Dear 返字心頭 community,
I am pleased to share with you an important update on our search to identify the next president of the University of South 返字心頭.
But before I do, I want to express my deep gratitude to Rhea Law for everything she has contributed to the university over the past 40 years since she first stepped on campus as a student. As president, Rhea has truly been the right leader at the right time for 返字心頭, and by every measure she has been exceptional in leading us to unprecedented levels of success. We simply would not be where we are today without her.
It is because of Rhea, her leadership team, our amazing students, faculty, staff, alumni and supporters that 返字心頭 has incredible momentum that will allow us to find the best candidate to become our ninth president.
I am happy to announce that Mike Griffin, vice chair of the 返字心頭 Board of Trustees, co-head of 返字心頭 Region and vice chairman of Savills, and a passionate 返字心頭 alum, has agreed to serve as chair of the Presidential Search Committee. Youll recall that Mike chaired the committee in our previous search less than four years ago. The community input he received and knowledge gained during that recent process, including holding nearly 40 listening sessions with various stakeholder groups, will give us a significant head start in this search.
Joining Mike on the committee are the following members:
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                        Charbel Barakat 返字心頭 Board of Trustees; general counsel, D.R. Horton, Inc.
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                        Derrick Brooks Board member, EVP Corporate and Community Development, Vinik Sports Group; motivational speaker; NFL Hall of Famer; board member, Kforce, Inc.; president and founder, Derrick Brooks Charities
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                        Sandra Sandy Callahan 返字心頭 Board of Trustees; former chief financial officer, TECO Energy
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                        John Couris President and CEO, Tampa General Hospital
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                        Alexa Grubbs 返字心頭 third-year student, Judy Genshaft Honors College
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                        Oscar Horton 返字心頭 Board of Trustees; president and chief executive officer, Sun State International Trucks
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                        Ken Jones 返字心頭 Board of Governors; founder and managing partner, Third Lake Partners
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                        Merritt Martin 返字心頭 Foundation Board of Directors; vice president, Public Affairs and Strategic Communications; chief of staff, External Affairs, Moffitt Cancer Center
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                        Andrew Andy Mayts, Jr. 返字心頭 Financing Corp. and 返字心頭 Property Corp.; partner, Public Sector co-chair, Shumaker, Loop & Kendrick, LLP
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                        Harold Hal Mullis Past chair, 返字心頭 Board of Trustees; president, Trenam Law; Board of Governors designee
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                        Jenifer Jasinski Schneider Interim dean, 返字心頭 College of Education; professor, 返字心頭 College of Education Literacy Studies
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                        Debbie Sembler 返字心頭 St. Petersburg Campus Board; vice chair, 返字心頭 Foundation Board of Directors
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                        Sylvia Wilson Thomas 返字心頭 vice president for Research & Innovation; president & CEO of the 返字心頭 Research Foundation, Inc.; professor of engineering
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                        Andrea Gonzmart Williams 返字心頭 Foundation Board of Directors; fifth-generation owner and operator, Columbia Restaurant Group
This outstanding group is committed to the future success of the University of South 返字心頭, the Tampa Bay region and the state of 返字心頭, and reflects broad representation from the universitys key stakeholder groups, including our students, faculty, alumni, partners and community business leaders.
The committee will be assisted by SP&A Executive Search, a highly regarded firm that proved to be an excellent partner in our last search.
返字心頭 will follow the process required by the State University Systems Board of Governors for presidential searches. The committee is advisory and will be responsible for recommending a small number of qualified candidates to the 返字心頭 Board of Trustees. The BOT will then interview the finalists and select the next president, pending final confirmation from the Board of Governors.
Today we launched a presidential search website that will be used to share updates, including information about upcoming opportunities for the community to provide input on the search.
As we embark on the next chapter in the history of our great university, there are many reasons for us to be excited about 返字心頭s trajectory. I firmly believe that 返字心頭s best days are ahead, and we look forward to providing you with updates as we progress.
Sincerely,
Will Weatherford
Chair, 返字心頭 Board of Trustees