Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on April 17 appointed four local leaders to the Santa Fe College District Board of Trustees.
Two of the new appointees to the board are Robert Hitchcock, vice president of Hitchcock & Sons Inc., and Karin Montini, associate head of school at Oak Hall School. Two former members of the board have been reappointed by the governor. Emery Gainey is a retired law enforcement officer and Caridad “Carrie” Lee is a local agricultural business owner. Both are University of Florida alums.
Gainey is the board’s current vice chair. He was appointed Alachua County sheriff by DeSantis in 2023 to finish out Clovis Watson Jr.’s term. Watson retired before the end of his term due to health issues. Gainey was the sole Republican candidate in the 2024 race for sheriff but lost to Democratic candidate Chad Scott.
Lee has been on the Santa Fe’s Board of Trustees since 2012 and currently serves as chair.
New appointee Hitchcock also serves on the Ronald McDonald House Gainesville Board of Directors and holds a business administration degree from Stetson University.
Montini was a curriculum developer for Kaplan K-12 Learning Services and taught in Arlington Public Schools. Montini holds degrees in elementary education from Florida State University and school leadership from Harvard University and is pursuing a doctorate in organizational leadership from Vanderbilt University.
All four appointments still need to be confirmed by the state Senate.
This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: DeSantis appoints four to Santa Fe College Board of Trustees
Reporting by Chelsea Long, Gainesville Sun / The Gainesville Sun
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