FAMU's final trustee vacancy has been filled. Here's who the Board of Governors selected.
Longtime Florida A&M University supporter and businessman John Crossman was recently appointed to be a FAMU trustee, filling the last vacant spot on the board.
Crossman’s appointment — which was made by the Florida Board of Governors during a June meeting at the University of South Florida — replaces former Trustee Thomas Dortch Jr., who passed away in February and served on the board since 2016.
Crossman is an Orlando-based real estate executive and the CEO of Crossman Career Builders, which provides resources and scholarships for college students and young professionals.
“Florida A&M University has been the greatest producer of innovative leaders in Florida over my lifetime,” Crossman said in a prepared statement. “I am deeply honored to be in a position to serve and support that legacy.”
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Crossman is also the owner and president of the commercial real estate advisory CrossMarc Services and CEO of the retail leasing firm Crossman & Company.
The various roles that he plays at the university include being a member of the FAMU Foundation Board of Directors and a guest speaker who frequently addresses FAMU’s School of Business and Industry students.
He also endowed the Crossman Scholarship at FAMU and makes a donation that pays for a FAMU graduate who is pursuing a master’s degree in real estate at the University of Florida.
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On top of Crossman’s support of FAMU, he also has ties to Florida State University as an alumnus of its College of Business who graduated with a bachelor’s degree in real estate in 1993.
He takes on the role of being a speaker and a mentor to real estate clubs and real estate society students at FSU as well as UF, the University of Central Florida, the University of South Florida, Bethune-Cookman University and FAMU, where he founded Club REAL with the purpose of introducing real estate concepts and investing to students.
“His proximity and connectivity to the university is a really good model, and I think it's really great that he has deep connectivity to Florida State as well, which is a really important partner to FAMU,” Board of Governors Chair Brian Lamb said during last week’s Nomination and Governance Committee meeting.
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Crossman is also the author of “Career Killers/Career Builders,” which was published in 2017.
In addition to Crossman being appointed to FAMU’s Board of Trustees, other recent appointments have included Trustee Natlie Figgers, a lawyer and FAMU alumna selected by Governor Ron DeSantis in replacement of former Trustee David Lawrence Jr. and Trustee Deveron Gibbins, an Amscot consultant and alumnus of the university who replaced former Trustee and Vice Chair Kimberly Moore.
Both Figgers and Gibbons were appointed in March.
Crossman’s appointment is subject to confirmation by the Florida Senate, and his term is set to expire on Jan. 1, 2026.
Contact Tarah Jean at [email protected] or follow her on twitter @tarahjean_.
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This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: John Crossman appointed to Florida A&M University's Board of Trustees
