Governor Ron DeSantis appointed three members to the FIU Board of Trustees.
The Florida International University Board of Trustees is responsible for developing cost-effective policies, implementing and maintaining high-quality education programs consistent with the FIU’s mission, conducting performance evaluations and assuring the university meets state policy, budgeting and education standards.
The Republican Florida Governor recently announced the appointment of Patrick McDowell and the reappointment of Alan Gonzalez and Yaffa Popack to the Florida International University Board of Trustees.
Patrick McDowell is the Founder, Chairman, and Chief Executive Officer of McDowell Properties and McDowell Housing Partners. He is a Board member of the National Multifamily Housing Council, a member of the Stanford Alumni Real Estate Council, a Trustee of the Pérez Art Museum Miami, and an Advisory Board member of the Fisher Center for Real Estate at the University of California, Berkeley. McDowell earned his bachelor’s degree from Stanford University and his master’s degree in business administration from the University of California, Berkeley.
Alan Gonzalez is an IT Senior Manager and cybersecurity leader with Florida Power & Light, a subsidiary of NextEra Energy, which he has been at for 27 years. In his current role, he is responsible for safeguarding organizational assets through effective cyber risk management, operational resilience, and disciplined governance practices. Gonzalez earned his bachelor’s degree in business and his master’s degree in business administration from Florida International University.
Yaffa Popack is the Co-Founder and Chair of YMP Real Estate Management, LLC. She also serves as the Co-Founder of Neighborhood Farms USA and a member of the YMP Family Foundation and the Touro University Board of Governors. Popack earned her bachelor’s degree from Columbia University and her juris doctor from Benjamin Cardozo Law School.
The FIU Board of Trustees is composed of 13 members: five appointed by the Florida Board of Governors, six appointed by Florida’s governor, and student and faculty representation by the university’s Faculty Senate chair and student government president.
These FIU Board of Trustees appointments are subject to confirmation by the Florida Senate.