Gov. DeSantis reappoints Republican donor William Christy to UCF board

Gov. Ron DeSantis reappointed businessman and Republican donor William Christy onto the University of Central Florida (UCF) Board of Trustees.

“Christy has launched multiple successful startup companies and played a key role in the design and production of several medical devices,” DeSantis said in a press release Monday.

Christy’s reappointment requires confirmation by the Florida Senate.

Since 2021, Christy has donated $45,000 to Republicans, which includes $30,000 to the Empower Parents PAC previously known as the Friends of Ron DeSantis. 

Christy was first appointed to the UCF board in 2021. His previous trustee term expired Jan. 6. 

Christy, who lives in Daytona Beach, received his bachelor’s degree in business from UCF in 1986 and his MBA from Rollins College Crummer School of Business in Winter Park in 1997.

Currently, Christy is the president and CEO of CLASH Endurance, which hosts athletic events. He started the business because he was a big triathlete fan.

Prior to CLASH in 2013, Mr. Christy founded Cognitive Kinetics, Inc., an orthopedic/spine medical device company, and currently presides as executive chairman. He has also been involved with several medical device companies as founder, CEO and executive director” according to his trustee bio on the school’s website. Early in his career, Christy was one of the founders and former director for Ethicon Endo-Surgery, a Johnson & Johnson company, the bio says.

The next UCF trustees meeting is Feb. 26.

As a UCF trustee, Christy will continue to oversee one of the biggest schools in the country. 

The trustees approved last month a one-year contract extension for President Alexander Cartwright. The school is also expanding its football stadium, building a new nurse’s college and is working to continue rising in state and national higher education rankings. U.S. News & World Report recently rated UCF’s online bachelor degree as the ninth best in the entire country.

“UCF continually pushes boundaries to deliver exceptional learning experiences,” Cartwright said in a statement last month.

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