FAMU TAPS VETERAN LAWYER, STATE OFFICIAL TO LEAD LAW SCHOOL

• Simone Marstiller has been appointed as the new dean of Florida A&M University's College of Law.
• Marstiller has an extensive background in Florida's state government, including serving as a judge and a top regulator.
• Marstiller's appointment is part of an effort to strengthen the school and create new opportunities for students.

Florida A&M University has turned to a veteran of Florida’s highest levels of government – a onetime appellate judge and top state regulator – by naming Simone Marstiller as dean of its Orlando-based College of Law amid a push to bolster the beleaguered school.

FAMU President Marva Johnson announced Marstiller's appointment June 17, saying she “brings ... something rare – a career that has moved seamlessly between the courtroom, the bench, and the cabinet office.” She starts July 1.

“She has led complex agencies, shaped policy, and served the people of Florida at the highest levels," Johnson said in a statement.

"That is exactly the kind of proven, public-minded leadership our students deserve, and it is precisely what this moment in the College’s history requires as we create new opportunities for our students and strengthen the College's impact across Florida and beyond."

Marstiller, picked after a national search, brings a power résumé as leader of the law school under the state's only public historically Black university: Most recently, she served as secretary of the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice and the Agency for Health Care Administration under Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Before that, she was a 1st District Court of Appeal judge, and secretary of the Department of Business and Professional Regulation, interim secretary of the Department of Management Services, a deputy chief of staff in the governor’s office, and state Chief Information Officer, all under then-Gov. Jeb Bush. 

She also was Associate Deputy Attorney General under then-Attorney General Bill McCollum and served as executive director for the Florida Elections Commission. Marstiller also has been a lawyer and lobbyist with the Gunster law firm in Florida.

Marstiller, 61, was born in Monrovia, Liberia, and grew up in St. Petersburg, according to an online bio. She received an undergraduate degree in business administration from Stetson University and later a law degree from the university's College of Law.

"Dean Marstiller’s legal expertise, judicial experience, and executive leadership will strengthen student opportunities, expand professional pathways, and build on the College’s growing momentum,” Allyson L. Watson, FAMU provost and vice president for Academic Affairs, said in a statement.

Marstiller's compensation package was not immediately disclosed.

According to reporting by the Tallahassee Democrat, FAMU Law has struggled for years with leadership turnover, poor bar-exam passage rates, and concerns about academic support and institutional oversight.

Former law dean Deidré Keller said in her 2024 resignation letter that her warnings about declining bar passage rates “fell on deaf ears” and described university oversight as “abusive.”

The law school’s challenges stretch back much further, including past concerns over accreditation standards and student complaints about inadequate academic and career support, creating a pattern of instability that raised questions about the school’s long-term direction and effectiveness.

In a news release, Marstiller said she was ready to take the reins, mentioning in a news release the school's "preparing graduates to lead with passion and purpose."

She said she was "honored to join an institution so deeply committed to cultivating lawyers who are excellent, undaunted, and driven to serve. I look forward to ... leading the College of Law into its next era of growth, innovation, and impact.”

Marstiller replaces Interim Dean Cecil Howard, who "will continue to serve as the associate provost for academic programs at the College of Law under the leadership of Provost Watson," according to the university.

(This story was updated to add new information.)

Jim Rosica is a member of the USA TODAY Network – Florida Capital Bureau. Reach him at jrosica@tallahassee.com and follow him on X.com: @JimRosicaFL.