Bill Peppler, associate vice president of SkillStorm and a graduate of UCF, has been named the 2010 Mentor of the Year by the Department of Marketing's Professional Selling Program (College of Business Administration).

UCF continues to strive to be the nation’s top partnership university and is working to gain more relationships with this mindset. When I was first approached by the UCF Annual Fund to volunteer, there was no hesitation that I wanted to be a part of the “giant” that was continuing to grow in my back yard.

As a UCF Alum, I now have had the great honor and privilege of serving as the Chairman of the UCF Annual Fund Committee. Through most of our work as a committee, we have been able to raise dollars for academics on an annual basis. This type of friend-raising allows future Knights the opportunity to receive the most advanced and enriching education that any school in the nation can offer.

As a member of both the Pegasus Society and the President’s Circle, I have been able to see firsthand what giving to academics can do for the students at UCF. For the past several years, my wife and I have chosen to support not only the athletic teams but also those areas where student development and leadership are crucial for success.