{"id":243497,"date":"2026-04-23T17:08:06","date_gmt":"2026-04-23T17:08:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/243497\/"},"modified":"2026-04-23T17:08:06","modified_gmt":"2026-04-23T17:08:06","slug":"usf-board-of-trustees-chair-will-weatherford-steps-down-after-five-years","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/243497\/","title":{"rendered":"USF Board of Trustees Chair Will Weatherford steps down after five years"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/a>Will Weatherford stepped down from his role as USF\u2019s BOT Chairman after five years. ORACLE PHOTO\/WILL RAINSBERGER<\/p>\n

USF Board of Trustees Chair Will Weatherford announced<\/a> Thursday he will step down from the role, ending a five-year tenure leading the university\u2019s governing board.<\/p>\n

Weatherford, 46, stepped into the position following a unanimous vote on June 8, 2021, after he was appointed<\/a> to the board earlier that year on Jan. 20 by Gov. Ron DeSantis.<\/p>\n

He was reappointed to a new term as chairman on Nov. 14, 2025, extending his tenure by five more years, according to the USF Newsroom<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Still, Weatherford said in a message to the USF community that his decision to step down comes as the university enters a new phase of growth and leadership.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is no university in the world with more positive momentum across the enterprise than the University of South Florida,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Weatherford said he will stay on the board as a Trustee, with Vice Chair Mike Griffin assuming the leading role pending board approval.<\/p>\n

\u201cI believe the future has never been brighter,\u201d Weatherford said. \u201cNow is the right time for me to step down as chair and pass the baton.\u201d<\/p>\n

The leadership change comes as USF entered a new phase<\/a> in February under President Moez Limayem \u2014 building on the university\u2019s admission into the Association of American Universities, rising research funding and project developments.<\/p>\n

Related: Will Weatherford appointed to join USF\u2019s Board of Trustees<\/a><\/p>\n

Before Weatherford\u2019s initial BOT appointment in 2021, he served as the 84th Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives from 2012 to 2014, becoming the youngest presiding officer of a state legislative chamber at the time.<\/p>\n

He later co-founded Weatherford Capital, a Tampa-based private investment firm, in 2015 with his brothers, Drew and Sam.<\/p>\n

After Weatherford was elevated to BOT chair in 2021, he oversaw a period of measurable growth through USF\u2019s invitation to the AAU, research gains and campus development.<\/p>\n

\u201cDuring my five years as board chairman\u2026 USF has continued to ascend to new heights,\u201d Weatherford said in his message.<\/p>\n

USF joined the AAU on June 1, 2023<\/a> \u2014 a collection of 71 leading research institutions in the U.S. and Canada that collaborate on advancing higher education, research and innovation, according to its website<\/a>.<\/p>\n

USF was the first public university in Florida to be invited since the University of Florida in 1985, and remains one of three schools in Florida in the AAU \u2014 alongside UF and the University of Miami.<\/p>\n

At the time of AAU induction, Weatherford said<\/a> the invitation was one of the \u201cmost significant accomplishments\u201d in university history, citing its role in expanding research opportunities and elevating USF\u2019s national profile.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat they see now is what we have always known: A university with infinite potential, driven by purpose, fueled by talent and united by a shared vision of excellence,\u201d Weatherford said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

During Weatherford\u2019s tenure, USF also reported steady gains in research in fields including health, engineering and artificial intelligence, supported by federal grants and corporate sponsorships, according to USF Newsroom<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In 2025, USF recorded $750 million<\/a> in research funding, an $11.6 million increase from 2024. Additionally, USF reported $531 million<\/a> in research activity during the 2025 fiscal year \u2014 marking a 15% increase since 2023.<\/p>\n

Those funds supported work taking place across the university, including the launch of the Bellini College of Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity and Computing in 2025.<\/p>\n

The college is currently housed on the sixth floor of the Tampa Library and will get its own building by mid-2028<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Related: USF researchers say $531 million in research activity supports innovation<\/a><\/p>\n

USF has also moved forward with long-term campus development plans under Weatherford\u2019s leadership, including the university\u2019s Fletcher District project and on-campus stadium<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In September, the BOT approved<\/a> the Fletcher District project, a mixed-use development on the site of the former campus golf course set to include student housing, retail space, a hotel and an academic research building.<\/p>\n

The first phase of the project is expected<\/a> to begin groundbreaking this spring, with plans to open in summer 2028.<\/p>\n

The BOT also approved a $407 million<\/a> investment for the 35,000-seat on-campus stadium and related infrastructure last spring.<\/p>\n

USF broke ground on the stadium in fall 2024, which will include walkways, wastewater and stormwater utilities and green space for tailgates by fall 2027.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Weatherford pointed to USF\u2019s broader trajectory as the reason he feels comfortable with his departure from the role.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs I often say \u2014 and believe now more than ever \u2014 USF\u2019s best days are still to come,\u201d Weatherford said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Will Weatherford stepped down from his role as USF\u2019s BOT Chairman after five years. ORACLE PHOTO\/WILL RAINSBERGER USF…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":243498,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[135,137,136],"class_list":{"0":"post-243497","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-tampa","8":"tag-tampa","9":"tag-tampa-headlines","10":"tag-tampa-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/243497","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=243497"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/243497\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/243498"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=243497"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=243497"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=243497"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}