Ryan Nicol
Gov. Ron DeSantis has announced decisions on two Board of Trustees members each for Florida Atlantic University (FAU) and Florida International University (FIU). One is his former Department of Management Services (DMS) Secretary, and two others are major FIU benefactors.
Former DMS Secretary Jonathan Satter will take a Board of Trustees position at FAU. Satter left his role in the DeSantis administration in 2021. DeSantis later named Satter as a member of the Boards of Directors for Enterprise Florida and Space Florida. Satter had an extensive career in real estate before joining government.
Joining Satter on the FAU Board is Tina Vidal-Duart, whose husband, Carlos, serves on the FIU Board of Trustees and also earned a reappointment from the Governor Thursday.
Tina Vidal-Duart is CDR Health Care’s CEO. She also serves as the Executive Vice President of CDR Companies. Vidal-Duart also chairs the Florida Grand Opera Board of Directors, and is Vice Chair of the Miami-Dade Homeless Trust.
Last year, she and her husband donated significant sums to start up the Vidal-Duart Wine Studies program at FIU. Vidal-Duart is also a member of the Florida International University Foundation Board of Directors. Now, she’s expanding her reach with a role at FAU.
Carlos Duart works as CEO for CDR Companies. Duart’s other roles with FIU include serving as a member of the FIU College of Engineering Dean’s Advisory Board and the FIU Transportation Center’s Steering Committee.
Joining him on the FIU Board of Trustees is George Heisel, who also earned a nod from the Governor on Thursday. Heisel was a member of DeSantis’ finance committee during his presidential run. Heisel is also the Shareholder of ExpoCredit.
Heisel is a former member of the Young Presidents’ Organization’s Miami Chapter Board of Directors and the Mount Sinai Hospital Medical Center Foundation Board.
All of these appointments take effect on Jan. 7 and are also subject to confirmation from the Senate.
One comment
Steven P. Kirn, Ph.D.
December 20, 2024 at 9:03 am
It would be a nice gesture to see BOT Members at State Universities who bring some academic credentials — not just financial wealth — to the role. I do not know these people, so I am not criticizing them personally, but I find that the consistent appointment of real estate investors to SUS Board of Trustee roles tells a sad tale of what “counts” in Florida Higher Education. Money both talks — and walks.