Butler Named President of SSC Presidents Council
ORLANDO, Fla. – The Sunshine State Conference (SSC) Presidents Council has selected
Dr. Barry Butler, president of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, to serve a two-year term as president of the SSC Presidents Council for the 2026-27 and 2027-28 academic years.
The Presidents Council serves as the Sunshine State Conference's chief governing body, providing strategic leadership and oversight for conference policies, membership, and the continued advancement of its mission.
Butler has served as Embry-Riddle's president since 2017, leading one of the world's premier aviation and aerospace universities. During his tenure, Butler has expanded the university's academic, industry, and government partnerships while advancing research and education in aviation and aerospace safety, cybersecurity, and data analytics.
In addition to Butler’s advancement of academic and research initiatives, he has demonstrated a strong commitment to collegiate athletics and supporting the Division II mission of providing holistic student-athlete experiences. Under his leadership, Embry-Riddle has continued to invest in its athletics programs, recognizing the role athletics plays in developing leadership, teamwork, and academic success.
“I look forward to serving as the next President of the SSC Council. As we move forward at a time of significant NCAA changes, I’m confident the Council will continue to act in the best interest of our student athletes and maintain the SSC as the premier Division II conference in the country,” said Butler.
Butler succeeds
Dr. James Annarelli, president of Eckerd College, who served as president through the past two academic years. Under Annarelli's leadership, the SSC continued to build upon its tradition of excellence, celebrating major milestones while strengthening its commitment to academic and athletic achievement and providing exceptional experiences for student-athletes.
"I have been honored to serve as Chair of the SSC Presidents Council during the past two years and, as I conclude my term, I do so with gratitude for all our conference has achieved,” said Annarelli.
“We celebrated the SSC’s remarkable 50-year legacy, welcomed Flagler College into our conference family, and ushered in a new era of leadership through the hiring of
Commissioner Chris Graham. Most importantly, our student-athletes and member institutions continued to elevate the SSC’s national reputation through outstanding academic and athletic success, including a record collection of national championships. Indeed, the future of the Sunshine State Conference has never been brighter."
The SSC extends its sincere appreciation to Dr. Annarelli for his service and commitment to the league and welcomes Dr. Butler as he begins his tenure as president of the Presidents Council.
About the SSC
Founded in 1975, The Sunshine State Conference (SSC) is an NCAA Division II athletic conference with all member institutions located in Florida. Nicknamed the "Conference of National Champions", the SSC sponsors 21 sports and features 11 universities. In 2025-26 SSC schools won a record nine NCAA DII national team championships. It is known just as much for its academic success, regularly leading all Division II conferences in the NCAA Academic Success Rate (ASR).