Gov. DeSantis appoints unseated Broward School Board appointee to State Board of Education

Less than three days after he placed last in a three-way race for his appointed seat on the Broward County School Board, Daniel Foganholi is bound for a loftier position on the State Board of Education — courtesy of another appointment by Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Voters ousted Foganholi, a Coral Springs Republican whom DeSantis put on the School Board in April 2022 and later reappointed, in Tuesday’s Primary.

They replaced him with Democratic lawyer Maura Bulman, who took 51% of the vote. Foganholi earned just 20%.

Just before 1:30 p.m. Friday, DeSantis’ Office announced Foganholi’s Board of Education appointment, which pends — and is almost sure to receive — confirmation from the GOP-dominated Senate.

A first-generation American born to Brazilian immigrant parents, Foganholi is the product of the Broward County school system, according to his School Board bio, which says he was homeschooled and attended public and charter schools.

He attended Florida Atlantic University and attained certificates in marketing and sales. For work, he is the Director of Legislative Affairs for the nonprofit New Generations Children’s Ministry, which focuses on spreading Christianity to “the world’s least-reached people.”

Foganholi spoke of being in the public eye and seeing “the ugly side of people” as a School Board member during a 2023 episode of The Opportunity Collective Podcast.

“We get the angriest people. We get the most pressure, the most coverage when it comes to it. Anything I say is on Twitter immediately. Anything I do is in the paper the next day. I remember as a kid, I used to dream of having my name in the paper as a football player. Now, it’s like I see it and every day I’m like, ‘Enough. I’m good. I don’t want to talk to anybody. I don’t want to do this anymore,’” he said.

But he continued to serve, because he’s on a mission from God, who “kept calling me and saying, ‘Step in the room.’”

“(When) I’m going into a conference — whatever the case is — I always say the same prayer before. I say, ‘God, in this moment, when I step into this room, don’t let them see me; let them see you. When I shake somebody’s hand, don’t let them feel me; let them feel you and see that your presence is different,” he said.

“So, when you hear people say there’s something different about you, there’s something off, I know what it is. And my mom used to tell me all the time, ‘People will tell you all day that you have a charisma. Understand that is the presence of God, (and) don’t get fooled by that. That’s nothing you’re doing.’”

Foganholi, who mounted an unsuccessful bid for the Coral Springs Commission two yeas ago, also serves on the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Commission and Charter School Review Commission.

His appointment to the State Board of Education is effective Nov. 20.