TALLAHASSEE --- The Florida International University Board of Trustees on Friday approved appointing Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nunez as the school’s interim president, setting the stage for Gov. Ron DeSantis to choose a new lieutenant governor.
Nunez, a Miami Republican who received bachelor’s and master’s degrees at FIU, called the selection an honor.
“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.”
Nunez still needs to work out contract details with trustees Chairman Roger Tovar, with the appointment expected to take effect Feb. 17. Gov. Ron DeSantis said Friday he supported the appointment, as it was something Nunez was interested in doing.
Kenneth Jessell, who has served as FIU’s president since 2022, will remain at the Miami university as senior vice president and chief administrative officer. Under rules of the state university system’s Board of Governors, FIU will have to conduct a search for a permanent president.
While the FIU board did not specifically discuss Nunez serving as permanent president, trustee Dean Colson indicated the “probable results of the search are already known.”
Jessell is in the final year of his contract as president. Tovar said the governor’s office contacted him to suggest considering Nunez to lead the university. Jessell gave his support to Nunez during Friday’s meeting.
“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.”
Born in Miami to Cuban parents, Nunez was DeSantis’ running mate in 2018 and 2022 after serving eight years in the Florida House. She has worked for hospital systems in South Florida and as an adjunct professor and adviser at FIU.
“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.”
Trustees pointed Friday to Nunez 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.”
But the appointment drew opposition from FIU Faculty Senate Chairman Noël Barengo, who serves on the Board of Trustees. He expressed “our deep concern over what we see as another effort by the governor's office to interfere with public higher education.”
A series of speakers, mostly students, also expressed concerns to the board Friday about Nunez replacing Jessell before his contract as president expired.
“Jeanette Nunez is a textbook example of what happens when politicians prioritize partisan loyalty over genuine leadership,” FIU student Kassandra Toussaint said. “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.”
Jessell was FIU’s senior vice president for finance and administration and chief financial officer before the trustees selected him in October 2022 to serve as president. He was confirmed the next month by the university system’s Board of Governors.
Nunez’s appointment comes as DeSantis and his allies have taken numerous steps in recent years to reshape higher education in the state. It also comes after a series of former Republican lawmakers have been chosen for leadership positions in the education system.
That has included former Sen. Ray Rodrigues becoming chancellor of the university system; former Sen. Manny Diaz Jr. becoming state education commissioner; former House Speaker Richard Corcoran becoming president of New College of Florida; former Rep. Mel Ponder becoming president of Northwest Florida State College; former Rep. Tommy Gregory becoming president of State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota; and former Rep. Fred Hawkins becoming president of South Florida State College.
Meanwhile, former state House Majority Leader Adam Hasner is one of three finalists to become president of Florida Atlantic University, with FAU trustees expected to make a selection Monday.
Florida Democratic Party Chairwoman Nikki Fried in a statement called the interim appointment of Nunez the “latest move in Ron’s hostile takeover of Florida’s colleges and universities, as he continues to install political hacks and loyalists to push his partisan agenda. It has nothing to do with improving Florida’s cratering educational outcomes and everything to do with rewarding loyalty.”
It was not immediately clear Friday 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.