The Pasco-Hernando State College District Board of Trustees (DBOT) elected new board leaders at a meeting held on Tuesday, July 15, at the college’s East Campus. In a unanimous decision, Trustees Nicole Newlon, J.D. and John Allocco Jr. were elected to respectively serve as chair and vice chair of the board for the 2025-2026 academic year.
Newlon, partner at Johnson, Newlon and DeCort, P.A., a Tampa Fla. law firm, who served as a former Dade City Commissioner and attended PHSC (formerly known as Pasco-Hernando Community College) as a dual enrollment student in 1990-1991, was appointed to the DBOT in 2023. During this tenure, Newlon served as vice chair in 2024-2025. Newlon succeeds the previous board chair, Marilyn Pearson-Adams.
Allocco, realtor for Home-Land Real Estate, Inc. and a Hernando County Commissioner, representing District 3, was appointed to the DBOT in 2024. Allocco is a member of the CareerSource Pasco-Hernando Executive Board, the National and Florida Associations of Realtors, and the Greater Hernando County Chamber of Commerce.
“We are pleased to welcome Nicole Newlon as our incoming board chair and John Allocco as vice chair for the 2025-2026 year,” said Eric Hall, Ed.D., PHSC president. “Their leadership and dedication to our college’s mission will be invaluable as we continue to focus on student success and serve the community. I also want to express my sincere gratitude to Marilyn Pearson-Adams for her outstanding service and steadfast leadership during her term as board chair.”
Marilyn Pearson-Adams, outgoing chair, was recognized for her exemplary leadership through her 2024-2025 term. Pearson-Adams has served as a trustee since 2014.