Anita Zucker named to UF’s Board of Trustees

March 19, 2015

Anita G. Zucker, a University of Florida graduate and businesswoman, has been named to the UF Board of Trustees, the Florida Board of Governors announced today.

Zucker succeeds Carolyn Roberts, who was named to the board in January 2010.

“Anita is a global business leader, an education policy advocate and a generous supporter of the university,” UF President Kent Fuchs said. “She will be an exceptional trustee, and I look forward to working with her as we move the university forward and upward.”

Zucker is CEO and chair of the Charleston, S.C.-based global manufacturing conglomerate The InterTech Group. She earned a bachelor’s degree in education at UF in 1972, received a master’s degree in educational administration and supervision at the University of North Florida and taught English and social studies in elementary schools in Florida and South Carolina for 11 years. When her husband, Jerry, died in 2008, she succeeded him as the first female CEO of the Hudson Bay Company and head of the InterTech Group. Jerry Zucker graduated from UF in 1972 as a triple major in math, chemistry and physics.

Board Chair Steven Scott said, “Anita Zucker has served the university in many roles and UF has been a focus of her philanthropy. Her dedication and generosity to University of Florida was acknowledged by the UF Board this year with the naming of the Anita Zucker Center for Excellence In Early Childhood Studies at the College of Education.”

Also today, the Board of Governors announced the reappointment of trustee David Brandon. Founder of Brandon Construction Company in Palm Harbor, Brandon was named to the board in June to replace Marshall Criser III, who was named chancellor of the State University System.

Zucker’s appointment and Brandon’s reappointment are among a series of recent and upcoming changes to the Board of Trustees. In February, Florida Gov. Rick Scott announced the appointments of Rahul Patel and Robert Stern to the board.

Patel, of Atlanta, is an attorney and partner with King and Spalding. He previously served as president of the University of Florida National Alumni Association and is a member of the University of Florida Hall of Fame. Patel received his bachelor’s and law degrees from the University of Florida. He succeeds Juliet Roulhac and is appointed for a term beginning Feb. 5, 2015, and ending Jan. 6, 2020.

Stern, of Tampa, is an attorney and partner with Trenam Kemker. He previously served as president of the University of Florida National Alumni Association and as a member of the Post-Secondary Education Planning Commission. Stern received his bachelor’s and law degrees from the University of Florida. He succeeds C. David Brown and is appointed for a term beginning Feb. 5, 2015, and ending Jan. 6, 2020.

On April 1, Paul Davenport, a distinguished professor at UF’s College of Veterinary Medicine, will become the new faculty senate chair and faculty representative to the board. He will succeed physics professor Pradeep Kumar, who retires from the university at the end of March.

And on May 1, UF student body president Corey Yeffet’s term as a trustee will end. He will be replaced by incoming student body president Joselin Padron-Rasines, a political science major and UF’s first female Hispanic student body president.

"I am excited to welcome all of the university's recently appointed trustees," President Kent Fuchs said. "They are proven leaders at UF and in their respective fields. Our faculty and student trustees bring invaluable perspectives on UF’s core mission, and we are very grateful for their service."

Board Chair Steve Scott recognized the contributions of the retiring trustees. “I would like to extend a warm and heartfelt thanks to all of the outgoing trustees for their loyal service to the university,” Scott said. “Their dedication, leadership and guidance have been invaluable, and we’re grateful for the extraordinary effort they invested in well-positioning UF for the future.”