Senate needs to ask other UWF trustees the Yenor question

The three Board of Governors’ appointees to the University of West Florida Board of Trustees sailed through the Florida Senate Appropriations Committee on Higher Education hearing and will appear tomorrow before Sen. Don Gaetz’s Senate Committee on Ethics & Election. None of them live in the greater Pensacola area or have ties to UWF.

The trio— Rebecca Matthews, Dr. Rachel Moya, and Ashley Ross—weren’t asked why they voted for former trustee Scott Yenor as the board’s chairman.

Instead, they simply presented their qualifications and their visions for UWF.

Rebecca Matthews

Rebecca Matthews touted her over 20 years of education volunteer experience.

“I was born in Pensacola, have a very long-time fondness for the town and the entire area,” Matthews said. “I did move from there from my middle school age down to Tampa and came to Tallahassee for the rest of my adult life. But we kept connections.”

She added, “Recently, over the past three years, or in my fourth year actually, with the Florida Education Foundation out of the Department of Education, I’ve served on the board and most recently the chair, and I’m in my third year of that.

Background: Over this past weekend, we learned that Governor DeSantis and his wife ran the Hope Florida Fund through the Florida Education Foundation. The foundation’s audit report did not segregate the Hope Florida Fund from the other funds.

At the March hearing, Matthews detailed how she had familiarized herself with Pensacola and UWF since her January appointment:

“I’ve been over to Pensacola multiple times. Met with President Saunders in her cabinet, spent many days with them now at this point, but I’ve been to all three of the campuses, which is the campus proper, the one over in Fort Walton Beach and then the downtown Historic district.”

She liked what she saw. “It’s a vibrant school. It really is. It’s a vibrant community,” she said. “They are doing a great job. It’s an excellent school. They bring in a lot of revenue and jobs for the community, and my intention here is I don’t know why they wouldn’t continue to excel.”

When questioned by Senator Alexis Calatayud about Title IX protections, which Yenor has criticized, Matthews affirmed, “I certainly would want to ensure that the student’s rights are protected.”

Yenor has also identified the Civil Rights Act of 1964 as an obstacle to society, as it mandates equal treatment of men and women.

Read Rebecca Matthews Application UBOT_Redacted

Dr. Rachel Moya

Dr. Rachel Moya stressed her Christian faith, being the mother of six step-children and her background as an elected school board member in South Carolina and in various educational leadership positions.

“First and foremost, I’m a Christian wife and mother stepmother to six beautifully unique children,” Dr. Moya began. “While I will list out my professional qualifications regarding this appointment today, I’ll note that my greatest accomplishment is being a mother and now a stepmother to some truly amazing humans.”

On academic credentials: “My educational background includes a Bachelor’s in criminal justice and criminology, a master’s in intelligence studies and a PhD in public policy. I also hold a certificate in education finance from Georgetown University.”

As Chief Revenue Officer for an education data and technology company, Dr. Moya explained her current role overseeing “all revenue streams for our various products, provide strategies for growth and product expansion, and oversee our teams and sales, marketing and customer success.”

When asked about her goals for UWF: “Really, my goal is to make sure that the programs that we are turning out at UWF and the students we’re turning out are workforce ready. And also that the return on investment of those programs helps those students for years to come.”

Dr. Moya also noted her interest in specific academic programs: “They have a lot of wonderful offerings, including criminal justice, which is near and dear to my heart… Forensic science is also something that interests me.”

Read Moya, Rachel_Redacted.

Ashley Ross

Ashley Ross, a third-generation Floridian and Florida State University graduate, pointed out fundraising expertise and government experience. Her testimony highlighted her commitment to higher education as a “core pillar” of Florida.

“For most of my career, I served as a professional fundraiser with a short detour, having the honor to serve Senate President Joe Negron as Deputy Chief of Staff,” Ross explained to the committee.

What she didn’t mention: Ashley Ross founded Ross Consulting, a political consulting firm that raised funds for Rep. Michelle Salzman’s campaign. Her husband, Scott, the managing partner at Capital City Consulting and has been honored in City & State’s 100 Most Powerful People in Florida. Scott Ross serves with Mathews on the Florida Education Foundation.

When asked about her specific goals for UWF, Ross identified several priorities:

“I’d like to start by saying some things that the university has started that I would like to play a role in continuing to grow, and that is deepening the ties with our military community. That’s a huge asset and I guess competitive advantage that the Pensacola area has. I want to also grow the cybersecurity program, and I’ll put a little plugin for the civil engineering program as well.”

When questioned about Title IX protections and equal opportunity, Ross stated, “My personal value and belief would be to preserve protections and equal treatment for all employers and students and everyone at the university level and at the community level.”

Read Ross, Ashley_Redacted

Senate needs to ask other UWF trustees the Yenor question

Rebecca Matthews

Dr. Rachel Moya

Ashley Ross

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