Will Weatherford, chair of the board of trustees for the University of South Florida, has recommended Rhea Law as interim president for the college.
Law is was previously Of Counsel for Buchanan, Ingersoll & Rooney and has a long resume of service, both in business and the community in Tampa Bay.
She was president, CEO and chair of the board for Fowler White Boggs from 2002 to 2014. She also led the merger with Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney in May 2014 and remained on as chair of the Florida offices through December of 2018.
“I am humbled by Chair Weatherford’s recommendation. I care deeply about the University of South Florida and can credit much of my own personal and professional success to the impact USF has had on my life. I am honored to help play a part in USF’s next chapter and thank President Currall for his leadership during the past two years,” said Law, who added she will not apply for the permanent president position.
Law has a longstanding relationship with the USF community. She earned an undergraduate degree in management from USF.
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, contributing to USF’s growth and evolution as a Research 1 public university. She served on the Presidential Search Advisory Committee for USF’s last two presidential searches.
“USF is always moving forward. That is why I am recommending an interim president who can inspire confidence while listening to and advocating for our students, faculty, staff and community; who has the leadership skills to help us pragmatically move forward on key issues; who respects the critical role of our faculty; who understands and can help advance our strong research enterprise and clinical expertise, and who has the relationships across our region and our state to garner even more support for USF,” Weatherford said in a message to the USF community. “Rhea’s deep ties within our community and her stellar leadership abilities will help us continue our momentum while we find the next great leader for our university.”
Law also serves on a number of boards in the Tampa Bay area including the Lions Eye Institute and the board of advisors for H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute.
The USF board of trustees will be meeting on Aug. 2 to vote on the recommendation, which will be pending Board of Governors approval at its next meeting on Aug. 31.
