![\"President](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1024x768_BryantPMJ.jpg\")
President Marva B. Johnson, J.D., gave remarks thanking former Interim President Castell\n Vaughn Bryant, Ph.D. for being a trailblazer. (Photo by Michael Cork)\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Florida A&M University (FAMU) community joined friends, family and leaders from
\n across Florida to celebrate the life and enduring legacy of Dr. Castell Vaughn Bryant.
\n She is remembered as a trailblazing educator, devoted Christian woman, public servant
\n and the first woman to lead FAMU. Bryant, who served as FAMU\u2019s interim president from
\n 2005 to 2007, passed away on May 2, 2026. She was 87.<\/p>\n
A Celebration of Life held in Lee Hall Auditorium on Thursday drew civic leaders,
\n university presidents and generations of Rattlers who knew Bryant as a mentor, colleague
\n and friend. Reverend Walter T. Richardson delivered the eulogy.<\/p>\n
Throughout the service, speakers reflected on Bryant\u2019s unwavering faith in God and
\n the Christian values that guided both her personal life and professional leadership.
\n Family, friends and colleagues described her as a woman who led with grace, humility,
\n conviction and a true servant\u2019s heart.<\/p>\n
President Marva B. Johnson, J.D., gave remarks thanking former Interim President Castell
\n Vaughn Bryant, Ph.D. for being a trailblazer. (Photo by Michael Cork)\u00a0<\/p>\n
FAMU President Marva B. Johnson, J.D., set the tone for the morning by honoring Bryant\u2019s
\n lasting impact on the University.<\/p>\n
\u201cI sit in a chair that she helped prepare,\u201d Johnson said. \u201cI lead an institution whose
\n history is stronger because she answered the call for it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThose who know her speak of her as a woman whose presence filled a room, whose counsel
\n was steady, whose discipline was matched only by her warmth,\u201d Johnson said. \u201cAnd I
\n can only speak today about the path that she made possible for me.\u201d<\/p>\n
FAMU\u2019s First Woman Interim President, 2005\u20132007<\/p>\n
The Board of Trustees appointed Castell Vaughn Bryant as interim president on January
\n 3, 2005, making her the first woman to hold the role since the University\u2019s founding
\n in 1887. She led during a period of institutional transition and delivered the principled,
\n steady leadership the University needed.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen FAMU needed her in 2005, she answered the call,\u201d Johnson said. \u201cShe led with
\n dignity, competence, accountability and deep faith, carrying the quiet authority of
\n a woman who had earned the seat she was in in every room she occupied.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"President](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1024x768_PMJHandshake.jpg\")
President Marva B. Johnson, J.D., greets family, friends and colleagues of FAMU former
\n Interim President Castell Vaughn Bryant, Ph.D. (Photo by Michael Cork)<\/p>\n
Johnson, who was officially installed as FAMU\u2019s 13th president in April 2026, became
\n the second woman to lead the institution, building on the path Bryant carved more
\n than two decades earlier.<\/p>\n
Leon County Commissioner Bill Proctor, who shared a long friendship with Bryant, recalled
\n both her commanding presence and her warmth.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen she spoke, she meant it, and others heard,\u201d Proctor said. \u201cIt was always joyous
\n to see her laugh and giggle.\u201d<\/p>\n
A Lifelong Commitment to Academic Excellence<\/p>\n
Bryant\u2019s journey began in Jasper, Florida. A close friend of her grandmother, the
\n legendary educator Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune, gave young Castell the middle name \u201cBethune\u201d
\n and often called her \u201cMy Little Teacher,\u201d a name that proved prophetic.<\/p>\n
She was the valedictorian of J.R.E. Lee High School\u2019s Class of 1955. After high school
\n she enrolled at FAMU, launching a lifelong bond with the institution. Bryant worked
\n as a clerk typist in the Samuel H. Coleman Memorial Library. While working full time,
\n she earned her bachelor\u2019s degree in library science and a master\u2019s degree in adult
\n education and public relations through the University\u2019s employee education benefits.<\/p>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1024x768_Bryantthrowback.jpg\")
A vintage photo of former FAMU Interim President Castell Vaughn Bryant, Ph.D. was
\n on display at her homegoing service. (Photo by Michael Cork)<\/p>\n
Tallahassee Mayor Pro Tem Dianne Williams-Cox spoke of the determination that defined
\n Bryant\u2019s life and career.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not easy being the first,\u201d Williams-Cox said. \u201cBut we do hard things because
\n that\u2019s how we are built, and when we do hard things, things change for the better
\n of all.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bryant rose through FAMU\u2019s Office of Public Relations to become special assistant
\n to President Benjamin L. Perry, Jr., traveling the country to raise the University\u2019s
\n profile to national recognition.<\/p>\n
She later joined Miami-Dade Community College, where she rose to serve as campus president
\n at three of the college\u2019s campuses. She earned a doctorate from Nova Southeastern
\n University and completed post-doctoral studies at Harvard University.<\/p>\n
![\"SGA](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1024x768WilliamsBryantService.jpg\")
SGA President Kennedy Williams holds one of many resolutions and letters of tribute
\n that were read in honor of former Interim President Castell Vaughn Bryant Ph.D. (Photo
\n by Michael Cork)<\/p>\n
Bryant\u2019s leadership extended across Florida\u2019s higher education landscape. She went
\n on to serve as the first woman interim president of Florida Memorial University and
\n as interim vice president of academic affairs at Bethune-Cookman University, placing
\n her among a small group of leaders who held executive roles at multiple historically
\n Black institutions across the state.<\/p>\n
Bryant\u2019s influence also reached state and national policy. She helped shape higher
\n education policy as a member of the Florida Board of Governors under Governor Jeb
\n Bush and advanced student access initiatives through the U.S. Department of Education
\n during the Clinton administration.<\/p>\n
Former U.S. Representative Al Lawson, who represented Florida\u2019s 5th Congressional
\n District for 34 years, credited Bryant for pushing him and other leaders to deliver
\n for the University.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe era that she came in was the era that FAMU needed at the time,\u201d Lawson said.
\n \u201cShe never complained. She just told us what to do. I can tell you that she did her
\n best.\u201d<\/p>\n
A Legacy of Service, Community and Faith<\/p>\n
Beyond her work in higher education, Bryant remained deeply committed to service.
\n A proud member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated, she backed civil rights
\n and education organizations from the NAACP and United Negro College Fund to the National
\n Council of Negro Women. She helped finance and charter We Rise Academy in Liberty
\n City, Miami, a school that continues to serve students today.<\/p>\n
Her work earned recognition including the Miami Beach Chamber of Commerce Women of
\n the Year Award, the United Way Golden Rule Award for Volunteerism and a Dade County
\n Proclamation establishing \u201cDr. Castell Vaughn-Bryant Day.\u201d<\/p>\n
Higher education leaders also paid tribute at the service, including Miami-Dade College
\n President Madeline Pumariega, Florida Memorial University President William C. McCormick,
\n Jr. and South Louisiana Community College Chancellor Vincent G. June, Ph.D.<\/p>\n
For many in attendance, Bryant\u2019s legacy was defined not only by the barriers she broke
\n and the institutions she led, but by the faith, humility and servant leadership that
\n guided her life.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy road is shorter because of her,\u201d Johnson said. \u201cAnd that is the highest tribute
\n that I can offer.\u201d<\/p>\n
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