Campus Life

Kuntz, O’Keefe named to UF Board of Trustees

Retired bank executive Tom Kuntz and Orlando lawyer Daniel T. O’Keefe have been named to the University of Florida Board of Trustees.

Kuntz, appointed by Gov. Rick Scott, succeeds Steven M. Scott and is appointed for a term beginning Jan. 26, 2018, and ending Jan. 8, 2023. O’Keefe, appointed by the Board of Governors, succeeds David Thomas, who was appointed to the Board of Trustees in 2013. Both appointments are subject to confirmation by the Florida Senate.

photo of Tom Kuntz

Tom Kuntz

“These two new members have a keen understanding of what our students need to be successful both before and after graduation,” UF President Kent Fuchs said. “I welcome them and look forward to working with them as we continue our efforts toward becoming a top-five public research university.”

Kuntz is the former geographic banking executive for SunTrust Banks, Inc. In this role, he oversaw the company's 16 geography-based business units - comprised of nearly 1,700 branches in 11 states and the District of Columbia - which provide the full range of banking services including retail branch banking, commercial and business banking, and private wealth management to SunTrust clients. Kuntz retired from SunTrust Banks, Inc. in 2015.

Prior to being named to this position in April 2010, Kuntz served as chairman, president and chief executive officer of SunTrust Bank, Florida since 2005 and had corporate-wide responsibility for the Commercial Banking line of business since in 2008.

A career SunTrust banker, he began his career in 1978 as a management associate with SunTrust predecessor, SunBank.

Kuntz earned a bachelor's degree in business administration at Rollins College and is a graduate of the Graduate School of Banking at Louisiana State University. Active in the community, he served on the Board of Governors of the State University System of Florida, is a current member and past vice chairman of the Enterprise Florida board of directors, a member of the Scripps Florida Funding Corporation board of directors, the Rollins College Board of Trustees, and the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center Orlando Council of Governors. He is also an active member of the Florida Council of 100.

O’Keefe is a partner in the Orlando office of Shutts & Bowen LLP, where he is a member and a former Practice Group Leader of the firm’s Real Estate Practice Group. He handles real estate and land use issues, from negotiating loans and government approvals to dealing with regulatory agencies and handling concurrency issues for builders and developers. O’Keefe also assists developers and home builders with local and national large-scale projects.

photo of Daniel T. O'Keefe

Daniel T. O'Keefe

As an alumnus of the UF Levin College of Law, O’Keefe is a former banker and represents financial institutions in loan transactions as well as work out and restructuring transactions.

Then-Gov. Charlie Crist appointed O'Keefe to the board of the East Central Florida Regional Planning Council. O'Keefe was also appointed by Gov. Rick Scott to the South Florida Water Management District in 2011 and was elected chairman in 2013.

In addition to serving as a board member of the West Orange Political Alliance, a political action committee representing its community, O’Keefe is an active member of the West Orange Chamber of Commerce. He previously served on the Wekiva River System Advisory Management Committee and on the Board of Directors for the Smart Growth Alliance.

UF’s 13-member board consists of six members appointed by the governor and five members appointed by the Board of Governors. The chair of the Faculty Senate and the president of the student body also serve as voting members on the board. Board members serve staggered, five-year terms.

Steve Orlando Author
January 31, 2018