News & Insights
University of Florida Recognizes S. Daniel Ponce as a Distinguished Alumnus
Ponce is only the 143rd award recipient in the school’s history.
June 2, 2022
Berger Singerman, Florida’s business law firm, is proud to announce that our colleague, S. Daniel Ponce, has been recognized as a Distinguished Alumnus by The University of Florida (UF). He is the 143rd award recipient in the school’s history. Ponce is a Double Gator, having graduated with his bachelor’s degree in accounting with honors in 1970 before earning his juris doctor from UF Law in 1973. He was inducted into the UF Hall of Fame in 1973. The Ponce-Gonzalez family tree includes 53 alums across four generations and represents 80 years of degrees from 10 UF colleges.
UF's Distinguished Alumnus Award is one of the University’s most prestigious awards. The award winner must be an alumnus of the university and must have excelled in his/her chosen field and must have performed outstanding service for the University. This year, U.S. News & World Report ranked UF as the fifth best public university and 28th best university in the United States.
“As a fellow Gator, I am proud to call Danny my colleague and can attest to his strong commitment to the University of Florida community.” said Paul Steven Singerman, co-chair of Berger Singerman. “It comes as no surprise that UF has bestowed this deserving honor in recognition of Danny’s decades of service to the University and his contributions to the legal profession in Florida and beyond.”
Ponce has been actively engaged in the representation of public and privately held enterprises in complex business and litigation matters. He started his career in public accounting with a big five accounting firm and served as an Assistant General Counsel to the Florida Division of Securities and Acting Executive Assistant to the State of Florida Comptroller and Cabinet Officer. Ponce has served as General Counsel to two public companies and has served as a member of the Board of Directors of public companies. In these capacities, he has gained a wide array of knowledge into business and litigation risks and management of those risks, from both an accounting and legal perspective.
Ponce is Past President of the UF Alumni Association and has served as Chairman of multiple boards including the Orange Bowl Committee, New World School of Arts, UF Athletic Association Finance Committee, the UF Foundation Audit Committee, and the Audit & Compliance Committee of UF Health. From 2007 to 2011, Ponce was a member of the University of Florida Board of Trustees. He received the Gran Caiman Award from the UF Association of Hispanic Alumni in 2008 and was recognized as the UF Gator of the Year in 2013.
