Gov. DeSantis names 4 Trustees to Santa Fe College board

Late Friday afternoon, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced he picked four people to serve on the Santa Fe College District Board of Trustees.

DeSantis appointed Robert Hitchcock and Karin Montini to be first-time Trustees and reappointed Emery Gainey and Caridad Lee to another term.

The Senate must approve DeSantis’ appointments. 

The Trustees will lead the school that has an annual $82 million operating budget and 786 full-time employees and 676 part-time employees, according to the school’s website.

Hitchcock is the Vice President of Hitchcock & Sons, Inc.

“Active in his community, he is a member of the Ronald McDonald House Gainesville Board of Directors,” DeSantis said in a news release. “Hitchcock earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration from Stetson University.”

Montini works as the Associate Head of School at Oak Hall School.

“Previously, she served as a Curriculum Developer for Kaplan K-12 Learning Services and a Teacher for Arlington Public Schools,” DeSantis said. “Montini earned her bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Florida State University, her master’s degree in school leadership from Harvard University, and is currently working towards her doctorate in organizational leadership from Vanderbilt University.”

Gainey is a retired Alachua County Sheriff.

“Previously, he served as the Chief of Staff for the Office of the Florida Attorney General, the Sheriff of Marion County, and a Chief Deputy for the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office,” DeSantis said. “Gainey earned his bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from the University of Florida.”

Lee owns Florida Blue Farms.

“Previously, she served as the Vice President of the Florida Woodland Company and a Teacher for Marion County Public Schools,” DeSantis said. “Lee earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education from the University of Florida and her master’s degree in religious education from Loyola University.”

The Gainesville school was created as a community college but today it gives out bachelor’s degrees, in addition to associate’s degrees.

“In its first 50 years, Santa Fe College has matured from a small community college of 1,000 students into a strong four-year college offering a rich and wide variety of educational opportunities to more than 22,000 individuals each year on seven campus sites and online,” the school said on its website.