By Adam Freeman, University Communications and Marketing
In 2026, two prominent members of the Tampa Bay community with strong ties to USF will join the university’s Board of Trustees (BOT).
During a Florida Board of Governors (BOG) meeting last week, Andrea Gonzmart Williams and Nancy Watkins were appointed to the BOT. Both appointments are effective Jan. 7, 2026, and are subject to confirmation by the Florida Senate.
Andrea Gonzmart Williams
Gonzmart Williams is a fifth-generation owner of the Columbia Restaurant Group where she works at the corporate office in Ybor City and is actively involved in the operations of the group’s restaurants. She earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from USF and has mostly recently served on the USF Foundation Board of Directors. Gonzmart Williams is involved in community leadership, including serving as chair of the Ybor City Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, and as a member of the Tourist and Development Council for Hillsborough County and the Florida Aquarium Board of Directors.
Nancy Watkins
Watkins is a certified public accountant with the firm Robert Watkins & Company. She is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, Florida Institute of Public Accountants and was a member of Beta Alpha Psi and Phi Theta Kappa. Watkins earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting from USF and previously served on the USF Board of Trustees from 2013-21. She currently serves on the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Governing Board and has been on the Hillsborough College District Board of Trustees.
Fredrick Piccolo
In addition to the new members, the BOG also reappointed Fredrick Piccolo to an additional term on the USF Board of Trustees. Piccolo is an advisor for the Sarasota Bradenton International Airport, a role he recently stepped into after serving as the airport’s chief executive officer since 1995. He has more than 50 years of experience in the aviation industry. Piccolo joined the USF Board of Trustees in 2021 and is chair of the USF Sarasota-Manatee Campus Board. He has held numerous leadership roles in the community, including serving as chair of the Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, and as a member of the Manatee Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and the Bradenton Economic Development Council Board of Directors.