Another Florida Poly trustee departs, leaving only one who voted against hiring president

Another Florida Polytechnic University trustee who voted against the hiring of President Devin Stephenson has left the board.

Laine Powell, whose term expired July 15, did not seek an additional term on the board of trustees.

With Powell’s departure, only one trustee who voted against Stephenson remains on the board — Lyn Stanfield. One trustee, David Williams , resigned hours after the vote on April 15. Another trustee, Mark Bostick , resigned on June 30.   The terms of faculty representative Ajeet Kaushik and student representative Melia Rodriguez ended not long after the June meeting.

Trustees voted 7-6 at that meeting to offer the job to Stephenson, then the president of Northwest Florida State College in Niceville.

Powell was appointed by the Board of Governors of the State University System in September 2020. She is the founder and executive director of Tech Sassy Girlz, a nonprofit organization dedicated to inspiring underrepresented girls in middle and high school to engage in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, according to her previously listed biography on the Florida Poly site.

Powell holds a doctorate in instructional technology and distance education from Nova Southeastern University.

“I want to express my sincere gratitude for the opportunity to serve on the Florida Poly Board of Trustees,” Powell wrote in an email to the trustees’ corporate secretary. “It has been a privilege to work alongside dedicated colleagues and support the university's mission of fostering excellence in STEM education. At this time, I will not be renewing my application. I wish the university continued success in its endeavors.”

There are now three openings on the board of trustees. The state Board of Governors will appoint replacements for Williams and Powell, while Gov. Ron DeSantis will appoint a replacement for Bostick.

Gary White can be reached at gary.white@theledger.com or 863-802-7518. Follow on X @garywhite13.

This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Another Florida Poly trustee departs, leaving only one who voted against hiring president