April 9, 2024
Tallahassee Community College Trustee Eugene Lamb, Jr. has been named Trustee of the Year by the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC). The award was presented at the Award of Excellence Gala during the AACC annual convention in Louisville, Kentucky.
“I just can’t believe it,” said Lamb. “It feels like everything I’ve done and all the work I have put in over the years has led me to this moment. My time working in the tobacco fields and later helping lay the bricks for the first buildings on TCC’s campus as a young man gave me my work ethic. My years as a teacher, coach, and public servant taught me that you have to treat everyone right. My faith in God and my marriage to my beautiful wife have guided me. You just never know where you will end up one day if you work hard and are the best person you can be.”
Lamb was first appointed to the TCC District Board of Trustees in 2007 by Governor Charlie Crist. Since then, he has been re-appointed by Governors Rick Scott and Ron DeSantis. Additionally, Lamb has served as the Chair of the Board for four non-consecutive terms. He brings to the role a deep knowledge, understanding, and passion for his native Gadsden County. His many years of service to the board as a trustee and chair demonstrate his unwavering commitment to the college and its mission.
Lamb’s connection to TCC runs deep. He graduated from Havana Northside High School and was the first player named All-State in basketball from Northside. He continued his basketball career at Dillard where he was named to the All-Gulf Coast Athletic Conference (GCAC) Team. While on summer break from college, he worked as a brick mason apprentice and jogged every day from his home in Midway to Tallahassee to help lay the bricks on the first buildings on TCC’s Appleyard Drive campus. When he graduated from Dillard in 1971 with a bachelor’s degree in health and physical education, he returned to Gadsden County to begin his professional career as a teacher and coach.
Lamb's impact on the community is incalculable, as is evident in his service on the TCC board, his outstanding 33-year career working with youth, and his leadership as a Gadsden County Commissioner and member of the Midway Council. In August, the Association of Community College Trustees (ACCT) awarded him the 2023 Southern Region Trustee Leadership Award. Lamb is a member of the Gadsden County Sports Hall of Fame and the Tallahassee Community College Alumni and Friends Hall of Fame. He will be inducted into the Dillard University Athletics Hall of Fame next month.
“Trustee Lamb is beyond deserving of this recognition. His dedication to TCC and support for our students over the years has been remarkable,” said Dr. Jim Murdaugh, President of TCC. “His leadership has played an integral part in advancing our mission and ensuring that TCC remains the college of choice for our students, faculty, and staff.”