TALLAHASSEE --- The state university system’s Board of Governors on Thursday unanimously approved former Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nunez to serve as interim president of Florida International University and former state House Majority Leader Adam Hasner to serve as president of Florida Atlantic University.

Nunez, a former House member from Miami who was Gov. Ron DeSantis’ running mate in 2018 and 2022, will make an annual base salary of $850,000 at FIU, her alma mater, and Hasner will make a base salary of $875,000.

While Nunez’ appointment has drawn student and faculty protests, Board of Governors member Jose Oliva, a former state House speaker from Miami Lakes, described Nunez as a “fearsome advocate for FIU” when the two served in the Legislature and as she served as lieutenant governor.

Alan Levine, vice chairman of the Board of Governors, advised Nunez to pursue the presidency on a permanent basis, a suggestion echoed by state Education Commissioner Manny Diaz Jr., also a former Miami-Dade County lawmaker.

“I think it's going to be a huge benefit for FIU in the long run,” Diaz said.

The FIU Board of Trustees on Feb. 7 named Nunez as interim president, replacing Kenneth Jessell, who had served as president since 2022. Nunez’s resignation as lieutenant governor took effect Sunday, and she began her new role Monday. But the university system’s Board of Governors still needed to sign off.

Nunez said FIU will remain “fully aligned with the Board of Governors’ vision and mission.”

“We are currently, as you all know, a pre-eminent public research university, a top-50 public university in the country, top-20 for economic return on investment, top-15 most innovative. We are number one in terms of social mobility,” Nunez said. “While those statistics and those rankings are something that we're very proud of, I want to assure you, governors, that we are just getting started, and so my goal is really to continue to ensure that FIU provides the highest quality education for our students with unmatched student experience.”

Under state rules, the FIU board will have to conduct a search for a permanent president. Jessell has remained at the Miami school, moving into a role of senior vice president and chief administrative officer.

In addition to the annual base salary, Nunez can receive a bonus up to 15 percent of the salary amount, or $127,500, according to a copy of the proposed contract posted on the university system’s website.

The Florida Atlantic University Board of Trustees on Feb. 10 chose Hasner to serve as president, after a drawn-out selection process that started in 2023. Hasner said he was “excited” to serve as the president of “my hometown” university.

“Under my leadership, we will be committed to taking advantage of the abundance of talent and resources and opportunities in our dynamic and growing region of South Florida, from Fort Lauderdale to Fort Pierce, and to help elevate the brand and the prestige of our university to match that of the coastal region in which we serve,” Hasner said.

Hasner, R-Boca Raton, served in the state House from 2002 to 2010 and most recently worked as executive vice president of public policy at The GEO Group, a private prison company.

Hasner’s appointment also has drawn student and faculty protests, in part because of a lack of experience in academia.

But Board of Governors member Eric Silagy, a former chairman, president and CEO of Florida Power & Light, said Hasner’s “expertise and experience in Tallahassee, but also in the private sector, will serve FAU very, very well.”

In addition to his annual base salary, Hasner’s contract would allow performance bonuses up to $150,000.

Nunez and Hasner are the latest in a series of former lawmakers who have been tapped for top positions in Florida’s education system during the past few years.

Along with Diaz, the list includes former Sen. Ray Rodrigues, who is university system chancellor; former House Speaker Richard Corcoran, who is president of New College of Florida; former Rep. Mel Ponder, who is president of Northwest Florida State College; former Rep. Tommy Gregory, who is president of State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota; and former Rep. Fred Hawkins, who is president of South Florida State College.

Manny Munoz