Board Members

Chair R. Bruce Taylor, of Jacksonville, is the chief executive officer and chairman of Taylor Engineering, Inc. The author of numerous journal articles and technical reports, he has served on several state, national, and international professional boards and committees. He is the recipient of a number of honors and recognitions, including the nation's highest award given to a professional engineer, the National Society of Professional Engineer's Award. Dr. Taylor is a member and past chair of the Engineering Advisory Council at the University of North Florida's (UNF's) College of Computing Sciences and Engineering. Currently, he chairs the Northeast Florida FEEDS Advisory Council for graduate engineering education and the Coastal and Oceanographic Engineering Visiting Committee of the University of Florida. He is also the current president of the Florida Institute of Consulting Engineers. Dr. Taylor served as an officer in the U.S. Navy Nuclear Submarine Service, receiving his B.S. degree from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1964. He earned his M.S. in Oceanographic Engineering from the University of Miami and his Ph.D. in Civil and Coastal Engineering from the University of Florida. He is a distinguished Alumnus of the University of Florida and an Honorary Alumnus of UNF. Dr. Taylor was originally appointed to the UNF Board of Trustees by Governor Bush from January 7, 2003 until January 6, 2005. He has been reappointed from January 7, 2005 until January 6, 2010. Dr. Taylor was elected chair of the UNF Board of Trustees January 26, 2006, and re-elected for a second term January 17, 2008.

Vice Chair Wanyonyi J. Kendrick, of Jacksonville, is the Chief Information Officer for Jacksonville Electric Authority. Ms. Kendrick has spent the last 13 years of her career focusing on the integration of technology solutions with regulatory, legislative, people, and business process requirements to provide solutions with measurable results. Ms. Kendrick serves on the board for INROADS, a professional services organization dedicated to helping companies and ensuring that "emerging minority executives" find the right fit for a successful career partnership. She also served on the Board of Directors for ITFlorida and is a member of the Jacksonville Information Technology Council. She received her Bachelor of Business Administration in 1991 and Master of Accountancy Degree in 1995 from the University of North Florida (UNF). She is a Certified Management Accountant and a Certified Public Accountant. Ms. Kendrick was originally appointed to the UNF Board of Trustees by Governor Bush from January 7, 2003 until January 6, 2006. She has been reappointed from January 7, 2006 to January 6, 2011. Ms. Kendrick was elected vice chair of the UNF Board of Trustees January 26, 2006, and re-elected for a second term January 17, 2008.

Edythe M. Abdullah, of Jacksonville, is president of the Downtown Campus of Florida Community College of Jacksonville (FCCJ). She has a green belt in the Martial Art of Tang Soo Doo and also serves as an adjunct teacher for the adult studies program at FCCJ. Dr. Abdullah has served in numerous state and local leadership roles. She was a Kellogg Fellow in the League for Innovation in Community Colleges Leadership Diversity program in 1994-95. Dr. Abdullah was also instrumental in developing the standards for implementing performance-based funding legislation for the community college system and recently chaired a local committee of citizen leaders responsible for the publication of a study on adult literacy and its impact on economic development. Most recently, Dr. Abdullah was inducted into Florida's Adult and Community Educators Hall of Fame in recognition of her statewide leadership and support of adult education and workforce development. Dr. Abdullah earned her undergraduate degree in religion from Valparaiso University in 1974. She received a Juris Doctorate degree from the University of Florida College of Law in 1978. She was originally appointed to the UNF Board of Trustees by Governor Bush from June 18, 2003 until January 6, 2005. She has been reappointed from January 7, 2005 until January 6, 2010.

John Russell Barnes, of West Palm Beach, is student body president at the University of North Florida for 2008-2009. Mr. Barnes is a senior majoring in political science, with a minor in English. He is an active leader and participant in the UNF campus community. John became involved quickly in Student Government. He was elected to the Senate in the spring of 2006. The following year he was elected internally to the position of Senate president. In serving as Senate president, unification was one of John’s top priorities, not only within the Senate, but within all three branches of Student Government. At UNF, he is an active member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon Fraternity, where he currently holds the position of chaplain and he previously held the title of president, eminent chronicler and philanthropy chair; He is also a member of the pre-law society; a member of Resolution Campus Ministry and a member of Order of Omega. Throughout John’s collegiate years, he has volunteered countless hours to serving the USO and Builders Care Foundations. Mr. Barnes was awarded Outstanding New Senator 2006-2007 by the UNF Senate and awarded UNF Outstanding Fraternity President of the Year 2007-2008.  John is scheduled to graduate in the spring of 2009, where after he plans to attend law school and to pursue a career in public service. John’s strongest belief as student body president is being a servant, and making a difference in others lives, while helping the student to leave a legacy they can be proud of.  Mr. Barnes has been appointed to the UNF Board of Trustees from April 2008 until April 2009.

Luther W. Coggin, of Ponte Vedra Beach, is currently the chairman of Coggin Automotive Group, a subsidiary of Asbury Automotive Group, which is traded on the New York Stock Exchange (ABG). Coggin Automotive operates twenty automobile dealerships in Florida with annual gross revenues of $1 billion. During his association of more than forty years with the industry, Mr. Coggin has served on numerous advisory councils and committees for General Motors Corporation on local, regional, and national levels. Having stepped down as chief executive officer of Coggin Automotive in 2003, Mr. Coggin is now engaged in numerous outside business and philanthropic enterprises. In addition to operating several active private companies, Mr. Coggin serves as chairman of the Board of Directors of Cygnet Private Bank, and is director of Legacy Trust Company. He was a recipient of the 2002 Prime F. Osborne, III Distinguished Business Leader Award. In 2003, Mr. Coggin and his wife, Blanche, endowed the University of North Florida's (UNF's) College of Business, which honored the endowment by renaming the college, the Coggin College of Business. He was originally appointed to the UNF Board of Trustees by Governor Bush in 2002. He was reappointed by the Florida Board of Governors from January 7, 2003 until January 6, 2005. Mr. Coggin has been reappointed by the Florida Board of Governors from January 7, 2005 until January 6, 2010.

Toni K. Crawford, of Jacksonville, serves on the School Readiness Coalition and is currently the chairperson of the Jacksonville Children’s Commission. In that capacity, and in conjunction with the University of North Florida (UNF), she has worked on improving school readiness in Duval County. Ms. Crawford received her Associate in Arts degree from Florida Community College in 1976. She is also a registered nurse. Ms. Crawford was originally appointed to the UNF Board of Trustees by Governor Bush from June 18, 2003 until January 6, 2006. She has been reappointed from January 7, 2006 until January 6, 2011.

Wilfredo J. Gonzalez, of Jacksonville, is the U.S. Small Business Administration district director for the North Florida district office. He works closely with the Small Business Development Center staff at UNF, UCF, FAMU, UWF and GCCC and their business schools to promote small businesses in northeast Florida. Mr. Gonzalez is currently a member of the Board of Directors for the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens, the Board of Directors for the Police Athletic League of Jacksonville and the Florida State Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. He is a former member of the oversight committee for the Better Jacksonville Plan, the Judicial Nominating Committee for the 4 th District, the NCCJ, the Mayor’s Hispanic American Advisory Board, Habitat for Humanity (Jacksonville) and the Minorities in Education (Washington D.C.). He is a HEW Fellow and received a B.A. from the University of Puerto Rico in 1969 (Magna Cum Laude), and has studied at both the University of Puerto Rico Law School and the Baruch Graduate School of Public Administration in New York. He also attended the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and the Federal Executive Institute in Charlottesville, Virginia. Mr. Gonzalez was originally appointed to the UNF Board of Trustees by Governor Bush from January 7, 2003 until January 6, 2006. He has been reappointed from January 7, 2006 until January 6, 2011.

A. Hugh Greene, of Jacksonville, is the president and chief executive officer of Baptist Health. Joining Baptist Health in 1989, Mr. Greene has served in several administrative positions prior to becoming CEO in 2000. In that time, Baptist Health has expanded from its downtown Baptist Medical Center to four hospitals, including Wolfson Children’s Hospital. Mr. Greene is active on the UNF campus as well as in the Jacksonville community. He has been a member of the Brooks College of Health Dean’s Council since 2004, serving as vice chair from 2004 to 2006. He has also acted as clinical assistant professor in UNF’s Department of Public Health for 15 years, and currently serves on the Board and Executive Committee of the Alliance for World Class Education. In addition, he is a member of the Board of the Wake Forest University Divinity School. Mr. Greene has been actively involved in the northeast Florida community in various organizations, including the Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce, United Way of Northeast Florida and the Sulzbacher Center. He is also a recipient of the Excellence in Healthcare Award for establishing a healthcare clinic for the homeless. Mr. Greene earned a Master of Health Administration from the Medical College of Virginia and a bachelor’s degree from Wake Forest University. He was appointed to the UNF Board of Trustees by the Florida Board of Governors from June 2007 to January 6, 2010.

Ann C. Hicks, of Jacksonville, is a trustee for the Jacksonville Public Library, a board member for Habijax (affiliate of Habitat for Humanity), a board member for the Cummer Museum of Art and Gardens, trustee emeritus of The Bolles School, a member of the Pablo Creek Golf Club and a member of the Garden Club of America. In 1998 she was awarded the University of North Florida (UNF) College of Arts and Sciences Outstanding Alumnus Award. Ms. Hicks is a former member of the Jacksonville Area Planning Board, a former board member of the Daniel Memorial Home, past president of the Jacksonville Art Museum, past president of the Junior League of Jacksonville and the past president of the UNF Foundation. Ms. Hicks was educated at The Bartram School of Jacksonville, Florida. She received her B.A. from Mount Holyoke College, South Hadley, Massachusetts. Ms. Hicks also received a B.A. (Summa Cum Laude) from UNF. She is married to Mr. David M. Hicks, a mother of three children and a grandmother of nine. Ms. Hicks is a member of the St. Mark’s Episcopal Church. Her interests include gardening, painting and golf. Ms. Hicks was originally appointment to the UNF Board of Trustees by the Florida Board of Governors from January 7, 2003 until January 6, 2006. She has been reappointed from January 7, 2006 to January 6, 2011.

William F. Klostermeyer, of Jacksonville, is a professor of Computer and Information Sciences at the University of North Florida (UNF). He has been at UNF since August 2000, having previously been an associate professor of Computer Science at West Virginia University. He received a Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of Florida in 1992. He has published more than sixty scholarly papers, primarily in graph theory, combinatorics, and algorithms, areas that lie in the intersection of computer science and mathematics. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Combinatorics and its Applications and was the founding member of the Center for Combinatorial Computing and Discrete Mathematics at West Virginia University. Dr. Klostermeyer serves as president of the UNF Faculty Association from September 7, 2006 to September 4, 2008. His appointment to the UNF Board of Trustees is from September 2006 until September 2008.

Joy G. Korman, of Jacksonville, is the co-founder of Living Leadership, a consulting and training partnership that specializes in leadership, teambuilding and organizational processes for the nonprofit and corporate sectors. Ms. Korman has worked as a teacher, counselor, administrator and community leader for over 30 years.  She has held many leadership positions including the Chairperson of the Board of Trustees of the Jacksonville Public Libraries, President of Congregation Ahavath Chesed, and has served on the boards of Leadership Jacksonville, Community Hospice of Northeast Florida, and Community Connections.  She has also worked on major capital campaigns and in an advisory capacity for Hope Haven Children’s Clinic, the Community Literacy Initiative, and the Super Bowl Host Committee.  Ms. Korman has been a French and Spanish teacher, supervisor of student teachers, school counselor and administrator.  While at The Bolles School, she created several initiatives related to leadership training, mentoring and community service for high school students.  She is a trained facilitator in conflict resolution.  She has been a consultant and trainer for Leadership Jacksonville’s School Leadership Connection program. Ms. Korman received her B.A. degree in French and Spanish from Simmons College and her Master’s degree in Education from Southern Connecticut State University.  She is a graduate of Leadership Jacksonville, Class of 1995.  Joy’s honors include the 1995 Community Connections Tribute Award – Women in Leadership, the 1996 Israel Unity Award, the 2004 NCCJ Humanitarian Award, the 2005 National Council of Jewish Women  “Women In Power” Award and the Florida Library Association Outstanding Citizen’s Award in 2007. She has recently been appointed to the UNF Board of Trustees by Governor Crist from March 4, 2008 until January 6, 2013.

Joan W. Newton is Chairman Emeritus of Regency Centers Corporation (formerly Regency Realty Corporation), a publicly traded real estate investment trust that focuses on grocery-anchored neighborhood retail centers throughout the United States. Regency’s predecessor, The Regency Group, Inc., was founded in 1963 by Mrs. Newton and her late husband, Martin Stein. Mrs. Newton has been honored as Jacksonville’s Business Woman of the year and has served as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Jacksonville Branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta. She retired from the Board of Directors of the Barnett Bank of Jacksonville, N.A. after 11 years of service. Mrs. Newton was appointed by former President George H.W. Bush to the National Advisory Council for Historic Preservation and served four of her six-year term as vice chairman. She retired from the Board of Trustees of the Cummer Gallery of Art but remains on the Garden Restoration Committee. She has also served as a member of the Florida Board of Governors. She currently serves on the Jacksonville Public Library Board of Library Trustees, Board of the Community Foundation, the Women’s Giving Alliance, the Episcopal Foundation, the Finance Committee of the Episcopal Diocese of Florida, and the Executive Board of Historic Book Sanctuary. Mrs. Newton was originally appointed to the UNF Board of Trustees by Governor Bush in 2002 and served until January 6, 2003. She has been reappointed to the UNF Board of Trustees by the Florida Board of Governors from January 7, 2006 until January 6, 2011.

Kevin M. Twomey, of Ponte Vedra Beach, retired in 2006 as president of the St. Joe Company. Mr. Twomey was formerly vice chairman of H. F. Ahmanson and Company. For three years, he was a Partnership to Advance School Success executive mentor to West Riverside Elementary School, working directly with the school’s principal and teachers to improve the students’ academic achievements. Mr. Twomey was recently honored as a distinguished alumnus of the U.S. Navy Supply Corps. He served as an officer in the Navy for ten years of active service from 1969-1979 and an additional four years as a Naval Reserve officer, attaining the rank of Commander. Mr. Twomey received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Virginia in 1969, a master’s degree from George Washington University in 1974, and an M.B.A from Duke University in 1976. Mr. Twomey has been appointed to the UNF Board of Trustees by the Florida Board of Governors from January 7, 2003 until January 6, 2008. He has been reappointed to the UNF Board of Trustees by the Florida Board of Governors from January 7, 2008 until January 6, 2013.