TAMPA, Fla. — The Florida Board of Governors voted unanimously Wednesday to confirm Rhea Law as the new president of the University of South Florida.
Law, an attorney, will make history as the first USF alum to hold the title.
She had already been serving as interim president, a position she took when Dr. Steven Currall announced his retirement last year.
Last week, USF's Board of Trustees unanimously selected Law as president-elect after previously naming her one of two finalists for the permanent job. Law is no stranger to the search process. She had served on the presidential search advisory committees for her two predecessors.
Law joined the candidate pool late, according to the current USF Presidential Search Committee. She originally agreed to not apply for the role but was invited in February 2022 to join the candidate pool.
Law's history with USF spans many years. She was actually one of the founding members of the USF Board of Trustees. She made history there as the board's first and only female chair – a position she held for four years.
Throughout her career, Law has held multiple leadership roles, including as CEO of Florida law firm Fowler White Boggs, according to a news release from USF. Other major accomplishments include becoming the first honorary commander of the 6th Air Mobility Wing at MacDill Air Force Base and serving on the board of directors of the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center.