About President Murdaugh

President Jim Murdaugh media headshot in AdminDr. Jim Murdaugh was named the sixth president of Tallahassee Community College on October 18, 2010.   

His personal vision is to make TCC the college of choice for students, the employer of choice for faculty and staff, and the partner of choice for the community.

He is quite active locally, serving as a board member on the Big Bend Minority Chamber of Commerce, member of the Tallahassee Rotary Club, and honorary board member of the Stubbs Educational Foundation. He is a member of the Board of Directors of United Way of the Big Bend, where he served as chair for the 2021-22 year. He is also a former chair of the Leon County Economic Development Council.

At the state level, Jim is a sustaining member and director of the Economic Club of Florida, a member of the Advisory Board of the Florida Technology Council, a trustee on the board of the Florida Chamber of Commerce Foundation, a member of the Florida Chamber Board of Governors, and he serves on the Leadership Florida Northwest Regional Council. He chaired the Florida College System Council of Presidents in 2019-20, advising and advocating to the State’s Executive and Legislative branches the value of the colleges to the social and economic development of Florida. He also serves on the Board of Directors of the National Association for Community College Entrepreneurship.

Jim has been recognized for his leadership by a number of organizations. He was inducted into the Florida State University College of Criminology and Criminal Justice Hall of Fame in 2011 and was honored as the 2012 Leader of the Year by Leadership Tallahassee. Also in 2012, Florida Trend listed Jim among Florida’s Newsmakers of the Year. In 2013, he received the Pillar of Excellence Award, and in 2015, he received the Humanitarian Award, both from the MLK Foundation of Florida. In 2014, Jim was one of four finalists for the American Association of Community Colleges’ national Award of Excellence in Emerging Leadership, recognizing his efforts to encourage and develop new and emerging leaders at TCC. He was selected in 2017 by the Association of College Unions International as International President of the Year in recognition of his efforts in building a strong and active campus community, and was honored by the National Association for Community College Entrepreneurship as their 2022 Entrepreneurial President of the Year. In 2023, he was named to Florida Trend's Florida 500 as one of the most influential leaders in the state. In addition, he has received multiple lifetime achievement awards, including from the Heroes in Public Safety Program in 2020 and the Association of Florida Colleges in 2023.

Jim Murdaugh holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in criminology and a doctorate in public administration from Florida State University. He is also a graduate of Leadership Florida Executive Class VII and the prestigious Senior Executives in State and Local Government program at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government.