Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday announced he had appointed Rahul Patel and Richard Cole to the University of Florida Board of Trustees.
Patel was reappointed to the board seat he has held since 2015. Outside of his role as a trustee, the Atlanta native is a partner at law firm King & Spalding, where he works as co-head of the firm’s global private equity practice and also serves on the firm’s governing policy committee. He also holds a seat on the board of Crawford & Company, a publicly traded company.
Patel is double alumnus of UF, earning his bachelor’s and juris doctorate at the flagship university. When he was awarded his undergraduate degree, he was named “Outstanding Male Graduate” by the UF College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.
He is also a past president of the University of Florida National Alumni Association and the University of Florida Law School Alumni Council.
Cole, meanwhile, is a new appointment to the UF Board of Trustees.
The Miami resident is also an attorney. Since 1997 he has worked as managing partner at Cole, Scott & Kissane, P.A., one of the largest law firms in Florida.
Cole has been a member of the Dade County Bar Association since 1974 and previously served as president of its board of directors. Additionally, he served on the executive committee of the Leukemia Association of Dade County from 2013 until 2017.
He is also a UF alumnus, earning his bachelor’s degree in business administration and his law degree at the Gainesville-based institution.
Cole’s appointment and Patel’s reappointment are subject to confirmation by the Florida Senate.
