning the university for growth."
Keever's combination of volunteer and professional work makes her seem ubiquitous. A few examples: She has participated in the FSU College of Business' Distinguished Speaker Series, and she is a member of the Seminole Boosters and the FSU Alumni Association. She is also a board member of Enterprise Florida, the Florida Chamber of Commerce, the Florida Council on Economic Education and the Florida Education Foundation.
At Florida Trend, Keever has been the prime mover in the creation of new annual magazines, such as Business Florida, the official publication for recruiting new business to the state; Florida Small Business; and TopRank Florida, the only statewide ranking of companies in 60 industries.
Her most recent brainchild is a magazine called Florida Trend's NEXT: Your Future After High School in Florida.
"We print and distribute 750,000 of these magazines to high school students," she said.
Teachers and students have praised the 150-page
magazine for its teen-friendly content and strong message encouraging
students to stay in school.
Keever credits her staff.
"We have such dedicated professionals at Florida Trend that it is very rewarding," she said. "One of the things that are important to people's success in business is to surround themselves with smart people."
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