LONGWOOD, FL, September 13, 2021 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Marquis Who's Who, the world's premier publisher of biographical profiles, is proud to present M. Timothy O'Keefe, PhD, with the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award. An accomplished listee, Dr. O'Keefe celebrates many years' experience in his professional network, and has been noted for achievements, leadership qualities, and the credentials and successes he has accrued in his field. As in all Marquis Who's Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.
Dr. O'Keefe is a retired educator, author and photographer who was named as a professor emeritus in 2003, following more than 30 years of academic excellence teaching in the Nicholson School of Communication and Media at the University of Central Florida. During his tenure, he helmed the journalism division twice, was elected to the faculty senate and served on numerous committees. Dr. O'Keefe was also a founding advisor for the campus newspaper and the UCF chapters of the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity and the Society of Professional Journalists.
Deeply committed to academic excellence, Dr. O'Keefe was very involved with his students. One of his favorite accomplishments was making a series of annual Spring Break trips with students to New York and Washington to meet with top journalists of the day. As a scholar, Dr. O'Keefe published more than a dozen peer-reviewed articles in such respected publications as Public Opinion Quarterly, Journalism and Mass Communications Quarterly, Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media and Journalism and Mass Communications Educator. He is a member of Omicron Delta Kappa (ODK) national leadership honor society and Kappa Tau Alpha journalism honor society.
Dr. O'Keefe initially became involved in writing and photography while attending high school. After graduating, he acquired a summer position at the Richmond News Leader, where he contributed stories and photographs. Dr. O'Keefe's ability as a successful freelance travel writer enabled him to visit all seven continents, which was not always easy, but always offered a rewarding experience.
Widely published, Dr. O'Keefe is the author of 21 books, including "Fish and Dive the Caribbean, Vol. 1" with Larry Larsen in 1991, which was a Best Content Award finalist in the National Association of Independent Publishers competition. Another book, "The Hiker's Guide to Florida," published in 1993 by Falcon Press, was the first comprehensive hiking guide to the state of Florida. In 2001, he published "Caribbean Hiking" with Menasha Ridge Press. Among other books, "Seasonal Guide to the Natural Year: Florida with the Alabama and Georgia Coasts" was named as the Best Book of 1997 by the Florida Outdoor Writers Association (FOWA). More than 90 of Dr. O'Keefe's images illustrate "The Photographer's Guide to the Everglades" which he also authored. The guide was published in 2010 by The Countryman Press.
Dr. O'Keefe has served as editor for various publications. Since 2006 he has been the editor of the "Wild Florida" series published by the University Press of Florida. The 14 books in the series include natural history guides and guides to some of Florida's most popular pastimes and activities. He has notably contributed over 1,000 magazine articles and 15,000 photographs to various books, magazines and newspapers worldwide, including in nine National Geographic Society books, several Time-Life and Reader's Digest books, Newsweek, Caribbean Travel & Life and The New York Times. His images are distributed by two stock photography agencies, Getty Images and Alamy.
Dr. O'Keefe received a Bachelor of Arts in journalism, cum laude, from Washington and Lee University in 1965. Shortly thereafter, he received both a Master's degree and a Doctor of Philosophy in media and communication at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1967 and 1968, respectively. Dr. O'Keefe maintains membership with the Society of American Travel Writers (SATW), the premier association for travel journalists and travel media professionals in North America. He is a past president of SATW and also the Florida Outdoor Writers Association (FOWA).
Dr. O'Keefe received a UCF Teaching Incentive Program Award for teaching productivity and excellence. Furthermore, in recognition of his writing and photography contributions, he received over 50 national and regional awards between 1973 and 2003. Among them, he won a Best Magazine Feature Award, Best Magazine Photo Award and Best Photojournalism Award from the FOWA. Additionally, Dr. O'Keefe has been cited by Tampa Bay Magazine as "Florida's premier wildlife photographer and writer."
In 2018, Dr. O'Keefe became a certified volunteer ombudsman for the Florida Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program which has the mission to improve the quality of life for residents of nursing homes and assisted living facilities. Dr. O'Keefe was named 2020 Ombudsman of the Year for the East Central Florida District which includes the Orlando metropolitan area and also Brevard County and the Space Coast.
Dr. O'Keefe has six grandchildren: Austin, Emily, Andrew, Harper, Jackson and Leo.
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