The University of South Florida will have a new president, Steven Currall, in July. But before that, it's gaining a new chair of the Board of Trustees.
Advertising executive Jordan Zimmerman has served as the Board's vice chair since June of 2016. He's now moving up to the lead role, taking over for Brian Lamb after a unanimous vote from the rest of the board Monday.
Last week, Lamb was named by Governor Ron DeSantis to serve on the Florida Board of Governors, which oversees the State University System. As a result, Lamb stepped down from the USF BOT. The Board of Governors will name his replacement on the BOT.
Like Lamb, Zimmerman is a USF graduate– and in 2015, he donated $10 million to his alma mater to name the Zimmerman School of Advertising and Mass Communications. He’s the founder and chairman of Ft. Lauderdale-based Zimmerman Advertising, the 14th largest advertising agency in the world. His term as chair is for two years.
“I am honored to serve as board chair for my alma mater, the University of South Florida,” Zimmerman said in a statement. “Our preeminent university is performing at record levels in many key areas, including student success, research activity and fundraising. We will continue to be relentless in our pursuit of more great achievements.”
The board also elected alum Les Muma as vice chair. He and his wife, Pam, have given more than $56 million to USF. Their name is on the Muma College of Business.
