Three trustees reappointed

Gov. Jeb Bush announced the reappointments of three USF Board of Trustee members.

The reappointments came on Jan. 24. According to a press release from the governor’s office, Margarita Cancio, John Ramil and Debbie Nye Sembler will serve an additional five years on the board starting Jan. 24 and ending Jan. 6, 2011.

“The three applicants had close ties with USF,” said Krista Moody, public information officer for the governor’s office. “They all earned their degrees there, two of them earned their masters degree’s at USF, and they remained very active with the University. They participated in many events while they were a student and afterward.”

BOT applicants have to be reappointed every five years but can be reappointed for an indefinite period of time, Moody said.

A total of 13 trustees are appointed to the BOT. Five are appointed by the governor, and six others are appointed by the Board of Governors.

A majority of the BOT members have strong ties to USF and hold occupations outside of their BOT appointments.

Cancio graduated from USF with a bachelor’s degree in 1979 and received a degree in medicine in 1982. She went on to hold many positions in her field including chief of staff for Tampa General Hospital. As a trustee, she serves as the vice chairwoman of the Health Sciences and Research workgroup and sits on the executive committee of the Finance and Audit workgroup.Ramil is the president of TECO Energy and serves on the Florida Chamber of Commerce. He received both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in engineering from USF. As a trustee, Ramil is chair of the USF Lakeland campus BOT and is part of the Finance and Audit workgroup’s executive committee.

Sembler received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Florida in 1978. She is a former marketing executive. Her duties as trustee include being the chair of the St. Petersburg campus BOT, and she is a member of the Health Sciences and Research workgroup.

Sembler was the only governor-appointed trustee to submit a questionnaire with her application explaining her position at USF.

“As a member of the Board of Trustees of the University, I would have the responsibility of evaluating programs appropriately,” Sembler wrote. “I would be part of the corporate body that oversees and prioritizes the University’s raising of money and spending money.”

The Florida Board of Governors, which oversees the state’s public universities, also reappointed Jan Smith and Lee Arnold to five-year terms.

Smith received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Florida and is the president of the real estate company Jan Smith and Co. He serves as the chair of the Manatee Community College BOT and Sarasota/Manatee Campus BOT and also chairs the Sarasota/Manatee Campus Environment workgroup.

Arnold received his bachelor’s degree from USF. He is in the real estate business and is the chief executive officer and chairman of Arnold Companies, which specializes in brokerage and property asset services. As a trustee, Arnold serves on the Finance and Audit workgroup’s executive committee and chairs the Academic and Campus Environmental workgroup.

USF President Judy Genshaft, faculty senate President Susan Greenbaum and student body President Maxon Victor also sit on the board.