University

Update: Presidential Search Process

Following President Judy Genshaft’s announcement that she will step down in July after completing a historically successful 19-year tenure, the University of South Florida Board of Trustees (BOT) is moving forward in the search to find her replacement.

The search process will follow the guidelines established by the Florida Board of Governors, USF BOT Chair Brian Lamb, ’98 and MBA ’17, announced in September. Per those guidelines, Lamb established a broadly representative 15-member search committee made up of stakeholders with valuable perspectives into the university’s future.

Those members include:

  • Les Muma (Chair), USF ’66, member of the USF BOT, prior member of the USF Foundation Board
  • Rhea Law (Vice Chair), USF ’77, past chair of the USF BOT, past chair of the Florida Council of 100 and Tampa Bay Partnership
  • Kathy Weedman Arthur, USF St. Petersburg faculty member and nationally recognized anthropology researcher
  • Braulio Colón, USF ’03 and MPA ’10, chair-elect of the USF Alumni Association Board of Directors
  • Anddrikk Frazier, USF ’01, member of the USF System Consolidation Task Force and founding member of the USF Black Leadership Network
  • Robert D. Frisina, USF Tampa faculty member, acting chair of USF’s medical engineering department, director of USF’s Center for Hearing and Speech Research and director of Biomedical Engineering
  • Stephanie Goforth, USF ’82, member of the USF BOT and chair of the USF St. Petersburg Campus Board
  • Darlene Jordan, member of the Board of Governors for the State University System of Florida
  • Shaquille Kent, USF student body vice president
  • George Morgan, USF ’76, chair of the USF Foundation Board of Directors
  • Frederick “Rick” Piccolo, member of the USF Sarasota-Manatee Campus Board and the USF Consolidation Task Force
  • John Ramil, USF ’78 and MCE ’00, member and chair of the USF BOT
  • Debbie Sembler, past member of the USF BOT and former chair of the USF St. Petersburg Campus Board
  • Byron Shinn, Byron Shinn, USF, ’79, member of the USF BOT and chair of the USF Sarasota-Manatee Campus Board
  • Charles Stanish, USF faculty member and executive director of the USF Institute for the Advanced Study of Culture and the Environment

“The University of South Florida has tremendous momentum, having recently set several institutional records, and it’s critical for us to find a new president with the leadership abilities to continue our trajectory,” Lamb says. “Our search committee members strongly represent the communities we serve, they come from diverse backgrounds and each will bring a unique perspective to this process.”

USF has now hired nationally regarded search firm Greenwood/Asher & Associates, Inc. The firm will help identify potential applicants from around the country who can help sustain USF’s positive momentum. The firm is now working with the committee to develop the ideal profile for the position, taking into account input received from a wide-reaching community survey.

The committee intends to recommend a set of candidates to the BOT in early 2019, with an interview process on campus shortly following. Once the interviews conclude, the search committee will present final candidates to the BOT, and trustees are expected to decide on a new president during the spring of 2019.

USF students, faculty, staff, alumni and community members can stay updated on the process by visiting the Presidential Search Committee website.