Rick Maxey, Florida Polytechnic University

Rick Maxey has more than 30 years of experience working in Florida government. He is currently the Assistant Vice President Office of Diversity and Inclusion at Florida Polytechnic University in Lakeland, Florida. At Florida Poly he has also held positions as Assistant Vice President Economic Development and Board Management and Director Government Relations. Prior to working with Florida Poly, Maxey held a similar post as executive director for government relations at Florida’s State University System Board of Governors. He acted as the lead legislative and executive advocate for the State University System of Florida from 2005-11. He later became director of government relations at Florida LambdaRail, a fiber optic company serving educational and research entities in Florida.

Maxey also served for more than a decade in the Florida Department of Law Enforcement in various capacities that included senior executive assistant to the commissioner, agency liaison to the Florida cabinet, bureau chief of training and forensic scientist. As the bureau chief of training, he regulated instruction for more than 72,000 law enforcement, corrections and correctional probation officers in Florida and had oversight of 39 law enforcement training facilities throughout Florida. He also served as bureau chief of training for the Florida Department of Corrections, where he was responsible for the professional development of 25,000 employees in Florida’s prison system.
In 1998, he founded and operated Express Office Products providing office supplies and furniture to commercial and government entities.
Maxey holds a master’s degree in public administration from Florida State University in Tallahassee, and earned his bachelor’s degree in biology from Troy State University in Alabama. His areas of skills and expertise cover legislative relations, policy analysis and political campaigns.

Throughout his adult life, he has volunteered with community organizations to serve the people in the communities in which he lived. Rick continues to volunteer his time since moving from Tallahassee to Lakeland in 2018.

Married since 1985, Rick and his wife have two grown daughters.