Bevy of Ron DeSantis appointments includes former Sen. President James Scott

Photo courtesy University of Central Florida.

Gov. Ron DeSantis issued several appointments and reappointments Wednesday evening from university positions to transit authority posts. Those appointments include former Senate President James Scott.

The flurry of announcements come at the end of an otherwise quiet day for the Governor’s Office, with all eyes turned to President Joe Biden‘s inauguration. DeSantis’ appointments include posts to the University of Central Florida and Florida Atlantic University Board of Trustees, the Florida Housing Finance Corporation Board of Directors, the Real Estate Appraisal Board, and the South Florida Regional Transportation Authority Governing Board.

Jeff Condello and Bill Christy join the University of Central Florida Board of Trustees.

Condello, of Windermere, is president and CEO of Randall Construction, a company he started in 1986. The Orlando Business Journal named him its 2019 CEO of the Year, and he has volunteered his time with Project Opioid, Faine House, Florida Hospital, and the Children’s Home Society.

He is a University of Central Florida Legacy Circle member.

Christy is the CEO of both Cognitive Kinetics and Challenge North America. Previously, he was CEO of both AOI Medical and SpineMatrix.

The Daytona Beach resident earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Central Florida and his Master of Business Administration from the Rollins College Crummer School of Business.

Daniel Cane and Barbara Feingold join the Florida Atlantic University Board of Trustees.

Cane, of Boca Raton, is a former Florida Atlantic University Board of Trustees vice-chair. Currently, he is the CEO of the health care software company Modernizing Medicine.

Previously, he was co-founder and senior vice president of research and development of Blackboard. He is actively involved with the South Florida Science Center and Aquarium, the United Way of Palm Beach County, and the Boca Raton Innovation Campus. He earned his bachelor’s degree in applied economics from Cornell University.

Feingold is the senior vice president of Managed Care of North America Dental and a former member of the State Board of Education. She is a former educator who graduated cum laude with a bachelor’s degree from Montclair State College.

Feingold, of Delray Beach, is a longtime supporter of Florida Atlantic University.

Dev Motwani, of Fort Lauderdale, joins the Florida Housing Finance Corporation Board of Directors. He is the president and CEO of the real state development firm Merrimac Ventures. He is involved with several groups, including the Orange Bowl Committee, the Florida Council of 100, and the Community Foundation of Broward. Motwani earned his bachelor’s degree in economics and public policy from Duke University and his master’s degree in real estate development from Columbia University.

Herbert Jourdan, Janet Rabin and Shawn Wilson join the Florida Real Estate Appraisal Board.

Jourdan, of Ocala, is an appraiser and president of Spectrum Valuation. He served as a member of The Appraisal Foundation Board of Trustees and is a past president of the Central Florida Chapter of the Appraisal Institute. He earned his bachelor’s degree in real estate and finance from Indiana University.

Rabin, of Cape Coral, is Team Lead for Collateral Valuations at NewRez. She has served on the Florida Real Estate Appraisal Board since 2016.

Previously, she held appraisal positions with Ditech Financial, CoreLogic and Landsafe, and she has been involved with the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, the Association of Real Estate Research Professionals.

Wilson, of Lakeland, owns Compass Real Estate Consulting. He has been involved with The Appraisal Foundation, Appraisal Institute, Association of Eminent Domain Professionals, International Association of Assessing Officers, and the International Right of Way Association. Wilson earned an associate degree from Valencia College.

Carlos Penin, James Scott and Robert Sendler join the South Florida Regional Transportation Authority Governing Board.

Penin, of Coral Gables, is an engineer and President of C.A.P. Government, Inc. He is a former Miami-Dade Expressway Authority board member and has been involved with several organizations. He earned his bachelor’s degree in civil engineering and construction management from the University of Florida and his master’s degree in environmental and urban systems from Florida International University.

Scott, Senate President from 1994 to 1996, is chairman and a founding director of Tripp Scott. Scott is also a former Broward County Commissioner and has served on the South Florida Regional Transportation Authority Governing Board since 2013.

He earned his bachelor’s degree and his law degree from the University of Kentucky. He also served in and received an honorable discharge from the United States Coast Guard, retiring as a Lieutenant Commander.

Sendler, of Jupiter, is vice president and chief litigation counsel for NextEra Energy. He is also a former Assistant State’s Attorney for Florida’s 15th Judicial Circuit. Sendler earned his bachelor’s degree in international affairs from Florida State University and his law degree from the Stetson University College of Law.

Other appointments Wednesday include Will Weatherford to the University of South Florida Board of Trustees and five to the Real Estate Commission.

The appointments are subject to Senate confirmation.