On Tuesday, Ava Parker, chair of the Florida Board of Governors announced Richard Beard as chair of the Facilities Committee at the Florida Board of Governors.
“Dick Beard has an enormous depth of experience in real estate and related industries that will provide a great expertise and value to the committee’s important work,” said Parker, an attorney in Jacksonville in a press release.
The Facilities Committee chair vacancy was created this summer when former Board of Governors member Charlie Edwards resigned in order to accept an appointment to the University of Florida’s Board of Trustees.
As chair of one of eight standing committees on the BOG, the Tampa realtor will coordinate and advocate for priorities regarding the construction funding, maintenance needs and other capital improvement issues for the 11 institutions in the State University System.
“I am pleased to serve in this new capacity, and I am fully cognizant that we have very real challenges with past and future building and maintenance demands across the System at the 11 universities – and that those challenges will take all of our resolve to address. In this difficult economy, this area is one of the most critical issues affecting the future success of public higher education in Florida,” Beard said in a press release.
Beard has 36 years experience in real estate development, and was also president and owner of his own real estate company, R.A. Beard and Co.
The State University System of Florida is comprised of 11 institutions with an enrollment of 320,000, with about 65,000 of those students just in the Tallahassee area, according to the BOG’s website.
The Facilities Committee’s next meeting is scheduled for Sept. 14 in Miami, with the full Board meeting on Sept. 15, also at Florida International University in Miami.