USF names a presidential search committee to find Rhea Law's successor
By Mark Schreiner
February 20, 2025 at 2:45 PM EST
The 15-member committee includes USF Board of Trustee members, a student and a faculty member, and business leaders from around the Tampa Bay area.
The University of South Florida has named a presidential search committee.
The members will look for the successor to Rhea Law, who announced plans to retire earlier this week.
The 15-member committee includes USF Board of Trustee members, a student and a faculty member, and business leaders from around the Tampa Bay area.
It will be led by Board of Trustee vice chair Mike Griffin. He led the search committee that selected Law in 2022.
“I am extremely grateful to our search committee for agreeing to make the significant commitment to serve as we look for the best possible candidate to become the ninth president in University of South Florida history,” Griffin said in a news release.
“Each committee member brings a different perspective to the process, but they all share a common goal of helping USF continue to pursue excellence and build on our momentum as one of America’s leading research universities.”
Joining Griffin on the committee:
The group will be assisted by SP&A Executive Search, the same executive firm that worked on the previous search.
The committee will recommend a small number of finalists who will be interviewed by the USF Board of Trustees, who will select the next president. That choice will need to be approved by the state Board of Governors.
State law requires that only the names of the finalists be released to the public.
USF has launched a presidential search website that will share updates, including information about opportunities for the community to provide input on the search.
The members will look for the successor to Rhea Law, who announced plans to retire earlier this week.
The 15-member committee includes USF Board of Trustee members, a student and a faculty member, and business leaders from around the Tampa Bay area.
It will be led by Board of Trustee vice chair Mike Griffin. He led the search committee that selected Law in 2022.
“I am extremely grateful to our search committee for agreeing to make the significant commitment to serve as we look for the best possible candidate to become the ninth president in University of South Florida history,” Griffin said in a news release.
“Each committee member brings a different perspective to the process, but they all share a common goal of helping USF continue to pursue excellence and build on our momentum as one of America’s leading research universities.”
Joining Griffin on the committee:
- Charbel Barakat — USF Board of Trustees; general counsel, D.R. Horton, Inc.
- Derrick Brooks — Board member, EVP Corporate and Community Development, Vinik Sports Group; motivational speaker; NFL Hall of Famer; board member, Kforce, Inc.; president and founder, Derrick Brooks Charities
- Sandra “Sandy” Callahan — USF Board of Trustees; former chief financial officer, TECO Energy
- John Couris — President and CEO, Tampa General Hospital
- Alexa Grubbs — USF third-year student, Judy Genshaft Honors College
- Oscar Horton — USF Board of Trustees; president and chief executive officer, Sun State International Trucks
- Ken Jones — Florida Board of Governors; founder and managing partner, Third Lake Partners
- Merritt Martin — USF Foundation Board of Directors; vice president, Public Affairs and Strategic Communications; chief of staff, External Affairs, Moffitt Cancer Center
- Andrew “Andy” Mayts, Jr. — USF Financing Corp. and USF Property Corp; partner, Public Sector co-chair, Shumaker, Loop & Kendrick, LLP
- Harold “Hal” Mullis — Past chair, USF Board of Trustees; president, Trenam Law; Board of Governors designee
- Jenifer Jasinski Schneider — Interim dean, USF College of Education; professor, USF College of Education Literacy Studies
- Debbie Sembler — USF St. Petersburg Campus Board; vice chair, USF Foundation Board of Directors
- Sylvia Wilson Thomas — USF vice president for Research & Innovation; president & CEO of the USF Research Foundation, Inc.; professor of engineering
- Andrea Gonzmart Williams — USF Foundation Board of Directors; fifth-generation owner and operator, Columbia Restaurant Group
The group will be assisted by SP&A Executive Search, the same executive firm that worked on the previous search.
The committee will recommend a small number of finalists who will be interviewed by the USF Board of Trustees, who will select the next president. That choice will need to be approved by the state Board of Governors.
State law requires that only the names of the finalists be released to the public.
USF has launched a presidential search website that will share updates, including information about opportunities for the community to provide input on the search.