I am pleased today to appoint and introduce the members of the University of Florida Presidential Search Advisory Committee. The members are a distinguished group representing the UF Board of Trustees, student body, faculty, administration, alumni and other stakeholders and supporters of the University of Florida. Each has agreed to make the significant commitment of time and dedication needed to identify highly qualified candidates for the critical position of UF’s 14th president. Those on the Committee possess a diverse array of expertise, professional interests and accomplishments, as well as one crucial common trait: a deep devotion to UF’s future.  

I am also pleased to announce that UF Board of Trustees member Rahul Patel will serve as chair of the Presidential Search Advisory Committee. Rahul received both his undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Florida (BA ’94, JD ’97), is serving his second term on our Board of Trustees and currently serves as our Board’s Vice Chair and Chair of the Committee on Academic, Faculty & Student Success, Public Relations & Strategic Communications. Joining Rahul on the Committee are the following 14 members:

• Mr. Charles Allison, UF Alumnus and IFAS Representative
• Mr. Douglas Band, UF Alumnus
• Mr. John Brinkman, UF Student Representative, UF Student Body President
• Mr. Timothy Cerio, UF Alumnus
• Dr. Shakira Henderson, Dean, College of Nursing
• Mr. Charles Lydecker, Board of Governors Representative
• Dr. Sarah Lynne, UF Faculty Representative, Faculty Senate Chair and Associate Professor in the Department of Family, Youth and Community Service 
• Dr. Duane Mitchell, UF Faculty Representative, Phyllis Kottler Friedman Professor in the Department of Neurosurgery and Director of the UF Clinical Translational Science Institute
• Dr. Michael Okun, UF Faculty Representative, Professor, Department of Neurology and Director, Norman Fixel Institute for Neurological Diseases
• Ms. Marsha Powers, UF Trustee
• Mr. Jon Pritchett, Chair, UF Foundation Executive Board
• Mr. Robert Stilley, UF Alumnus
• Ms. Karen Unger, UF Alumnus
• Mr. Patrick Zalupski, UF Trustee

The Search Committee is advisory and will ultimately recommend a small number of highly qualified candidates to the UF Board of Trustees. The Board of Trustees will interview the finalists and select the next president of the University of Florida, with the Board of Governors of the State University System ratifying. The Committee will be assisted by an executive search firm selected by the Board of Trustees. The charge to the Committee and brief biographies of Committee members will be posted on a search website. A link to this site will be shared once it is available. 

The Committee begins its work in a momentous and transformative time for the University of Florida, which, in 2022, was first ranked as a Top 5 public university in the country. The next president will have an opportunity to lead Florida’s flagship university in its quest to be firmly and consistently recognized among the most prominent and influential public and private universities in the country. With these distinguished and dedicated Committee members in place, we can now begin our presidential search with the focus needed to ensure we identify the best leader to take the University of Florida into the future.