ľƵ

University of South Florida

Newsroom

New Appointments Announced for ľƵ Consolidation Task Force

TAMPA, Fla. – The University of South Florida System announced today the appointment of five new members of the ľƵ Consolidation Planning, Study and Implementation Task Force.

As required by Florida law, ľƵ Board of Trustees Chair Brian Lamb appoints two members to the task force, while ľƵ St. Petersburg Campus Board Chair Stephanie Goforth, ľƵ Sarasota-Manatee Campus Board Chair Byron Shinn and the ľƵ Alumni Association each appoint one member.

The appointments include:

Anddrikk Frazier, managing partner of Integral Energy (by Lamb). A graduate of the ľƵ College of Engineering, former ľƵ men’s basketball player and founding member of the ľƵ Black Leadership Network, Frazier has nearly 20 years of experience in the energy business.

Michael “Mike” Griffin, senior managing director for Savills Studley Occupier Services (by Lamb). Griffin earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from ľƵ and served two terms as student body president. He is also a former chair of the Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce.

Melissa Seixas, vice president, government and community relations for Duke Energy (by Goforth). Seixas earned a master’s degree in history from ľƵ and served as co-chair of ľƵSP’s 50th anniversary celebration in 2015-16. She is currently board chair of the St. Pete Downtown Partnership.

Frederick “Rick” Piccolo, president and CEO of Sarasota Bradenton International Airport (by Shinn). Piccolo was recently appointed to serve on the ľƵ Sarasota-Manatee Campus Board and he is a past chair of the Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors.

Kayla Rykiel is an Honors College student at ľƵ pursuing a bachelor's degree in biomedical sciences (by the ľƵ Alumni Association). Rykiel is the founder of Partners in Health, a ľƵ student organization, and serves as director of the TEDxľƵ program. She’s been involved in research projects related to infectious diseases, drug development to prevent malaria and food insecurity among teenagers.

The Florida Board of Governors previously appointed Dr. Jonathan Ellen, president and vice dean of Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg, as chair of the task force, which will develop recommendations to phase out the separate accreditations of ľƵ St. Petersburg and ľƵ Sarasota-Manatee.

“We are excited to announce these appointments that will collectively help solidify a diverse and influential group of community and business leaders that will join Chair Ellen and the remaining appointed task force members to provide recommendations to the ľƵ Board of Trustees,” Lamb said.

ľƵ System President Judy Genshaft, ľƵSP Interim Regional Chancellor Martin Tadlock and ľƵSM Regional Chancellor Karen Holbook will also serve on the task force. The Florida Senate President and Speaker of the House will each appoint two members.

“These appointments include proven community leaders from a variety of different fields, who have a vested interest in the success of ľƵ and understand the university’s importance to the future of the Tampa Bay region,” Ellen said. “Each member of the task force will bring a valuable perspective and expertise that will help us make recommendations designed to build on the success being achieved at ľƵ.” 

The 13-member task force will submit recommendations to the ľƵ Board of Trustees by Feb. 15, 2019. The group’s responsibilities include identification of specific degrees in programs of strategic significance, including healthcare, science, technology, engineering and mathematics and other program priorities to be offered at ľƵSP and ľƵSM, as well as the timeline for development and delivery of programs on each campus. Other task force goals include engaging faculty, developing the research capacity at each campus and ensuring a seamless transition for students.

The first meeting of the task force is scheduled for 4 p.m. on April 25 at the ľƵSP Student Center. In addition, students and faculty will be invited to participate in town hall meetings this fall.

After considering the recommendations of the task force, the ľƵ Board of Trustees must adopt and submit an implementation plan to the Board of Governors no later than March 15, 2019.

The ľƵ System is required to consolidate into a single, unified accreditation before July 1, 2020. During the transition, each institution will remain accredited.

Return to article listing

ľƵ in the News

July 15, 2025

July 14, 2025

July 11, 2025

July 8, 2025

More ľƵ in the News

News Archive

Learn more about ľƵ's journey to Preeminence by viewing Newsroom articles from past years.