Florida Board of Governors Appoints Fred Franklin Jr. to UNF Board of Trustees

Joanna Norris, Associate Director 

Department of Public Relations 

(904) 620-2102 

The Florida Board of Governors, which oversees the State University System comprised of 11 universities across the state, appointed local attorney Fred Franklin Jr. to serve on the Board of Trustees at the University of North Florida. He will serve a term of five years starting today. 

Franklin, an Intracoastal west resident, serves as managing director of Rogers Towers and is a member of the firm’s litigation department. His practice is concentrated in the areas of complex commercial litigation, land use litigation and negligence litigation, including personal injury and wrongful death. His experience includes the representation of banks and federal banking agencies involving the workout and foreclosure of commercial and real estate loans. 

From 1995 to 1997, Franklin served as general counsel for the City of Jacksonville and its independent agencies, including the Jacksonville Port Authority, Jacksonville Electric Authority, Duval County School Board and the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office. As general counsel, he served as the chief legal officer for Jacksonville’s consolidated government.  

He has volunteered in various capacities throughout the Jacksonville community, including as board of director for St. Vincent’s Hospital, Jacksonville Port Authority, Leadership Jacksonville and Atlantic Coast Bank. He has served on the Jacksonville Civic Council, Mayor’s Film and Television Advisory Board and as a commissioner for the Jacksonville Economic Development Commission. 

Franklin joins three other Jacksonville residents—Rad Lovett II, Myron W. Pincomb and E. Lanny Russell—who were recently appointed to UNF’s Board of Trustees by Gov. Rick Scott. These appointments are subject to confirmation by the Florida Senate. 

Lovett, an Atlantic Beach resident, is the managing partner of Lovett Miller and Company Inc. and succeeds former UNF Board of Trustee member Toni Crawford. Pincomb, of Ponte Vedra Beach, is the president and chief executive officer of The Pincomb Group LLC. He succeeds Wanyonyi Kendrick. Russell, also a Ponte Vedra Beach resident, is a shareholder and board member at Smith Hulsey and Busey. He succeeds Wilfredo Gonzalez. All three new Board members have been appointed by the Governor for a term beginning Aug. 26, and ending Jan. 6, 2016.

Established in Florida’s Constitution with members appointed by the Governor and by the Florida Board of Governors, the UNF Board serves as the governing body for the University. The UNF Board is charged with a variety of responsibilities, including the provision of leadership and oversight in fiscal and strategic planning. The charter members of the Board were appointed in June 2001. 

The Board of Governors is comprised of 17 appointed members—14 are appointed by the Governor and three are members by virtue of their designations (a faculty member, a Florida Student Association student representative and the Commissioner of Education). The Board of Governors appoints a Chancellor who serves as the chief executive and administrative officer of the State University System. 

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