Dr. Ken Atwater became the seventh president of Hillsborough Community College (HCC) on July 1, 2010. Founded in 1968, HCC is currently the seventh largest community college in Florida's state college system, serving more than 45,000 students each year at its five campuses and three centers. HCC offers more than 160 academic programs, including 34 associate in arts transfer tracks and over 130 workforce programs, has an annual budget of more than $168 million, and employs more than 2,300 people. Over 84 percent of HCC graduates stay in the local community, and, together, HCC and its former students contribute more than $1.1 billion in added income and economic impact to Hillsborough County. HCC is also the seventh largest associate degree-producing two-year institution in the country.

Dr. Atwater is the chair of the Tampa-Hillsborough Economic Development Corporation and serves on the board of directors of the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC), the National Association for Community College Entrepreneurship (NACCE), and the Museum of Science & Industry's National Board and the CEO Council.

Dr. Atwater earned his Ph.D. from Southern Illinois University and Master and Bachelor of Science degrees from Murray State University in Murray, Kentucky.