FAMU Board of Trustees Elects Chairman

TALLAHASSEE, Fla.
Arthur "Art" Collins, prominent business lobbyist, was elected chairman by the members of the Florida A&M University Board of Trustees during their first meeting held in early August
"Thank you for providing me with this humble opportunity," said Collins. "We are all equal in the task of moving FAMU forward and continuing its legacy of academic excellence."
Collins is the owner of a Tallahassee-based consulting firm. Currently, he serves as a member of the Florida Prepaid College Board and is a former member of the Governor's Business Advisory Council on Education and the Independent Post-Secondary Technical, Trade and Business School Board. Collins is also a former FAMU Student Government Association president.
Norma White, National President of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc., was elected to serve as co-chair. White has 37 years of experience in education, having worked with the Duval County School District and Florida Community College in Jacksonville. She served as vice president and later president of the Educational Advancement Foundation Board of Directors and has been directly involved in awarding over $100,000 in scholarships to students each year.
Both Collins and White are FAMU alumni.
After the election, members discussed policies and procedures, the search and screen process for selecting a new university president, the legislative budget and meeting dates.
Trustees asked FAMU President Frederick S. Humphries, who serves as the board's secretary, whether he would be interested in staying past his Aug. 31 retirement date. Humphries agreed to stay until the end of the year to allow the search committee time to find a new president.
Florida Gov. Jeb Bush announced the members of the board in June. The other members of the FAMU Board of Trustees are: Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Julius W. Becton Jr., president of his alma mater, Prairie View A&M University; Dr. Regina Benjamin, founder and owner of the Bayou La Batre Rural Health Clinic in Alabama; Dr. Castell Bryant, president of Miami-Dade Community College North Campus; Wilbert Bryant, secretary of education for the Commonwealth of Virginia; Randall Hanna, member and past chair of the State Board of Community Colleges; Rev. Robert B. Holmes Jr., pastor of Bethel Baptist Church and community activist; Catherine Hughes, chair of Radio One, the largest African-American owned radio network; C. William Jennings, executive director of the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority; Joseph Lacher, president of BellSouth Telecommunications Inc., Florida; Marta Prado, president and CEO of Prado & Associates; and Andrew Gillum, current FAMU Student Government president. Dorothy P. Williams, former vice president for University Relations, is the board's assistant secretary.