Three seasoned leaders have joined Florida Gulf Coast University and the President’s Cabinet this year, bringing decades of higher education experience to FGCU.

Kristi Carman was the first to arrive on campus, assuming her role as vice president and general counsel in May.

Joining the Eagle family in July were Debbie Thorne as executive vice president and provost and Paul Dosal as vice president and vice provost overseeing Student Success & Enrollment Management.

They are now part of a leadership team under President Aysegul Timur that also includes Eileen DeLuca, vice president of the Office of Strategic Initiatives and chief of staff; Katherine Green, vice president of University Advancement and executive director of the FGCU Foundation; and David Vazquez, vice president of Administrative Services & Finance and executive director of the FGCU Financing Corporation.

“At FGCU, we are on a Journey to Excellence in all that we do, and I am thrilled to see the passion, partnership and performance each of our new leaders are bringing to their roles,” Timur said. “I am confident their leadership will propel FGCU to the next level. Together, we are building a thriving community for our students, faculty and staff.”

Debbie Thorne

As executive vice president and provost, Thorne provides vision and leadership in all matters relating to academic programs and the pursuit of academic excellence at FGCU. Texas State University had been her home since 2001, as a tenured faculty member in marketing and in several administrative roles. Most recently, she served seven years as senior vice provost of the university, which serves 40,000 students across multiple campuses and offers over 200 academic programs.

Prior to joining Texas State, Thorne spent four years as director of the Center for Ethics at The University of Tampa, taught marketing at Mississippi State University and lectured in Mexico, Canada, Thailand and Austria. She earned her doctorate in business administration from the University of Memphis, a master’s degree in marketing from Texas A&M University and a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Abilene Christian University.

Just before arriving on campus, she completed an American Council on Education fellowship at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.

Kristi Carman

As vice president and general counsel, Carman guides the Office of General Counsel, which represents the Board of Trustees and provides legal services to the university, the FGCU Foundation and the FGCU Financing Corporation.

Carman has comprehensive experience in legal affairs, including compliance, contract management, Title IX and policy development.

Before joining FGCU, she served as general counsel at the University of West Georgia in Carrollton, the Technical College System of Georgia and the Georgia Student Finance Commission. She previously served as senior assistant city attorney in Atlanta and was senior vice president at JTC Education Holdings/MedTech in Georgia.

Carman earned her undergraduate degree from Michigan State University and her juris doctorate from the University of Georgia School of Law.

Paul Dosal

As vice president and vice provost of Student Success & Enrollment Management, Dosal leads the division providing comprehensive services to support student learning outside the classroom.  From recruitment to admission to graduation, with advising and financial aid assistance, SSEM helps students persist and engage with campus life.

Dosal spent the last 15 years as a vice president at two public research universities in the State University System of Florida — both of which experienced growth in state performance and preeminence metrics under his leadership. Most recently, he served 2 1/2 years as senior vice president for student success at the University of Central Florida, where he was a history professor. Before UCF, he worked at the University of South Florida, where he moved through faculty ranks into senior administration, championing student success initiatives that positioned USF for preeminence and Association of American Universities eligibility.

Dosal earned his doctorate and master’s degrees from Tulane University and a bachelor’s degree from St. Andrews Presbyterian College.