Florida International University on Friday named Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nuñez as its interim president, giving term-limited Gov. Ron DeSantis an opportunity to appoint a high-profile ally to the position before the 2026 governor's race.
In calling for the vote, FIU Board of Trustees Chair Rogelio Tovar said DeSantis had asked the board to appoint Nuñez to the top position in her hometown of Miami. DeSantis said it was something Nuñez was interested in doing.
“I can think of no better advocate for FIU than a two-time alumni from South Florida who has the experience of having served in the Florida Legislature and her time as lieutenant governor,” Tovar said.
Nuñez, 52, will succeed Kenneth Jessell, who is stepping down early ahead of his contract ending in November. She still needs to work out contract details with Tovar.
“As a two-time alumna and a proud Panther mom, I am deeply committed to the success of FIU,” Nunez posted on X. “I look forward to working with the Board of Trustees in the coming days.”
Nuñez, who must first resign from her elected position, is slated to take over Feb. 17 and is expected to win the permanent position after a formal search. Trustee Dean Colson indicated the “probable results of the search are already known.”
Nuñez's selection is the latest example of DeSantis' impact on higher education in the state. Under his influence, the boards tasked with hiring presidents for the state's public colleges and universities are increasingly choosing Republican politicians allied with his conservative agenda — a pattern that has alarmed many students and professors.
At Friday's board meeting, several student groups and faculty members said Nuñez lacked experience in academia to lead a university.
“Jeanette Nunez is a textbook example of what happens when politicians prioritize partisan loyalty over genuine leadership,” FIU student Kassandra Toussaint said at the board meeting. “Rather than standing up for the people of Florida, Nunez has acted as a rubber stamp for policies that erase history, limit opportunities and push a narrow, exclusionary agenda.”
On Friday, Faculty Senate Chair Noël Barengo, who serves on the Board of Trustees, expressed “our deep concern over what we see as another effort by the governor's office to interfere with public higher education.”
In a letter to the editor published Thursday by the Miami Herald, the Faculty Senate, which represents 62 elected faculty members from throughout the university, wrote that it was disappointed with the board not extending Jessel's contract.
Jessell has told the board he was not interested in an extension.
Nuñez, who earned a bachelor’s and master’s degree from FIU, is the highest-ranking elected Latina in the state's political history.
During her term, Nuñez served as an overseer of the state health department and chair of Space Florida. She is currently chair of the state's cybersecurity task force and is a member of the Statewide Council on Human Trafficking.
She served as speaker pro tempore of the Florida House before becoming DeSantis's running mate in 2018 and 2022.
As a state representative, she advocated for conservative tax policies to attract small businesses. She also took unique stances on issues like immigration, sponsoring a bill that became law giving students without legal status in-state college tuition. This year, she changed her position in support of a bill to roll back the law.
Before entering politics, she was an executive with Jackson Health System in Miami and what are now HCA Florida Kendall and HCA Florida Aventura hospitals.
“Having a leader with this background will be extremely beneficial,” Tovar said. “It is this combination of professional experience and an extensive network in South Florida and Tallahassee that makes Lt. Gov. Nunez an ideal leader to help transition FIU into the future.”
With more than 56,000 students, FIU is one of the country’s largest universities, serving a significant population of Hispanic, first-generation and low-income students.
A presidential post such as this generally comes with a multiyear contract for a six-figure salary and a plush on-campus residence. As lieutenant governor, Nuñez earned an annual salary of $135,515, while the base salary for Jessel is $650,000.
Trustees pointed to Nuñez being able to raise money for the university, with Tovar saying the school needs to “increase our endowment to at least $500 million and triple our annual fundraising.”
Trustee Marc Sarnoff said the goal of the incoming president needs to be “fundraising, fundraising, fundraising.”
It was not immediately clear when DeSantis might appoint a lieutenant governor to serve out the final two years of his term. He also needs to appoint a state chief financial officer to succeed Jimmy Patronis, who submitted his resignation to run for Congress.
DeSantis has made clear he will appoint his chief of staff, James Uthmeier, to serve as attorney general after the resignation of former Attorney General Ashley Moody. DeSantis appointed Moody to succeed former U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, who became U.S. secretary of state. DeSantis said Friday that Uthmeier, in his role as chief of staff, is working with legislative leaders to resolve a dispute about immigration policy.
Also, DeSantis likely will make a recommendation for the next leader of Visit Florida, after the tourism-marketing agency’s president and CEO, Dana Young, announced her retirement. Young said this week the retirement would take effect Friday.
Jessell spent his career at Florida’s public universities. A three-time graduate of Florida State University, he went on to become a finance professor at Florida Atlantic University, where he spent more than two decades, ultimately moving into administration and becoming the school’s senior vice president for financial affairs. He joined FIU in 2009 as the school’s chief financial officer.
He was confirmed as FIU’s president in November 2022, after serving as the school’s interim leader following the sudden resignation of president Mark Rosenberg, who stepped down amid accusations of sexual harassment.
“I have complete confidence in the lieutenant governor,” Jessell said. “She is a double Panther, and I look forward to supporting her. I look forward to continuing to support our students, our faculty, our staff, our alumni, our great supporters and donors and our community.”
Information from WLRN and News Service of Florida was used in this report.
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