Amid controversy, Marva Johnson named president of Florida A&M University

Miami Herald

17-05-2025

Florida A&M University's Board of Trustees on Friday selected telecom executive Marva Johnson as the school's next president, backing a candidate with ties to Gov. Ron DeSantis despite weeks of fierce community opposition and deepening fears of political interference at the state's only public historically Black university.
Johnson, a vice president at Charter Communications and former DeSantis appointee to the Florida Board of Education, won the role in an 8-4 vote that capped a bitter, unusually contentious search process. Now, Johnson faces the daunting task of securing legitimacy with a skeptical constituency of Rattlers at FAMU.
A vocal group of students, faculty members and alumni have questioned Johnson's lack of higher education experience, as well as the process that elevated her over more traditional candidates to lead one of the nation's top-ranked historically Black public institutions — particularly FAMU Chief Operating Officer Donald Palm, who emerged as the community favorite.
Johnson's relationship with DeSantis — whose administration has crusaded against diversity efforts at Florida's public universities and sought to restrict how African American history is taught — has triggered raucous protests across the FAMU community in Tallahassee and nationwide. Critics question whether Johnson can safeguard FAMU in a political climate they say is increasingly hostile to its mission as an HBCU, but proponents see an advantage for the institution in her alignment with the governor and the GOP-dominated legislature.
DeSantis hasn't publicly commented on the appointment, and the governor's office didn't respond to requests for comment. Johnson, who couldn't be reached for an interview, attempted to allay concerns at a public forum Wednesday.
'I'm not a Trojan Horse,' she told the crowd. 'I was not sent here to dismantle FAMU.'
If approved by the state university system's Board of Governors, Johnson could make up to $750,000 a year as FAMU's president. That salary exceeds her predecessor's by more than $150,000 — and has become another flashpoint in a process that some critics argue has veered far from the university's values.
'There was a lack of intellectual depth and a gap in cultural connection that was just painfully blatant,' said board chair Kristin Harper, who voted against Johnson's selection and later had her role in contract negotiations stripped by a majority vote of the board.
Johnson's appointment comes amid broader efforts by DeSantis and his allies to reshape Florida's higher education landscape, often favoring candidates with political loyalty over academic experience. If confirmed by the state university system's Board of Governors, Johnson would join a growing roster of politically aligned university presidents in Florida.
Her supporters on FAMU's board argued on Friday that navigating Tallahassee's deeply partisan legislative environment requires precisely the political savvy she offers FAMU, especially at a time when the university is facing mounting threats to its state and federal funding.
'Our survival depends on how we navigate those systems,' said Jamal Brown, the board's faculty representative who voted for her nomination. 'If we don't have leadership that can operate within it, we fall further behind.'
'A recipe for disaster'
But many in the university community weren't convinced. By Friday's board meeting, more than 13,000 people had signed a petition opposing her nomination. During public comments at the meeting, speakers accused the board of ignoring student and alumni voices and warned that donor support could be in jeopardy.
'When you don't have your own students, faculty and alumni behind you, no matter what relationships you have, that's a recipe for disaster,' said Will Packer, a prominent FAMU alumnus and Hollywood producer. According to Packer, several high-profile alumni including rapper Common, singer K. Michelle and comedian Roy Wood, Jr. had expressed opposition as well.
Kennedy Williams, FAMU's new student body vice president, said in an interview that trustees' ultimate decision to override the will of the student body and other key stakeholders was 'unsettling.'
'The students are the heart and soul of FAMU and it's important that they feel as if they're heard,' Williams said. 'Unfortunately, they weren't today.'
Tensions in the search began escalating last month after the Tallahassee Democrat reported a leaked list of finalists, sparking rumors that Johnson's name was shoehorned in late in the process. One trustee, Earnie Ellison, was forced to resign after suggesting the process be paused to address community concerns.
Then, just a day before the board's Friday vote, Alan Levine — a DeSantis ally and member of both the search committee and the state Board of Governors — nominated a Tallahassee-based McDonald's franchise owner to fill the vacancy left on the board. That move, too, raised eyebrows.
'This was a hanky panky process,' said Leon County Commissioner Al Lawson, who is also an instructor at FAMU.
In an interview, Levine denied political interference in the search and said rumors that Johnson was added into the running last minute were 'patently false.' He said the candidates were all qualified and endorsed Johnson's credentials, pointing to past instances of nontraditional candidates with successful university presidencies, like former Republican House Speaker John Thrasher at Florida State University.
The stakes are high for FAMU, which is still reeling from past leadership controversies. Johnson's predecessor, Larry Robinson, resigned last year amid fallout from a fake $237 million donation scandal that embarrassed the school on the national stage.
State Sen. Shevrin Jones (D-Miami), a FAMU alum, urged unity but acknowledged the looming friction stemming from Johnson's presidency.
Jones, a former member of the Biden Administration's now-defunct HBCU Advisory Board, said that while 'FAMU is not a Fortune 500 company,' Johnson's political background could help remedy historic underfunding faced by other predominantly Black institutions. But skeptics argue that political access isn't a substitute for cultural alignment or academic vision.
'FAMU has survived far worse than this,' Jones said. 'As Marva comes in, the first order of business for her is to unite the university.'