Gov. Ron DeSantis has tapped Gordon “Flash” Sprague to serve on the University of West Florida Board of Trustees.
Sprague is retired after working as Senior Vice President, Regional Wholesaler for AIM, DeSantis said in a memo sent out Friday afternoon.
“Active in his community, he has served as the President of the Florida Recreation and Parks Association, the Chair of the University of West Florida Foundation Board, and a member of the Institute for Human and Machine Cognition Board,” DeSantis said in the memo. “Sprague earned his bachelor’s degree from Florida State University and his master’s degree from the University of North Florida.”
Sprague’s appointment must be confirmed by the Senate.
Last week, DeSantis appointed Christopher Roney, owner of Ace Unlocks, to the UWF Board.
The Pensacola university of about 15,000 students is leaving Division II and moving to Division I this year and building a new football stadium.
Sprague and Former UWF President Judy Bense had previously been named the co-Chairs of the school’s transition committee to help with the change.
The Argos football team will play this upcoming season in the United Athletic Conference, while all other sports will move into the Atlantic Sun Conference.
That means matchups with Florida Gulf Coast, North Florida, Jacksonville and Stetson in the ASUN, as well as West Georgia and North Alabama in the UAC.
“We’re really looking forward to the future of competing with institutions that look like us and where our students know people that are at those schools,” UWF Athletic Director Dave Scott said at a press conference last month.
UWF President Manny Diaz Jr. took over the school this year following a controversial hiring process where he emerged as the lone finalist. The Legislature has failed to pass changes to make higher education presidential searches more transparent.
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