TALLAHASSEE — Gov. Ron DeSantis named 12 appointees to two state college boards, tapping a U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division trial attorney, a sitting state representative and a Navy veteran among the selections for Florida Southwestern State College and Lake-Sumter State College.
The most notable pick for the nine-member Florida Southwestern State College District Board of Trustees is Kristina Heuser, a trial attorney with the DOJ Civil Rights Division who previously served as senior litigation counsel with Liberty Counsel and legal counsel for the American Constitutional Rights Union. Heuser earned her bachelor’s degree in government from Georgetown University and her juris doctor from Brooklyn Law School.
Also among the new appointees is Danny Nix, a commercial realtor at Keller Williams Peace River Partners and owner of Nix Commercial Group, who currently serves in the Florida House of Representatives representing District 75. Nix is joined by J. Keith Arnold, principal of J. Keith Arnold & Associates, who himself previously served in the Florida House as the youngest majority leader in state history.
The third new appointee, Dewayne Moore, is the founder and chief executive officer of The Dewayne Moore Foundation and a veteran of the United States Navy. Moore earned his doctorate in physical therapy from the University of California, Berkeley.
DeSantis reappointed five sitting members to the Florida Southwestern board: Julia du Plooy, owner of Julia du Plooy, LLC and president of the Lake Okeechobee Business Alliance; Eviana Martin, an attorney with the Martin Law Firm, P.L. and member of the Lee County Bar Foundation Board of Directors; Lisa Metcalfe Swinto, Southwest Florida regional director of Associated Builders & Contractors Gulf Coast Chapter; Denise Murphy, general manager of The Players Club & Spa at Stock Development Associates; and John Dulmer, a project manager for Jacobs Engineering and member of the American Planning Association and the Florida Floodplain Manager Association.
Separately, DeSantis appointed two new members and reappointed one to the Lake-Sumter State College District Board of Trustees. Dr. Dan Boggus, a physician with Aegis Medical Group and member of the American and Florida Academy of Family Physicians, earned his Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of South Florida. Matt Silbernagel serves as area contract manager for Meta Platforms, Inc. and as attorney and counsel for Nardella & Nardella, PLLC. Silbernagel previously served as president of the Florida Bar Eminent Domain Committee.
The Lake-Sumter reappointment went to Clarence Steven Munz, owner and operator of Galaxy Home Solutions, Inc. and 5M Livestock Company. A United States Army veteran, Munz founded The Villages Pop Warner Football League and received the 2012 Mid-Market Governor’s Business Expansion Award, presented by former Gov. Rick Scott.
All 12 appointments are subject to confirmation by the Florida Senate.