Florida Atlantic University's first student-run news source.

UNIVERSITY PRESS

Florida Atlantic University's first student-run news source.

UNIVERSITY PRESS

Florida Atlantic University's first student-run news source.

UNIVERSITY PRESS

What about Bob?

Bob Beeman, Student Government’s new chief of staff, seems like the typical politician with his monogrammed shirt, cufflinks and tie, but unless you probe deeper you’ll never find the true Beeman.

For one thing, unless you asked, you’d never know that Beeman has an abstract tattoo that covers his entire back. If you did ask, he’d tell you, “I get nervous talking about it.” If you question further, he may tell you, “The tattoo is about balance. You have to have balance in order to have effectiveness. That is what it represents.”

Beeman certainly cares about balance – good for a politician. But still, you know by the five holes in his left ear and the three in his right that Beeman has more to tell.

When asked about those empty ear holes, he simply says, “I don’t wear earrings anymore because I’ve evolved. That’s not who I am anymore.” That’s because Beeman, a 30-year-old pre-med student, and a former stockbroker who worked for the likes of JP Turner, decided to return to school. He long ago gave up his skater image, his ear piercings and long bangs. Not to mention the money he made as a stockbroker.

After several years living the high life as a broker, traveling to Spain, and making money, he reconsidered his life. “I realized that unless I made the decision to change my career, suck up my pride, go back to school and finish that I would not be able to do what I wanted with my life,” Beeman says.

What is it that he wanted to do with his life? Denise Dupra, who worked with him at Hospice by the Sea says, “He is a guy who wants to make a difference at the end of the day.” Making money was one thing, but changing lives was another. This is what Beeman wants. He wants what he does to matter.

So, he involved himself with FAU’s pre-med club, even becoming its president. Then he met Dupra and worked with Hospice by the Sea, logging in 600 volunteer hours. Dupra says getting volunteers to come in is difficult, but under Beeman’s direction they had 60 FAU students show up for Hospice training. “He’s done an unbelievable job,” she says.

Even so, getting pre-med students involved with hospice wasn’t enough. It became clear to Beeman that he could do more, that he could reach more people if he became involved with Student Government. Especially after Beeman tried to get a bill passed through the senate for his club. As Beeman says, “I didn’t feel that as a pre-med student that I got the reception that I expected.”

What he expected was the reception he had previously received from Alvira Khan, then Boca campus governor. They had met at a health fair and he says, “She was fantastic. She took time to listen.”

Khan says she was impressed by his enthusiasm. “It seemed the natural choice to ask him to run with me,” she says. “He’s got great work ethic and has great motivational skills.”

Khan, once elected student body president, asked Beeman to be her chief of staff. He resigned as senator just over a month ago, and settled into his new role.

Three weeks ago Beeman was sworn in, along with Administrative Assistant Angela Darragh, Director of Community Relations Mike D’Eugenio, Director of Marketing Kirk Murray, Attorney General Michael J. Miele, Chief Justice Max Leynov, and University-Wide Council Secretary Shresta Gobardhan.

Nowadays Beeman oversees four directors (he’s hiring three more) and a budget of nearly $100,000. He leads the Presidential Administrative Cabinet, and even though it’s set up as a 20-hour/week gig, Beeman works double time. He doesn’t mind, though.

As Beeman says, he has a game plan, one that will see him through med school and his job as chief of staff.

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