New Members Bring Experience in Higher Ed, Aviation and Advanced Defense Tech
BREVARD COUNTY • MELBOURNE, FLORIDA – Florida Tech has added three new members to the university’s Board of Trustees.
The newest members of the university’s Board of Trustees are:
■ Rita Cheng, Ph.D., president emerita at Northern Arizona University and former chancellor at Southern Illinois University
■ Jill A. Eanes, ’91 BS, ’93 MBA a captain with United Airlines
■ William J. Guyan, senior vice president and general manager at Leonardo DRS.
In addition to appointing the new members, the board thanked eight trustees for their dedicated service as their terms concluded.
Rotating off the board are Joe Caruso, Brian Crane, Doug Flutie, Tom Folliard, Dana Kilborne, Scott Seymour, Vik Verma, and Dave Weldon.
The board will now include 15 members and five emeritus members.
“We appreciate each of these individuals and their commitment to Florida Tech—past, present and future,” said board chair Travis Proctor.
Cheng became the 16th president of Northern Arizona University when she was hired in 2014, the latest achievement in an impactful career in higher education spanning four decades.
Born in a small Wisconsin town, her career began at the University of Wisconsin in Milwaukee in 1988 when she was hired as an assistant professor in the university’s business school.
She was there for more than 20 years, ultimately becoming provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs. Following those successes, she served as chancellor at Southern Illinois University Carbondale from 2010-2014, where she oversaw a complete turnaround in enrollment decline.
Throughout her career in higher education, Cheng also served in key roles for the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).
She began in 1999 as a member of the Division I Management Council and over the next 20-plus years served as chair for groups including the Football Championship Subcommittee and the President Advisory Group and a member of some of the association’s top bodies, such as the Division I Board of Directors and the NCAA Board of Governors.
As a first-generation and non-traditional college graduate, Cheng firmly believes in making higher education accessible and affordable for all students.
Eanes, who received the College of Aeronautics Skurla Outstanding Alumni Award in 2023, has a distinguished, three-decade career in aviation.
She has been flying for United since 1999, currently serving as captain of the Boeing 777 aircraft. Eanes has been a member of The College of Aeronautics Advisory Board since 2018 and has been a longtime mentor of fellow Panthers.
She is a champion for diversity throughout United and the aviation industry and volunteers through United Airlines and the Air Line Pilots Association in addition to Florida Tech to mentor aspiring pilots, with an emphasis on women and LGBTQ+ aviators.
Eanes has established an endowed scholarship for LGBTQ+ Florida Tech students focusing on those studying aviation and aeronautics.
Guyan has been with Leonardo DRS since 2002, serving a variety of key leadership roles, including corporate vice president of business development, vice president of strategy and business development of the C4ISR Group of companies, and vice president, of programs and strategy, at DRS Tactical Systems in Melbourne.
He was named to his current role as senior vice president and general manager of the land electronics business unit in 2019.
A leading provider of integrated networking technologies, test, computing, cyber, and display solutions for worldwide military applications, this unit has more than 730 employees in Melbourne and Huntsville, Alabama.
Guyan has been a member of the Florida Tech President’s Circle since 2019. He is a veteran and former U.S. Army officer.
“We are excited to welcome these three talented, passionate leaders to our board,” said President John Nicklow.
“I know each of them cares deeply for Florida Tech, its students and the broader university community, and the evolution and success of higher education in general. We are eager to work with them and all our dedicated board members as we begin to execute our strategic plan.”
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