Presidential Search Committee

Committee Members

Chair, Les Muma

Les Muma is a graduate of the University of South Florida, where he received his B.A. in mathematics in 1966 and an honorary doctoral degree in 2003. He is a member of the USF Board of Trustees. He previously served on the board of the USF Foundation, where he chaired the first phase ($600 million) of the Foundation’s $1 billion USF: Unstoppable Campaign. Together with his wife Pam, their transformational philanthropy has left a lasting impact on USF, as well as Junior Achievement of West Central Florida, Tampa General Hospital and other worthy area causes. Muma is also a Life Member of the USF Alumni Association, and is a leader on the College of Business Dean’s Executive Advisory Board, Athletic Advisory Board and the 1956 Society. Muma is a resident of Pinellas County

Muma is the retired chairman and CEO of Fiserv, Inc., a publicly traded financial industry automation products and services firm he co-founded in 1984, currently with more than 240 locations worldwide, over 23,000 employees and revenue in excess of $4 billion. Fiserv was formed after a 1984 merger between Sunshine State Systems and First Data Processing, with Muma serving as the president of Sunshine and overseeing the merger after he and his team did a leveraged buyout of the organization. Having joined Sunshine in 1971 Muma retired from Fiserv in 2006, marking 35 years with the company he helped to create and guide. Muma also serves on the board of directors of FIS Global Inc., is a director and vice president of the Gold Shield Foundation, Inc., and is a past Vice Chairman and member of the Board of Directors of Tampa General Hospital.

VICE CHAIR, RHEA LAW

Rhea Law is a graduate of the University of South Florida, where she earned a degree in management before earning a law degree at Stetson University. She is one of the founding members of the USF Board of Trustees, where she spent five years as vice chair and four years as the first (and only) female chair. She served on the Presidential Search Advisory Committee for the hire of Judy Genshaft in 2000. She is also a founding member of the board of directors of the USF Law Alumni Society, serves as a member of the USF University Research Foundation and was recently named a 2018 Distinguished Alumna by the USF Alumni Association. In 2018 she was inducted as an honorary member of the USF Chapter of the National Academy of Inventors in recognition of her support to innovation at USF. She currently chairs the board of directors for the Health Professions Conferencing Corporation with the USF Center for Advanced Medical Learning and Simulation and provides legal counsel for the Tampa Innovation Alliance. She is a past chair of the Florida Council of 100 and Tampa Bay Partnership. Law is a resident of Hillsborough County.

Law heads the Florida offices of Buchanan, Ingersoll & Rooney, where she also serves on the board of directors and chairs the diversity committee. The national law firm operates 17 offices in nine states. Founded in 1850, the firm is one of the longest standing law firms in the country. Last year, she was named Lawyer of the Year in The Best Lawyers in America publication and was identified as one of the top 25 influential business players in the Tampa Bay area by the Tampa Bay Times. In 2016, Law was the recipient of the Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce Dottie Berger MacKinnon Women of Influence Award and was named as an inaugural member of the Power 100 published by the Tampa Bay Business Journal. In 2015, she was the recipient of the Most Powerful and Influential Woman Award in the Florida Diversity & Leadership Conference – among many other awards and recognitions.

Kathy Weedman Arthur, pH.D.

Dr. Kathy Arthur is a tenured faculty member and researcher from the USF St. Petersburg College of Arts & Sciences. She is a recipient of National Science Foundation (NSF) and National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) research grants. She was recruited from the University of Florida, an AAU institution. Arthur earned national acclaim for her work in discovering the first ancient human genome sequence in Africa. She was a 2017 recipient of USF’s Women in Leadership and Philanthropy Faculty Research Award, the USF Faculty Outstanding Global Research Silver Bull Award in 2017, the Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Service in 2014 and the Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Research and Creative Scholarship in 2012.

Arthur has earned national recognition for her work examining gender roles among ancient inhabitants of Ethiopia, including being awarded the Gordon R. Willey prize from the American Anthropological Association. The prize is given to the best archaeology paper published in the journal during the past three years as determined by its officers. Arthur was also named a 2016 Explorer’s Club Fellow.

Braulio Colón

Braulio Colón is a graduate and active community supporter of the University of South Florida, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in mass communication and Africana studies in 2003 and a Master of Public Administration in 2010. He is chair-elect of the USF Alumni Association’s Board of Directors. Colón is a resident of Hillsborough County. 

Colón serves as vice president and program director for postsecondary education success initiatives in Arizona and Florida at the Helios Education Foundation. Prior to joining Helios, Colón served as director of ENLACE Florida, a statewide network promoting college readiness, access and success, and subsequently served as founding director of Florida College Access Network (Florida C.A.N.!), where he worked with colleges and universities, school systems, businesses, community organizations and other groups to strengthen local efforts to improve college and career readiness, access and completion for all students. Colón also worked for the Florida Department of Education as regional field director and for the Tampa-Hillsborough County Public Library System as general manager for communications and public partnerships.

AnddriKk Frazier

Anddrikk Frazier is a graduate of the University of South Florida, with a Bachelor of Science in Engineering, where he was also a three-year letter winner for the men’s basketball team (1996-99). Frazier is also a member of the USF System Consolidation Task Force. Frazier is a founding member of the USF Black Leadership Network (BLN), which was created to enhance educational and leadership opportunities of African American students through scholarships and programs throughout the USF System and in our communities. He has served on several Tampa Bay area boards, including the YMCAs of Tampa Bay, the Ybor City Development Corporation, the Westshore Alliance, Northside Mental Health, the University Area Development Corporation, the Tampa Prep Alumni Board and the University of South Florida Varsity Club. He currently serves on the Boards of the Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce, the Boys & Girls Club of Tampa Bay and More Health. Frazier is a resident of Hillsborough County.

Professionally, Frazier has nearly 20 years of experience in the energy business providing services in power production, project management, station construction, natural gas and business development. In 2015, he founded Integral Energy and serves as its President and CEO. With 12 employees and independent contractors, he manages Integral’s operations and direction, and develops and fosters strategic partnerships. Recently, Integral and the Port of Tampa Bay announced a partnership to develop six acres for a Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) fueling facility that will include a convenience store and truck fueling location. Previously, he held roles at Trillium CNG in business development and at TECO Energy’s subsidiaries, Tampa Electric and Peoples Gas.

Robert D. Frisina, Ph.D.

Dr. Robert Frisina is a USF professor in medical engineering, chemical & biological engineering and communication sciences & disorders. He is acting chair of USF’s medical engineering department, director of USF’s Center for Hearing & Speech Research and director of Biomedical Engineering at USF. He is a USF Distinguished University Professor and world-class scholar who was recruited from the University of Rochester Medical School, an AAU institution.

Frisina received his Ph.D. in Bioengineering and Neuroscience from Syracuse University’s College of Engineering. He pursued postdoctoral research as an NIH Fellow in Sensory Physiology and Biophysics at the University of Rochester (NY) Medical School. Previously, he was Professor of Otolaryngology, Neurobiology & Anatomy, and Biomedical Engineering, and Associate Chair of Otolaryngology at the University of Rochester Medical School. Frisina’s main research support is currently a Program Project Grant from NIH, entitled “The Aging Auditory System: Presbycusis and Its Neural Bases;” as well as two other NIH R01 grants on areas related to drug delivery and acquired hearing loss.

Stephanie Goforth

Mrs. Goforth earned her Bachelor of Arts in business management from the University of South Florida in 1982. She now serves as a member of the USF Board of Trustees, serving as Chair of the Academics and Campus Environment Committee. She also chairs the USF St. Petersburg Campus Board and is a resident of Pinellas County.

Goforth is Sr. Vice President of the East Region Sales and Marketing and Wealth Management at Northern Trust Corporation. With more than 30 years of trust, investment and banking experience, Ms. Goforth joined Northern Trust in 2005. She was most recently with Bank of America where she was a Senior Vice President, Private Client Advisor and City Executive responsible for all components of private client business in St. Petersburg. Prior to joining Bank of America in 1995, she worked with SunTrust Bank and First Florida Bank (Barnett Bank). She holds the series 7, 6, 63 and 66 licenses and is a certified financial planner. She is a current board member and Treasurer of All Children’s Hospital Foundation, the CASA Board of Trustees, the Heros’ of St. Petersburg Board and the St. Petersburg YMCA. She is also Past President of the Suncoaster’s Festival of States Organization.

Darlene Jordan

Darlene Luccio Jordan is a member of the Board of Governors of the State University System of Florida, serving on the Academic and Research Excellence Committee; the Facilities Committee; the Innovation and Online Committee; the Strategic Planning Committee, the Tuition Appeals Committee; the Select Committee on Florida Polytechnic University; and the Drugs, Alcohol and Mental Health Task Force.

Jordan is the Executive Director of the Gerald R. Jordan Foundation, a nonprofit organization named for her husband that supports education, health and medical research, youth services and the arts. In 2012, she was awarded the Fordham Founder's Award, honoring her outstanding philanthropic commitment to her Alma Mater, Fordham University. She is a member of Fordham’s Board of Directors, serves on Fordham's Executive Committee, and is Chair of the Development and University Relations Committee. She is the current co-chair of the Financial Aid Campaign and of the successfully completed $500 million comprehensive campaign. In April 2016, she was appointed to the Constitution Revision Commission. She received Palm Beach Atlantic University's Women of Distinction Award in March 2017 for her commitment to her community and educational causes. She is a Director of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston and a member of the Harvard Business School Board of Dean's Advisors and the Harvard Stem Cell Institute. Ms. Jordan is a trustee of the Preservation Foundation of Palm Beach and a member of the Board of Directors for Oxbridge Academy and Rosarian Academy.

Jordan is a former Assistant Attorney General for the Massachusetts Office of the Attorney General, where she served in the Insurance Fraud Division from 1996 to 1999. Previously, she was an Assistant District Attorney in the Norfolk District Attorney's office, from 1991 through 1996. She received her Bachelor of Arts in 1989 from Fordham University and her Juris Doctor from Suffolk University School of Law in 1992.

Shaquille Kent

Shaquille is a USF international student from Trinidad and Tobago, majoring in marketing and supply chain management. Since his arrival in 2015, he has been heavily involved on campus, including serving as a USF Ambassador, Resident Assistant, member of the Order of the Golden Brahman and the American Marketing Association. He currently serves as USF’s Student Body Vice President. 

George Morgan

George Morgan earned a bachelor's degree in accounting from the University of South Florida in 1976. He is chair of the USF Foundation Board of Directors, participates on the USF Research Foundation Board and is a member of the USF Muma College of Business Executive Advisory Council. He and his wife, Jane, have pledged significant gifts to the university to benefit USF Athletics and the colleges of business and marine science. Morgan is a resident of Manatee County. 

Morgan served in executive and financial management for more than 20 years. He is the former president and chief executive officer of Virtual Radiologic, a national radiology firm that works with local practitioners and hospitals to optimize radiology's pivotal role in patient care. Morgan previously served for seven years as executive vice president of U.S. Oncology, one of the nation's largest networks of community-based oncology physicians dedicated to advancing cancer care in America. He held executive roles for five years at HCA, the largest private operator of health care facilities in the world, including service as president of the Ambulatory Surgery Division, COO and CFO of the Western Group.  

Fredrick “Rick” Piccolo

Rick Piccolo is a member of the USF Sarasota-Manatee Campus Board and a member of the USF Consolidation Task Force. Piccolo is an active member of the Sarasota community. He is a past chair of the Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and is a past recipient of the Premier Volunteer Award, an honor given for his significant leadership commitment to the Chamber and community. Piccolo is a resident of Sarasota County.

Piccolo has been the president and CEO of the Sarasota Bradenton International Airport since 1995. After earning a bachelor's degree in business administration from the State University of New York Buffalo, he began his career as a janitor at the Buffalo International Airport (BIA). He held several positions at BIA including building superintendent, property manager, assistant to airport manager and assistant director of operations. Locally, he worked in the operations department at Tampa International Airport and, prior to his position at SRQ, he was the assistant airport director at the St. Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport. Piccolo has served as president of the Florida Airports Council. He has achieved executive accreditation to the American Association of Airport Executives, the largest professional airport managers association in the world. Piccolo served as the 2007 chair of the Airports Council International – North America (ACI-NA). He also served as chair on the Board of Directors of Airports Council International. The Florida Department of Transportation selected Piccolo as the 2005 Aviation Professional of the Year. The Federal Aviation Administration also chose him as the 2005 Commercial Service Airport Manager of the Year. In October 2009, Airport Revenue News announced Piccolo as the winner of the “Small Airport CEO of the Year for 2009.”

John Ramil

John Ramil received both his bachelor's and master’s degree in engineering from USF. He is a member of the USF Board of Trustees. He is past chair of the Board. Mr. Ramil has also served as a director on the USF Foundation Board, the USF Alumni Board, the USF Engineering College Advisory Board and the Gus Stavros Center for Free Enterprise Education Advocacy Board. In 1999, he was named Distinguished Alumnus of USF, is the recipient of the President's Fellow Medallion and in 2016 received an Honorary Doctor of Engineering from USF. Ramil has also completed Harvard University’s Advanced Management Program. Ramil is a resident of Hillsborough County.

Ramil recently retired from TECO Energy where he served as president and chief executive officer. Ramil managed TECO Energy's strategy and operations, including its three major operating companies, Tampa Electric, Peoples Gas System and New Mexico Gas Co. In 2015, Mr. Ramil oversaw the $10.4 billion transaction agreement with Emera, Inc. which will make TECO part of the Top 20 North American energy leaders. Ramil currently serves on the board of the Edison Electric Institute, an industry association, and on the boards of directors of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida, the Florida Council of 100, the Moffitt Cancer Center Institute and the Tampa Bay Partnership. Previously, he served on the boards of Enterprise Florida, the Florida Chamber of Commerce, the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center and the Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce.

Debbie Sembler

Debbie Nye Sembler is a former member of the USF Board of Trustees and former chair of the USF St. Petersburg Campus Board. She is an active supporter of educational and civic causes across the Tampa Bay community, including serving on the boards of the USF Foundation, All Children’s Hospital, the Florida Holocaust Museum, the Florida Governor’s Mansion Foundation, Shorecrest Preparatory School and Temple Beth-el. In addition to her work with USF, she is a member of the Florida Holocaust Museum Advisory Board and is also involved with Academy Prep and All Children’s Hospital. Sembler is a resident of Pinellas County.

A University of Florida graduate with a B.A. in journalism and marketing, Sembler’s professional career included serving as senior account executive on the Hong Kong and Mexico accounts for Hill and Knowlton; and the Director of Public Relations for the Wyndham Hotel Seaworld in Orlando. She was also the first director of marketing for Old Hyde Park Village.

Byron Shinn

Byron Shinn received his Bachelor of Arts in accounting from University of South Florida and is a member of the USF Board of Trustees. He also serves as Chair of the USF Sarasota-Manatee Campus Board and as a member of the USF System Consolidation Task Force. He also serves on the University of South Florida School of Accountancy Advisory Board and the USF Sarasota-Manatee Community Leadership Council. Shinn is a resident of Manatee County.

Shinn, a Certified Public Accountant, is partner-in-charge of the Bradenton and Sarasota offices of Alabama-based Carr, Riggs & Ingram LLC, a top 20 CPA and advisory firm. Previously, he was president and managing partner of Shinn & Company LLC, Certified Public Accountants and Consultants. His professional involvement includes Probable Cause Panel of Florida State Board of Accountancy, Past Board Member of the Florida State Board of Accountancy, member of the Federal Tax committee of FICPA. He has been active in numerous civic organizations, including the Manatee County Chamber of Commerce.

Charles Stanish, Ph.D.

Dr. Charles Stanish is an anthropology professor in the USF College of Arts and Sciences and executive director of the USF Institute for the Advanced Study of Culture and the Environment. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts & Sciences. He is a world-class scholar that was recruited from the University of California, Los Angeles, an AAU institution.

Stanish earned his BA from Pennsylvania State and his Ph.D. from the University of Chicago. He has worked extensively in Peru, Bolivia and Chile, conducting archaeological research on the prehistoric societies of the region. His theoretical work focuses on the roles that trade, war, ritual, and labor organization play in the evolution of human cooperation and complex societies.  His primary books include The Evolution of Human Co-operation (2017-Cambridge), Ancient Titicaca: The Evolution of Complex Society in Southern Peru and Northern Bolivia (2003-Berkeley), Ritual and Pilgrimage in the Ancient Andes (with B. Bauer, 2001-Texas) and Ancient Andean Political Economy (1992-Texas). He also works with a sustainable development group to preserve global cultural heritage through a combination of micro-lending, direct community grants, and tourist infrastructure development. He was a Senior Fellow at Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and an External Faculty member of the Santa Fe Institute.