Manny Diaz Jr. selected interim president of the University of West Florida

May 28, 2025

in Industry,

Florida Department of Education Commissioner Manny Diaz Jr., has been selected as the University of West Florida’s interim president.

In an 8-2 vote Tuesday morning, the university’s Board of Trustees chose Diaz to replace Martha Saunders, who resigned May 12. The Board of Trustees waived the 90-day notice of resignation and Saunders’ last day will be July 13. She has served as UWF president since January 2017.

Diaz will become interim president July 14.

Board members Susan James and Alonzie Scott voted against the proposal with Paul Bailey, Dick Baker, Adam Kissel, Rebecca Matthews, Rachel Moya, Ashley Ross, Zack Smith and Chris Young voting in favor.

Saunders plans to return to tenured position in the university's Department of Communications. With the position, the contract allows her to immediately take a year of professional development leave.

After being voted in as interim president, Diaz thanked Saunders for her service and dedication to the university, and state of Florida - noting Saunders’ work to improve UWF’s performance metrics.

“She has put the school in a very good position to continue to succeed, so I want to congratulate her on that and thank her and look forward to working with her for a smooth transition as well,” Diaz said via Zoom.

“This school has a special place in this community. It has an identity of this community, not only as an economic engine but also as a guardian of the historic trust, which includes a lot of assets that are not only important to this community but to this state.”

Diaz stressed the philosophy of putting students first.

“At the end of the day, these institutions exist for the benefit of our students, and ultimately it benefits our community and our state. We have to keep in mind what is best for our students, keeping our students first. That is what is of the utmost importance to me in all the roles that I have,” Diaz said, addressing students concerns about his appointment and the upheaval at the university over the past few months.

Board member Susan James, as well as several community members who spoke during the public forum, requested that Saunders stay on as president until a final successor is chosen, arguing serious candidates won't apply for the position as history indicates Diaz Jr. will likely be named the permanent president.

Diaz did receive support from Jim Murdaugh, Tallahassee State College president, and Mel Ponder, Northwest Florida State College president, during public comment.

“I have come to know Manny Diaz over the years when he was in the Legislature and then as commissioner of education in Florida. He is a thought leader. He has established himself as highly effective with both policy matters and budget matters with the Florida Legislature,” Murdaugh said, noting that for years, Diaz has brought university and state college presidents together to work on ways to improve student outcomes.

“I know him to be incredibly supportive of the research you do, incredibly supportive of the scholarship that happens at your university. You will do well by selecting him.”

However, some are residents were less supportive of Diaz’s appointment.

Jerry Maygarden, former Pensacola mayor and state legislator, UWF alum, donor and supporter, expressed concern about Diaz’s appointment and suggested naming a current university administrator as interim president.

“My knowledge of UWF is not casual or passive. I have served on the selection committee for a new president, and I have been an alumni advisor to others. I am addressing you about the interim appointment because it will have everything to do with the quality of the applicant pool to be considered by your selection committee to follow,” Maygarden said, adding for more than a year, he has heard that Diaz would be the next president of UWF.

“That may very well be true, but if you name him the interim president, you will shut down the applicant pool. Yes, you’ll get applicants, but they will not be the crème de la crème, the academic leaders who readily demonstrate a commitment to academic rigor and research, classroom instruction and public service. Top drawer candidates will not want to sacrifice their current positions for a political process that appears to be, as one Tallahassee insider said, ‘a done deal.’”

Maygarden added the issue can be remedied by the board of trustees announcing that the interim president will not be a candidate for the permanent position. He said if Diaz wants to become president, allow him to apply like other candidates.

Chasidy Hobbs, president of UWF chapter of the United Faculty of Florida union and an instructor and director of conservation, shared what she said is the sentiments of students, faculty, staff and administrators.

“We want to see a president who will fiercely protect the First Amendments rights of our campus family, especially our students. One that supports the facts that we do not censure students and one that values our desire to support all of them,” Hobbs said. “Our hope is that our next president will recognize our financial strengths and metric successes over the last several years, and work with us to continue to outperform our expectations.”

UWF grad student Domani Turner-Ward said Diaz doesn’t have the experience or expertise to lead the university.

“His career, thus far, is in K-12 education – not in the administration of a university as large as our own. I urge the board to find and select an interim president who is well-prepared to facilitate a continuation of the kind of excellence our university has achieved under President Martha Saunders,” she said.

The board of trustees is conducting a search for a permanent president. In Florida, an interim president becoming the permanent isn’t unprecedented, however.

Former Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nuñez went from interim president of Florida International University to being named a finalist for the presidency after a three-month selection process. Nuñez, an FIU alum, had been lieutenant governor for six years before resigning to take the interim position.

A former state legislator from Hialeah in Miami-Dade County, Diaz served in the House from 2012 to 2018 and in the Senate from 2018 until 2022, when DeSantis recommended him as education commissioner and the Florida State Board of Education made it official.

Before entering politics, Diaz was a social studies teacher and baseball coach in Miami-Dade County Public Schools. He became an assistant principal and later chief operating officer at Doral College.

Diaz holds a bachelor's degree from St. Thomas University, a master’s degree in education from Nova Southeastern University and completed a Harvard Graduate School of Education program for principals, according to his biography on the Florida Department of Education website.

During his time in the Senate, Diaz was a sponsor of the so called, “anti-woke” law that passed in 2022 that sought to ban employer-mandated diversity training. The law has been blocked by federal courts on grounds that it violates the First Amendment. He also sponsored legislation that expanded publicly funded vouchers for private schools in Florida.

Diaz’s ascent closely mirrors that of Richard Corcoran, president of New College of Florida. In January 2023, Corcoran, then state commissioner of education, was named president of the honors college after Gov. DeSantis appointed six new board of trustees at the college. At its first meeting on Jan. 31, 2023, the board of trustees fired sitting president Patricia Okker. Corcoran, like Diaz, had also served in the Florida Legislature.

Despite New College having one of the smallest student populations in the State University System, Corcoran is one of the highest-paid university presidents – earning up to $1.1 million per year.

Saunders chose to step down as UWF president in the wake of a contentious board of trustees meeting where a newly appointed board of trustee member Zach Smith grilled her about "diversity, equity and inclusion" issues he had identified when combing through UWF's social media.

Smith, who had been appointed by DeSantis only days earlier, pointed out two drag shows co-sponsored by the university, the first of which was held in 2019, and that the university library promoted Ibram K. Kendi’s book, “How to Be an Antiracist,” in February 2023.

The meeting followed months of contention in the Florida Legislator over Gov. Ron DeSantis' appointees to the UWF board and backlash to the appointments in Pensacola. Ultimately, two appointees – Scott Yenor and Gates Garcia – resigned from their seats. A third, Adam Kissel, was not confirmed by the Senate, though he remains on the board of trustees.

A committee of the board of trustees was set to meet after the full trustee meeting to conduct an annual performance review of Saunders as president.

During her time as president, Saunders championed the creation of more than 20 new academic programs, including offerings in cybersecurity, mechanical engineering and an Intelligent Systems and Robotics Ph.D. program in collaboration with the Institute for Human and Machine Cognition.

Pensacola News Journal reporter Jim Little contributed to this report.

https://www.pnj.com/story/news/local/education/2025/05/27/manny-diaz-jr-chosen-as-university-of-west-florida-interim-president/83861364007/

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Manny Diaz Jr. selected interim president of the University of West Florida

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