Jeremy P. Martin Ph.D. ’12, M.B.A. ’17, William & Mary’s vice president for strategy and innovation, has been selected as the next president of Florida Southern College.
As president of Florida Southern, Martin will lead Florida’s oldest private college.
During his 16 years at William & Mary, Martin has held a number of leadership positions, including chief of staff and interim director of athletics, and helped develop the university’s Vision 2026 strategic plan. He begins at Florida Southern Aug. 1.
“William & Mary is a stronger, more strategic and more welcoming university thanks to Jeremy Martin,” said W&M President Katherine A. Rowe. “Dr. Martin is the type of ethical, mission-driven champion higher education needs to meet this moment of rapid transformation. Alma Mater proudly and gratefully celebrates him as he takes the helm at Florida Southern.”
As vice president, Martin has had coordinating responsibility for the university’s admission, marketing and communications offices. In that role, he advanced institutional advancement strategies, with an emphasis on attracting applicants, encouraging engagement and philanthropy and strengthening the university’s overall visibility in line with its mission.
Rowe said she will be working in the coming days with leadership of Martin’s reporting units to develop short- and long-term organizational plans.
Martin has worked at William & Mary since 2008 in areas ranging from the School of Education to the Office of the Provost. As vice president for strategy and innovation since 2022, Martin has coordinated the university’s admission, marketing and communications offices and led the university’s enterprise development strategy and management. Under his leadership, the university increased its support for Pell Grant-eligible students, commenced new marketing and communications efforts to bolster the preeminence of the university and launched a number of new initiatives to reach enrollment and other strategic goals.
“William & Mary has been an incredible home to our family for more than 15 years. So many people here have given me opportunities to grow and learn, and I hope that I have followed their example in doing the same for others,” said Martin. “As excited as we are for the opportunity at Florida Southern College and the community there, we know that Williamsburg will always have special meaning to us. The friendships built here will be lifelong.”
Founded in 1883, Florida Southern is a comprehensive baccalaureate institution, grounded in the liberal arts, enrolling 2,700 undergraduates alongside 600 graduate students. Its athletics teams have won 30 NCAA Division II national championships. The original Lakeland campus was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and remains the largest single-site collection of Wright architecture in the world. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 2012.
“With a background in academic administration and a proven track record of enhancing the student experience and institutional growth, Dr. Martin is uniquely qualified to lead our college into a new era of excellence,” Robert L. Fryer, Jr., chair of Florida Southern Board of Trustees, said in the college’s formal announcement. “We are excited to welcome Dr. Martin and his family to FSC and look forward to working with him as he guides us forward.”
Martin received his bachelor’s degree from Houghton College and a Master of Science degree from Georgia State University. He also earned two degrees from William & Mary: a doctorate in educational policy, planning and leadership in 2012 and a Master of Business Administration degree in 2017.
His work at the university began with a series of graduate assistantships before becoming assistant to the president and provost in 2012. Five years later, he became associate provost and assistant to the president and two years after that, chief of staff.
In 2020, Martin was named interim director of athletics during a period of transition for the department and amidst challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. With Martin at its helm, W&M Athletics increased stability for all varsity sports, began a gender equity review and planning process and improved its financial foundation. Martin played a key role in launching the All In fundraising campaign, which concluded in 2024 with $57.2 million raised for athletics.
Throughout his time at the university, Martin taught classes in the W&M School of Education and assisted with several high-level endeavors, including the university’s strategic planning process as co-chair of its steering committee. He also played a significant part in a number of university-wide equity and inclusion efforts and served as the interim special assistant for military and veterans affairs for several months in 2022.
In 2022, Martin became vice president for strategy and innovation. In his current role, he has worked with colleagues across campus to increase access and support for first-generation and limited-income students, including those who are eligible for Pell Grants. That work has included the establishment of a commitment by the university to guarantee scholarship aid to cover at least the cost of tuition and fees for all in-state, undergraduate Pell Grant eligible students and the creation of the Commonwealth Impact Partnership Program.
In 2021, the university recognized Martin’s work with the Shirley Aceto Award, which honors excellence in service to the campus community.
W&M Chancellor and former U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates ‘65, L.H.D. ‘98 said Florida Southern is getting an incredible leader.
“Dr. Martin is an extraordinary strategic thinker and planner, a skilled administrator, and a terrific team-builder,” Gates said. “Speaking personally, I will miss Jeremy’s always positive demeanor, his great good humor and his willingness to tackle any challenge.”
Erin Jay, Senior Associate Director of University News