The Florida Board of Governors will vote today on confirming Manny Diaz Jr. as the president of the University of West Florida, following an 11-1 approval vote by the UWF Board of Trustees on January 8.
- Background: The vote comes nearly a year later after Gov. Ron DeSantis paved the way for Diaz by overhauling the Board of Trustees with outsiders who carried his political agenda to jettison popular President Martha Saunders and reward his loyal education commissioner.
“Comprehensive” Search Process
UWF Board of Trustees Chair Rebecca Matthews formally presented Diaz to the state board in a January 15 letter, outlining the search process that led to Diaz being the only finalist presented. Read Letter-from-UWF-Chair-Matthews.
The university retained Funk and Associates, which has conducted more than 400 presidential and chancellor searches, to support the process. A 15-member (all White) Presidential Search Committee was formed in August 2025 and was led by UWF Trustee Zack Smith, the board’s newest trustee, who ambushed Saunders in his first board meeting. Saunders announced her resignation after Smith’s attack.
- A Pattern Develops: In May 2025, Matthews offered her board only one individual to serve as the appointed interim president, Education Commissioner Manny Diaz. He officially took office on July 14, 2025.
Dig Deeper: Matthews also hired Lawson Huck Gonzalez over the objection of former general counsel Susan Woolf, who was subsequently fired after she asked for a board meeting.
“I extend my gratitude to the Search Committee members for devoting a generous amount of their time and expertise to embrace this important duty,” Matthews wrote.
“Great Vigor”
Matthews highlighted Diaz’s performance during his interim tenure, noting his immediate engagement with the university community.
- “Since July 14th, 2025, when he officially took office, Interim President Diaz has worked with great vigor and a steady hand – showing his commitment to the university,” Matthews stated in her letter.
She added that Diaz “demonstrated from his first day as Interim President that he is laser focused on maintaining strategic relationships and building new ones, engaging with federal and state government leaders, and strategically managing the university’s budget, as well as bolstering fundraising efforts.”
Employment Contract Approved
The UWF Board of Trustees unanimously approved a draft presidential employment contract at their January 8 meeting. All twelve board members voted to approve the contract, while the selection vote itself was 11-1 in favor.
- “On behalf of the UWF Board of Trustees, I am pleased to request that the Board of Governors, at its next scheduled meeting, consider and confirm President-elect Manny Diaz, Jr., as the seventh President of the University of West Florida,” Matthews wrote.
Matthews concluded her letter with optimism about UWF’s future under Diaz’s leadership.
- “We look forward to working with you as we write UWF’s next chapter—bold, collaborative, and future-focused,” she stated.
The Florida Board of Governors’ confirmation vote represents the final step in the formal process to install Diaz as UWF’s president.
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