Peter Schorsch
FAMU last week named four finalists for President. In the days since, there has been more focus on how the announcement was made and how the names were picked than on the finalists themselves.
The list: University of Maryland Eastern Shore Provost Rondall Allen, UCF Senior Vice President for Administration and Finance Gerald Hector, FAMU Executive Vice President and COO Donald Palm and Charter Communications Group Vice President of State Government Affairs Marva Johnson.
Johnson’s inclusion raised eyebrows, with the Tallahassee Democrat — which preempted the university in announcing the finalists — reporting rumors that she was a last-second addition to the field. One Trustee, former 9th Judicial Circuit Court Chief Judge Belvin Perry Jr., asserted that there was now a “cloud hanging” over the finalists.
Florida Board of Governors Vice Chair Alan Levine, a presidential search committee member, said any rumors of impropriety are bunk. Taking him at his word (Levine isn’t afraid to call a foul when it’s due, as he showed during FSU’s presidential search as well as FAU’s) Johnson is entitled to the same consideration and scrutiny as the other three finalists.
Johnson doesn’t have the university administration background as the other finalists, but that’s arguably a good thing. Right now, FAMU doesn’t just need a run-of-the-mill leader — they need a smart, savvy visionary.
Johnson, a former State Board of Education Chair, is a seasoned executive and nationally respected education advocate who would bring FAMU a rare and powerful combination of public policy leadership, private sector experience, and unwavering commitment to student success. She has also been a longtime champion for expanding access to digital education tools and bridging the technology gap for underserved students.
Her deep understanding of governance and strategic planning has also been shaped by her service on the 2018 Florida Constitution Revision Commission and numerous state-level boards, including Enterprise Florida, Florida TaxWatch, the Florida Talent Development Council and the Florida Virtual School. She is also an active national voice on issues of workforce development and youth opportunity through her board work with the Pace Center for Girls and Women in Cable.
With a law degree from Georgia State University, an MBA from Emory University, and a bachelor’s degree from Georgetown, Johnson also has a suitable academic background — for those who still think a university President should hold a Ph.D., remember, it worked out well when a J.D. held the top job at FSU not so long ago.
Simply put, Johnson is a known quantity in Florida and in the education sphere who could hit the ground running at FAMU and keep it on the right trajectory.
The finalists were selected by the FAMU Presidential Search Committee from a highly competitive national pool of candidates. Each finalist, including Johnson, will participate in on-campus interviews with the FAMU Board of Trustees from May 12–16, as the board prepares to select the university’s next president. The final candidate will be submitted to the Florida Board of Governors for approval.
