FAMU alumna, Trustee Kristin Harper in line to chair the board, succeeding Kelvin Lawson

With Florida A&M University Trustee Kelvin Lawson's second term ending as chair, colleagues on the board have chosen Trustee Kristin Harper as his unopposed successor.

Harper currently serves as vice chair, having been elected following TCC Vice President for Workforce Innovation Kimberly Moore's decision to step down from the board earlier this year ahead of her term's end date of September 2023.

While Trustee Michael Dubose nominated Harper for the chair position, the vice chair contest consists of Trustee Otis Cliatt II nominating Dubose and Trustee Nicole Washington nominating Trustee Deveron Gibbons.

The nominations were announced during a Governance Committee meeting Wednesday June 7.

The three recommended trustees — who are all FAMU alumni — accepted their nominations.

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As a FAMU alumna, Harper graduated with both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in business administration from the university. She is also the founder and CEO of Driven to Succeed LLC, a global market research and consulting firm.

Given that there were no additional declarations of candidacy or nominations for chair besides the one that was made in favor of Harper, whose term ends January 2026, she is expected to be the next leader of the board.

With Dubose — president of Thermo Fisher Scientific — being nominated for vice chair, the recommendation comes after his two years of being a board member. His term ended in January, but since he was appointed by a governor, he can continue to sit on the board until Governor Ron DeSantis either decides to reappoint him or appoint another individual to replace him.

Dubose received his bachelor's degree in music from FAMU in 1979 and minored in business.

Gibbons, who earned both his master’s degree in business administration and his juris doctorate degree from FAMU, is a consultant for Amscot Financial and a retired senior vice president of the company. He recently became a trustee of the university's board in March and has a term end date of January 2028.

With the nominations in place, the trustees will vote on the board’s next chair and vice chair at their first regular meeting after July — according to the Board of Trustees’ Operating Procedures — which is slated to be held Aug. 2-3 during their annual August retreat.

Contact Tarah Jean at [email protected] or follow her on twitter @tarahjean_.

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This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FAMU Trustee Kristin Harper recommended as board's only chair nominee