The University of West Florida (UWF) Presidential Search Committee has named Interim President Manny Diaz Jr. as the sole finalist to become the institution’s seventh president.
The decision, announced Friday, moves Diaz one step closer to a permanent appointment, pending consideration by the UWF Board of Trustees and final confirmation by the Florida Board of Governors.
Zack Smith, chair of the presidential search committee, said “After reviewing all of the applicants and conducting in-person interviews, it became clear that Interim President Diaz’s experiences of working in higher education, shaping education policy in the Florida Legislature, and serving on the State University System of Florida Board of Governors — while also serving as Florida’s Education Commissioner — have uniquely prepared him to be UWF’s next president.”
Diaz has served as interim president since July 2025.
Before arriving at UWF, he worked in a range of roles within Florida’s education system. He began his career as a teacher, coach, and assistant principal, later becoming chief operating officer of Doral College.
In 2022, he was appointed Florida’s Commissioner of Education, overseeing statewide K-12 and higher education operations. Diaz also served in the Florida House and Senate, where he sponsored legislation related to school improvement, teacher recruitment, charter school expansion, and parental choice programs.
The UWF Board of Trustees will next vote on Diaz’s candidacy at a forthcoming meeting. If approved, his appointment would be sent to the Florida Board of Governors for final confirmation.
