Former USF diversity administrator resigns after comments surface online

A University of South Florida administrator has resigned after clips of him talking about diversity, equity and inclusion recently circulated on the social media platform X.

Dr. Haywood Brown had been USF Health’s senior associate vice president for academic and faculty affairs and vice dean of faculty affairs for the Morsani College of Medicine.

But before that, he served as USF’s vice president for diversity, inclusion and equal opportunity. That office closed after the state implemented rules based on a 2023 law that bans the use of public funding for DEI initiatives in higher education.

The initial videos were posted to X by Do No Harm, a medical advocacy group that describes itself as “combatting the attack on our health care system from woke activists.”

In the videos, someone the group identified as Brown spoke during a presentation made at a Virginia Commonwealth University medical grand rounds session.

“We no longer have a person who’s dedicated to (DEI), we have a council that’s dedicated to it,” the speaker said. “Isn’t that slippery? As long as it works, that’s what we do.”

During the presentation, the speaker said that his job title changed but his role did not.

“My office changed its name, and we were able to do that through culture and enrichment. And we had it codified by our faculty council and our task force,” the speaker said.

Fox News reported on the comments Tuesday.

USF director of media relations Althea Johnson told WUSF that Brown was then placed on administrative leave to allow for a thorough review of the issue, but he instead resigned.

The Times also reported that it reached Brown by phone, but he declined to comment.

Johnson said, “The University of South Florida is disappointed and troubled by the statements of Dr. Haywood Brown. The university follows all state and federal guidance, policies and laws, and any suggestion otherwise by Dr. Brown is untrue.”

Brown’s grand rounds comments were similar those made at a USF Board of Trustees meeting a year ago, when university President Rhea Law tried to assure people that the school is committed to remaining diverse.

"We have our mission, and we have our values. And we have not changed those," she said. "We do not now have an Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, but we are absolutely supportive of access and opportunity for everyone. And we will continue to do that."

Trustee Chair Will Weatherford had a similar message at the meeting, saying, "We don't have formal DEI positions, so there's not someone that carries that title here. But it doesn't change whether or not the university has a commitment to diversity."

But the person identified as Brown in the VCU video also criticized White House adviser Stephen Miller, who has played a large role in reversing the country's DEI policies.

After saying, “He also claims to be Jewish, but we’ll see,” the speaker said Miller is “accusing us of admitting people to the medical school who are not qualified,” and “You can debunk him all you want; doesn’t mean he’s going to stop.”

The speaker also criticized Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo.

“Ron DeSantis had to hire (Ladapo) because he had to out the other guy during COVID that was trying to save lives,” Brown said in another video, referring to Ladapo’s predecessor, Dr. Scott Rivkees. Rivkees stepped down in September 2021.

Ladapo is "an anti-vaxxer, and so we didn’t invite him to the Florida Medical Association meeting, we wouldn’t let him come,” the speaker said, which was followed by the audience laughing.

DeSantis’ communications director, Bryan Griffin, posted on X, “Our office has immediately ensured (Brown’s) relationship with our (state) university system has ended.”