About
Trustees
William Weatherford, Chair
Michael E. Griffin, Vice Chair
Sandra Callahan
Michael Carrere
N. Rogan Donelly
Cesar Esmeraldi
Oscar Horton
Jenifer Jasinski Schneider
Lauran Monbarren
Shilen Patel
Fredrick Piccolo
Melissa Seixas
WILLIAM "WILL" WEATHERFORD, CHAIR
Will Weatherford is the Managing Partner of Weatherford Capital where he focuses on providing leadership and strategic guidance to the team. He served as the 84th Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives. He is a member of the Florida Council of 100, Florida Chamber of Commerce, and serves on numerous boards including TECO Energy, Kitson & Partners, PayIt, SOMA Global and The National Council for the American Enterprise Institute. Mr. Weatherford served as Co-Chairman of the Super Bowl LV Host Committee. Weatherford earned his bachelor’s degree in international business from Jacksonville University. Mr. Weatherford’s Board of Trustees assignments include chair of the Governance Committee and member of the Finance Committee.
Term Expires: 2026
MICHAEL E. GRIFFIN, Vice Chair
Michael ("Mike") E. Griffin is an Executive Managing Director and Market Leader for Savills, a worldwide company known for its consistent delivery of a full range of integrated real estate services across the globe. Through his consultative, client-centric approach to occupier representation, particularly for multi-market accounts, Mike has completed commercial real estate transactions totaling more than 9.1 million square feet across the globe in more than 18 states and 15 countries for a diverse occupier clientele ranging from Fortune 500 companies to all levels of government. Mike joined Savills in 2015 upon its acquisition of Vertical Integration, the startup Florida-based real estate solutions firm that Mike joined upon his graduation with a Business Administration, B.S. degree from the University of South Florida in 2003.
Complementing his professional experience, Mike is well-known for his civic endeavors. In 2017, Mike served as Chairman of the Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce and was recognized as it’s youngest Chairman in the more than 135-year history of the organization. Mike serves on the Junior Achievement Tampa Bay Board of Directors and is a graduate of Leadership Florida (Cornerstone XXVI). Mike and his wife Melanie serve as the co-chairs of the 2022 American Heart Association’s Heart Ball, which has raised more than $11 million in the last 6 years for heart health research and education. Mike has served in several leadership roles in the Tampa Bay community including his gubernatorial appointment to the Tampa Port Authority/Port Tampa Bay Governing Board. Mike is also an Eagle Scout.
Beyond his Chamber and civic service, Mike has made his mark at his alma mater, initially serving two terms as Student Body President and as the charter student member of USF’s Board of Trustees. As an alumnus, Mike has served as the founding Chairman of USF’s Financing Corporation that developed several bond financing projects for USF. Thereafter, Mike chaired the USF Alumni Association Board of Directors and served on the USF Foundation Board of Directors. In 2018, Mike was appointed to serve on the USF Consolidation Task Force – where he served as its Chairman – which focused on providing implementation recommendations to consolidate USF’s three campuses. His Board of Trustees assignments are chair of the Finance Committee and member of the Governance Committee.
Term Expires: 2025
SANDRA CALLAHAN
Sandra (“Sandy”) Callahan served as chief financial officer (CFO) of TECO Energy Inc. until her retirement in Sept. 2016 following the acquisition of the company by Emera, Inc., an energy company based in Halifax, Nova Scotia. As CFO and senior vice president of finance and accounting at TECO, a public company with electric and gas utility operations in Florida and New Mexico, Callahan was responsible for corporate and operational accounting, treasury, SEC reporting, investor relations, risk management, divestitures and acquisitions, capital raising, corporate taxes, audit services and benefit plan investments, and managed a team of 100 professionals. She was a member of the senior officer team that reviewed strategic alternatives and developed growth plans based on industry trends. Callahan currently serves on the boards of Tampa’s Lowry Park Zoo and the Tampa Club. She has served on the board of the USF Financing Corporation (chair) and USF Property Corporation, and has sat on the Executive Advisory Council for the USF Muma College of Business. She also previously served on the boards of Florida Self-Insured Guaranty Association (treasurer), Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce, Centre for Women (president) and Alpha House of Tampa (treasurer). In these roles, she has chaired three finance committees and two audit committees, participated in the recruitment of two CEOs, and contributed to building board governance and committee structures. Callahan holds a bachelor’s degree in finance from the University of Baltimore. She is a licensed CPA and recipient of the FICPA Award for Highest Grade in Florida and AICPA Elijah Watt Sells Award for Performance with High Distinction on the CPA examination. Her Board of Trustees assignments include chair of the Audit and Compliance Committee, member of the Governance and Collective Bargaining Committees.
Term Expires: 2025
Mike Carrere
Mike is the former chief executive officer of Lykes Brothers Inc. Mike started working at Lykes Bros. Inc. in 1973. He spent 21 years working at the Lykes Meat Group, ultimately managing the $400 million division of Lykes Bros. Inc. In 1994, Mike was transferred to the Lykes Corporate office where he headed the new Organization Development and Compliance Department that offered services to all business units under the Lykes umbrella. He also served as Vice President of Business Development and executive vice president of Lykes Bros. Inc. Mike serves on the Board of Directors of Lykes Bros. Inc. and previously served as a director of Northeast Bank of Clearwater, First Florida Banks, and Barnett Bank of Tampa, Krewe of Gasparilla, The American Meat Institute, Lykes-Pasco, Inc., Florida Chamber of Commerce, The University Club, Florida’s Natural Growers and two terms as Commissioner of the Florida Citrus Commission. Mike received his bachelor’s degree from Washington and Lee University and his advanced management degree from Duke University. His Board of Trustees assignments include the Finance Committee, the Collective Bargaining Team and the chair of the Strategic Initiatives Committee.
Term Expires: 2026
N. Rogan Donelly
N. Rogan Donelly is the President & CEO of family owned Tervis, the drinkware company that first introduced America to its classic insulated tumblers in 1946. As the third-generation leader of an innovative, Florida-based business – following in his grandfather’s and father’s footsteps – Rogan literally grew up with the brand. From his middle school days of bringing Tervis tumblers to show-and-tell, to his summer work in the warehouse, he gained a unique and comprehensive perspective of the business. By the time he was appointed company president in 2016 (after a stint working for Bank of America’s Global and Wealth Investment Management division), Rogan had worked in every department at Tervis, including production, operations, sales, and marketing. Four very busy years later, he assumed the role of President & CEO, the culmination of his lifelong immersion in the business.
Under Rogan’s leadership, Tervis has grown into a multi-material producer of high-performance, premium drinkware, renowned for thousands of unique designs, scores of official collegiate, pro sports, and film & TV licenses, and a commitment to responsibility and sustainability. An avid diver, Rogan is passionate about helping reduce waste in our oceans and restoring the world’s coral reefs. He is a trustee of Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium, a member of Leadership Florida Cornerstone XXXVII, and a Big Brothers Big Sisters of America mentor.
Rogan holds a BA degree from Bowdoin College and an MBA from the University of South Florida’s Muma College of Business. He is the recipient of a USF Outstanding Alumni Award and a Tampa Bay Business Journal (TBBJ) Influencers Rising Stars award. A member of the TBBJ Class of 2019 40 under 40, he has been invited to the White House to represent manufacturers of American-made products and has served on the Governor’s Industry Working Group Task Force in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
A Floridian since the age of two, Rogan enjoys the Sunshine State’s world-class outdoor activities on the water, under the water, and on dry land. He also loves spending time with his German Shepherd, Fritz, the unofficial company mascot who is often seen at Tervis HQ in North Venice.
Term Expires: 2026
Cesar Esmeraldi
Elected as USF’s Student Body President, Cesar Esmeraldi is an undergraduate student from Brazil.
Cesar has been part of SGA for several years and worked his way up to presidency as he has represented students in Senate, been part of the Programming Committee, Vice-Chair of the Activity and Service Fee Recommendation Committee, active member of the Ethics Committee, and an orientation leader.Currently he sits as one of the 12 board members of The Florida Student Association (FSA), which represents all higher education students in Florida, as well as holding the chair position for Public Relations within The FSA. Cesar also works as the head of Business development at At Home Vacation Rentals, property management company specialized in vacation homes in Central Florida.As Vice-Chair for The Activity and Service Fee Recommendation Committee Cesar led the allocation of $28M+ within The University of South Florida.As Student Body President and University Trustee, Cesar is committed to have a positive impact on The USF community.
Oscar Horton
Oscar J. Horton has a proven record of managing organizational change and improving business efficiencies, currently serving as president and CEO of Sun State International, a position he has held since January 2000. Sun State International is a full service commercial transportation organization with five locations in West Central Florida which offers commercial truck sales, an aftermarket facility providing the installation of truck bodies and all body related equipment, lift gates and trailer parts, and service. The company’s annual gross revenues exceed $150 million and since Mr. Horton’s presidency the company has increased its revenue over 467%, making it one of the larger minority-owned businesses in Tampa Bay. Mr. Horton graduated from the University of Arkansas in 1974 and began his career as a sales representative for International Truck & Engine’s Financial Corporation, rising through various positions throughout the organization. In his final role, Oscar served as vice president and general manager of International’s foundry business. After a 25 year career with International, Mr. Horton left for his current position with Sun State International. Mr. Horton serves on the board of directors for The Bank of Tampa and is Chairman of the Board for Academy Prep Center of Tampa, and has previously been on the board of the USF Foundation. Mr. Horton’s Board of Trustees assignments include the Academics and Campus Environment Committee, Collective Bargaining Team and the Audit & Compliance Committee.
Term Expires: 2028
Jenifer Jasinski Schneider
Jenifer Jasinski Schneider is a professor of literacy studies in the College of Education. She earned her Ph.D. in Language, Literature, and Reading Education from The Ohio State University and is an alumna of the University of South Florida. Dr. Schneider’s research focuses on children’s composing processes and arts-based approaches to literacy education in which aspects of process drama and children’s literature support students' symbolic development and meaning-making strategies.
Through community-engaged projects, and working within designed field experiments, Dr. Schneider’s research addresses the changing set of strategies that students use to compose and communicate through print-based and multimodal texts. Dr. Schneider is a former Fulbright Scholar, served as the Director of the Suncoast Young Authors Celebration for 20 years, and currently serves on the Board of the Hillsborough Literacy Council. Dr. Schneider is the USF Faculty Senate President and previously served two years as the vice-president. Her Board of Trustees assignment includes the Academics and Campus Environment Committee.
Term Expires: 2024
Lauran Monbarren
Monbarren, of San Antonio, is Chief Financial Officer and Vice President of Simpson Environmental Services and Simpson Farms. Previously, she was an administrator at Pasco-Hernando State College and a teacher with Pasco County Schools. Monbarren is a graduate of Leadership Pasco and a member of the Boys and Girls Club of Lacoochee. She earned her bachelor’s degree in elementary education and master’s degree in education leadership from Saint Leo University.
Term Expires: 2025
Shilen Patel
Shilen Patel is the chief executive officer and founder of HealthAxis, as well as a serial entrepreneur and investor who has spent his entire career leading companies in the Healthcare IT space. Prior to founding HealthAxis, Mr. Patel was a top executive and part owner of Visionary Healthware. Under his leadership, Visionary Healthware achieved 30x growth and received recognition as one of America’s 100 largest healthcare IT companies before being acquired by an international public company.
In 2017, Mr. Patel became a co-founder and Chairman of the TiE Tampa Bay Angel Fund, a $3 million fund established to financially support Florida startups, improve understanding and awareness of angel investing among Tampa Bay investors, and help startups fulfill their potential as value drivers and community assets. He chairs the Creative Entrepreneurship Lab, a non-profit initiative related to the Tampa Innovation Alliance which supports entrepreneurial activity in the USF area and at the uptown site. Additionally, He is a founding Director of Central Bank, a community bank which services Tampa, St Augustine, and Winter Park.
In 2013, Mr. Patel graduated from the EMBA-Global programme at the Columbia University Graduate School of Business and the London Business School with an MBA from both institutions. He received his undergraduate degree in business administration with a concentration in entrepreneurship at Babson College in 2002. Mr. Patel’s Board of Trustee assignments include member of the Audit and Compliance and Strategic Initiatives Committees. He lives in Tampa.
Term Expires: 2026
Fredrick Piccolo
Fredrick Piccolo has over forty-nine years’ experience in the aviation industry and has been President, Chief Executive Officer of the Sarasota Bradenton International Airport since 1995. He began his career as a janitor at the Buffalo International Airport, and after earning a BS degree in Business Administration from the State University of New York at Buffalo, held several airport positions that include Building Superintendent, Property Manager, Assistant to Airport Manager, and Assistant Director of Operations. Locally, he worked in the Operations Department at Tampa International Airport and prior to his position at SRQ, he was the Assistant Airport Director at the St. Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport.
Mr. Piccolo has served as President of the Florida Airports Council. He has achieved executive accreditation to the American Association of Airport Executives, the largest professional airport managers association in the world. Mr. Piccolo served as the 2007 Chairman of the Airports Council International – North America (ACI-NA), an aviation organization that represents local, regional, state, and national governing bodies that own and operate commercial airports in the United States, Canada, and the Virgin Islands. From 2013 through 2015, he also served as Chairman on the Board of Directors of Airports Council International - World, which unites all the airports in the world into a single organization. With the departure of the ACI-World Past Chairman in January 2018, he has accepted that position at the request of the ACI World Board through 2021.
Mr. Piccolo is past Chair of the Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and is a past recipient of the Premier Volunteer Award, an honor given for his significant leadership commitment to the Chamber and community. In November 2018, he was honored with the Rick Fawley Economic Development Award of Distinction presented by the Bradenton EDC. He currently serves on the Manatee Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, and the Bradenton Economic Development Council Board of Directors. He was recently served as Chair of the United Way Suncoast Campaign ending in the spring of 2020.
Term Expires: 2026Melissa Seixas
Melissa Seixas was named state president Duke Energy Florida, serving approximately 1.8 million electric retail customers in central Florida on February 4, 2021. She is responsible for the financial performance of Duke Energy’s regulated utility in Florida and for managing state and local regulatory and government relations and community affairs as well as for advancing the company’s rate and regulatory initiatives. Previously she served as vice president of government and community relations for Duke Energy Florida where she directed the company’s efforts to strengthen relationships with municipal, community and civic organizations, as well as with business leaders throughout the company’s 35 county service area.
Ms. Seixas is a veteran of customer service and operations at Duke Energy. She joined Florida Power in 1986, starting in distribution engineering where she learned the operational side of the electric industry. This experience has served as a foundation for her 33-year career as she moved into roles with increasing responsibilities.
Ms. Seixas has a strong tradition of supporting her community. She has served as a board member for many non-profit and business organizations including Clearwater Marine Aquarium and Pinellas County Urban League. She is currently the Chairwoman of the Board for the St. Petersburg Downtown Partnership. She recently served as an appointee to the University of South Florida Consolidation Taskforce and served as co-chair for the USF St. Petersburg campus 50th anniversary in 2015-2016.
She also holds a bachelor’s degree in American history from Eckerd College and a master’s degree in American history from the University of South Florida. Her executive training includes a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) certification from Johns Hopkins University, and programs with the Edison Electric Institute and Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business. Ms. Seixas’ Board of Trustee assignments include member of the Academic and Campus Environment and Strategic Initiatives Committees. She also serves as the chair of the St. Petersburg campus advisory board. She lives in Seminole.
Term Expires: 2026
