USF couples shared how they first met in anticipation of Valentine’s Day. ORACLE GRAPHIC/HAYLEY REED

For most USF couples, love might blossom over study sessions at the Tampa Library or late-night runs to Argos Exchange. 

But some faculty couples’ love stories started with an online dating profile, an introduction email or even a shared office in a school hundreds of miles away.

In honor of Valentine’s Day, some married USF professors, faculty members and university leaders shared how they found love alongside their academic careers.

Edward and Beth Tomlinson

Edward Tomlinson is a professor in the School of Management at USF’s Muma College of Business, while Beth Tomlinson is the director of the undergraduate management major at the same college.

Edward and Beth said they met while both were in Ohio, where Beth was a school teacher, and Edward was a doctoral student in labor and human resources at Ohio State University. 

Beth said both she and Edward were trying to figure out the best way to meet new people at the time, which eventually led them both to Match.com — an online dating platform they matched on in 2002.

“Part of what attracted me to him initially, besides his stunning profile picture, was that he was a good writer and I could tell immediately that he was a really intelligent guy,” Beth said. 

Edward graduated with his doctorate in June 2004, and Beth said his graduation inspired her to pursue graduate school — which began with a master’s degree she completed in 2007, followed by a doctorate in 2011.

“That was kind of the point where it clicked that, oh, OK, yes, we are both going to end up being academics together,” she said. 

Edward said the couple has only been working at USF for two years, but they have been married since summer 2004.

Beth said their marriage has had its share of “ups and downs,” and added that having kids can change a couple’s dynamic.

But even with those challenges, Beth said they have been “blessed” to love and support each other.

“We try to look out for each other’s best interest as we move through life, and that makes it much better,” she said. 

Edward said that since they both work in the Muma College of Business, their working relationship is close — and said they try to have lunch together once a week.

“You’d think we’d have lunch together all the time, and it just, it doesn’t work out that way,” he said. 

Beth said Edward gets haircuts every couple of weeks to keep his hair short — and often comes back with a gift.

“When he gets his haircut, he swings through Publix and picks up a little bouquet and brings that home,” she said. “So I always have fresh flowers.”

They said small habits like this help build their relationship and connection with each other. 

For students looking for their own partners this Valentine’s season, Edward said they should focus on people’s “enduring” aspects.

“Don’t just focus on superficial things, focus on the things that really matter,” he said. 

Beth said looking for someone with the same values and compatibility is “absolutely critical” for a long-lasting relationship. 

“Choose your spouse really carefully, not based just on feelings at the moment, because feelings change, and you need a commitment that is on multiple levels,” she said.

David Blackwell and Wendy Liu

David Blackwell is the Lynn Pippenger Dean at USF’s Muma College of Business, while Wendy Liu is the director of USF’s Finance Talent Pathway program.

Blackwell said the couple first met at Texas A&M University, when they were both working as finance professors.

The couple has been married for 12 years, but Blackwell said they encountered some “twists and turns” on the way.

Blackwell said when he became a faculty member of the University of Kentucky, Liu was offered an opportunity at Vanderbilt University — and the couple had to rely on commuting.

But when Blackwell became the dean of the Muma College of Business at USF in 2024, he said the couple was “blessed” that Liu was able to get a faculty position at the university.

“Now we’re together, we’re working on the same campus and that makes us very happy,” Blackwell said.

Liu said that when the couple was commuting, they couldn’t be together every weekend, but they stayed connected and caught up on work when they were apart.

Blackwell said that even now at USF, the couple is busy with meetings, events and new course developments.

“But we always take some time out to go for walks or to have a nice lunch day or maybe to watch a movie,” he said.

Liu said she admires Blackwell’s integrity, decisiveness and great vision. But Blackwell wove humor into his admiration for her.

“I admire Wendy’s judgment in choosing a husband,” he said. “But the things that Wendy described about me, I admire about her as well.”

Blackwell said students should understand that relationships require people to share values and communicate openly.

He added that the secret to balancing life and career in a marriage is to always put the other person ahead of yourself. 

“Wendy and I are in a competition all the time to see who’s putting the other one first,” he said. “But most of the time, Wendy wins.”

Gregory and Mildred Perreault

Mildred Perreault is an assistant professor of public relations and mass communications at USF’s Zimmerman School of Advertising and Mass Communications. Gregory Perreault is an associate professor of media literacy and analytics for the same school. 

The couple met while doing a journalism internship in Washington, D.C., in 2004. But their first interaction wasn’t in person — it happened online.

Mildred said the internship program encouraged interns to introduce themselves via email. 

“People would introduce themselves and send a little bit of information about themselves, just like ‘this is who I am and what I like to do,’” she said. “I think I was one of the first people to send out information about myself because I was super excited.”

Gregory said he and Mildred started exchanging emails and calling each other, which made him anxious for their first date.

Still, Gregory said he was excited to get to know her more over the course of their internship. 

“I was coming from a school in Florida, and this was like my first real big city,” he said. “And so when I arrived [in D.C.], we got to know each other, and I think we started dating the first day we got there.”

They first met in person for a coffee date on Capitol Hill — a date that Mildred said has turned into 20 years of dedication, as they have been married since May 2006.

With Mildred attending college in Texas at Baylor University, and Gregory in Florida at Palm Beach Atlantic, the long-distance arrangement for the first few months of their relationship was hard. 

But Mildred said she moved to Florida after graduating to be closer to Gregory.

Two decades later, Gregory said they still make time for each other even when they are busy with work.

“Every other week we try to get out and do something together, either go to dinner or go get a drink or just have some time for conversation,” he said.