Politics
Gov. DeSantis appoints Christopher Roney to UWF Trustees
A University of West Florida Alumnus was appointed to serve on the school’s Trustees.
Gov. Ron DeSantis has appointed businessman Christopher Roney to the University of West Florida Board of Trustees.
Roney owns Ace Unlocks.
“Active in his community, he is the Chairman of the University of West Florida Foundation Board of Directors, a member of the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northwest Florida Board, and the recipient of the 2023 University of West Florida Alumni Community Spirit Award,” DeSantis said in a memo. “Roney earned his bachelor’s degree in business management from the University of West Florida.”
The Senate must confirm Roney’s appointment onto the 13-member Board of Trustees.
If confirmed, Roney would come on as a Trustee during an exciting time for the Pensacola university of about 15,000 students.
Earlier this month, UWF President Manny Diaz Jr. announced the school is leaving Division II and moving to Division I this year.
“What a historic day,” Diaz said. “Today marks an important milestone for the University of West Florida and Argonaut Athletics.”
The Argos football team will play this upcoming season in the United Athletic Conference, while all other sports will move into the Atlantic Sun Conference.
UWF is also building a new football stadium.
“Our history in Division II will always be an important part of UWF athletics, and now we’re ready and built for the next level,” UWF Athletic Director Dave Scott said at a news conference.
Diaz, a DeSantis ally and the former Florida Education Commissioner, was hired to be UWF’s 13th President earlier this year.
He is paid nearly $1 million with his base salary and other perks, Inside Higher Education reported.
One Trustee called Diaz’s appointment “a slap in the face” to the process and “travesty in terms of how we operate” after the school hired him to be the interim President and then gave him the full-time job as the only finalist emerging out of more than 80 applications. The Legislature has failed to pass reform to make higher education Presidential searches more transparent