Weatherford and Griffin reelected as USF Board of Trustees chair and vice chair

By Adam Freeman, University Communications and Marketing

Will Weatherford and Mike Griffin will continue to serve as the chair and vice chair of the University of South Florida Board of Trustees for an additional two-year term after their reelection by board members during today’s meeting.  Both have served as chair and vice chair since June 2021.

“I’m honored to continue to lead our Board of Trustees, especially at such an exciting and important time in the University of South Florida’s history,” Weatherford said.  “Having recently achieved a long-standing goal to be invited to join the prestigious Association of American Universities, USF is on a path to become one of the top 25 public universities in the country and we are focused on helping drive the success of the Tampa Bay region.”

Weatherford, who was appointed to the board in 2021, is the managing partner of Weatherford Capital, where he focuses on providing leadership and strategic guidance to the team. He previously served as the 84th Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives. He is a member of the Florida Council of 100, Florida Chamber of Commerce, and serves on numerous boards including TECO Energy, Kitson & Partners, PayIt, SOMA Global and The National Council for the American Enterprise Institute. Weatherford also served as co-chairman of the Super Bowl LV Host Committee. He earned a bachelor’s degree in international business from Jacksonville University. 

Griffin, who has served on the board since 2019, is an executive managing director and market leader for Savills, a worldwide company known for its consistent delivery of a full range of integrated real estate services across the globe. Griffin previously served as chairman of the Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce and was recognized as its youngest chairman in the more than 135-year history of the organization. He serves on the Junior Achievement Tampa Bay Board of Directors and is a graduate of Leadership Florida (Cornerstone XXVI). He has also served in several leadership roles in the Tampa Bay community, including his gubernatorial appointment to the Tampa Port Authority/Port Tampa Bay Governing Board. Griffin earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration from USF.  He served two terms as USF student body president and was the charter student member of the Board of Trustees.

“I’m proud to continue to serve in this leadership role on the Board of Trustees for an institution that’s very special to me, the University of South Florida,” Griffin said.  “USF is on an incredible trajectory, and we will keep pursuing excellence across the university, including in student success, high-impact research and innovation, community engagement and our athletics programs.”  

The USF Board of Trustees is comprised of 13 members, six of whom are appointed by the Florida governor and five appointed by the Florida Board of Governors for a term of five years. The elected USF Faculty Senate president and USF Student Government president also serve as trustees.