Governor Ron DeSantis named two new trustees to the FAMU Board of Trustees on last evening, selecting a state juvenile justice administrator and a hospital chief executive to help lead Florida’s largest historically Black university.
The appointees, Roderick Harris and Kenneth Johnson, will replace outgoing members Belvin Perry Jr. and Jocelyn Dopson-Rodriguez, whose terms expired. The governor also reappointed Trustees Natlie Figgers and Michael White, to the board.
Dopson-Rodriguez, a FAMU Law grad, was just appoint to the FAMU BOT back in July 2025. She replaced Kelvin Lawson who resigned to take a job as the university's Executive Vice President and COO.
All of the new appointments are subject to confirmation by the Florida Senate.
Roderick Harris, serves as the director of system innovation at the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice, brings a background in public service and health data management to the role. A two-time FAMU graduate, he holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in sociology and social work, respectively. He previously served as a senior business analyst at Five Points Technology Group and as a behavioral health administrator for the Northwest Florida Health Network.
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| Kenneth Jones |
Kenneth Johnson, CEO of HCA Florida Northwest Hospital in Broward County, is a healthcare executive with leadership experience in both Florida and Illinois, where he served as president of AMITA Health Saint Francis Hospital. He also previously led Southeast Orthopedic Specialists. Johnson earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from FAMU before completing dual master’s degrees in healthcare administration and business administration at the University of Minnesota.
Gov. DeSantis continues his effort to mold Florida’s education system to fit his agenda. Friday’s appointments follows the Dec. 12 appointments of Victor Young, the CEO of a disaster relief company and a distillery, and Houston, Texas based lawyer Prerak Shah, a former acting attorney for the U.S. Department of Justice, to the FAMU board by the Florida Board of Governors.
Harris and Johnson will assume their roles pending Senate confirmation. Their appointments come as public universities in Florida face increased political scrutiny over curricula, diversity initiatives, and institutional governance.