Richard Dent III, vice chair of Florida A&M University Board of Trustees, has resigned after five years of service on the supervisory body.
Dent announced his conclusive resignation in an email to Chairman of the Board of Governors, Dean Colson on Friday.
After taking a position as CEO and president of Astor & Black Custom Clothiers, a private company, Dent decided to shift his focus to the requirements of the new role.
“The past few months it has become clear that the demands of this new role will prevent me from giving the time and energy that FAMU needs from each and every BOT member, especially now.”
Dent received a bachelor’s and master’s degree in business administration from FAMU and holds an avant-garde position in the fastest growing retail business in Limited Brands’ history.
As the former Senior Vice-President, Chief Operating Officer and Co-Leader of Victoria’s Secret PINK, the new CEO has more than 15 years of corporate finance experience with Fortune 500 companies.
Though Dent declared his new business venture as the compelling motive behind his resignation, the decision to leave the board comes in the wake of the current hazing and audit troubles, which the university is currently facing.
During his time on the board, Dent served on several committees including Audit and Compliance, Budget and Finance, Direct Support Organizations, Academic Affairs, Trustee-Student Affairs and the Facilities Committee.
Dent’s appointment on the board wasn’t set to expire until 2016.