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The Alumni Citation Award, established in 1969, recognizes contributions to society through professional, civic, and philanthropic work and leadership activities. Robert Walters earned his BA in Human Relations in 1973 and relocated to Florida in 1978 where he taught and coached at Melbourne Central Catholic High School. He went on to earn a Master’s in Human Resources Management from Florida Institute of Technology in 1986 and is certified for life as a Senior Professional in Human Relations.
Walters has taught graduate level classes in Human Resources, Organizational Development and Labor Relations at Florida Tech and Webster University as an adjunct faculty member. He served four years on the Board of Directors of Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Brevard County, including a two-year term as board president and has also served as a member of the Take Stock in Children Advisory Council for the Brevard Schools Foundation.
Walters co-authored the American Society for Healthcare Human Resources Administration (ASHHRA) Disaster Preparedness Manual, published in May, 2007 and distributed throughout the United States. He was selected as ASHHRA’s Leader Profile of the Quarter and was featured in an issue of Pulse Magazine.
Currently, Walters is the Corporate Director of Human Resource Operations for Health First, a 6,600 employee integrated healthcare delivery system based out of Melbourne, Florida. He was recognized by Health First as a "world class leader" based on the Gallup national database, and in 2007 he was presented with the President’s Award; Health First’s highest management honor. He was recently named “Human Resources Professional of the Year” for the state of Florida, presented by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) State Council. Walters has served in multiple leadership positions within SHRM, including Florida State Director, Florida State Human Resource Conference Chairperson, and Chapter President. He often presents at regional, state and national Human Resource conferences.
An avid musician, Walters performs bluegrass music and has performed at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee. Walters and his wife Susan reside in Melbourne, Florida. They have three children, Bonnie, Brooke and Blake.