FIU President Kenneth A. Jessell

Dr. Kenneth A. Jessell is the president of Florida International University. He was unanimously approved by the FIU Board of Trustees as president-designate on Oct. 17, 2022, and confirmed by the Florida Board of Governors on Nov. 9, 2022, as the sixth president of FIU.

Prior to his appointment as interim president in January of 2022, Dr. Jessell served as Senior Vice President for Finance and Administration and Chief Financial Officer at FIU from 2009-2022. At this position, he was responsible for the management and administration of financial, facility and business service operations of the university. Dr. Jessell is also a professor of finance in the College of Business Administration at FIU.

Prior to his time at FIU, Dr. Jessell served as the Senior Vice President for Financial Affairs at Florida Atlantic University. During his 26-year career at FAU, Dr. Jessell served in several key leadership positions, including Interim University Provost, Interim Vice President for University Advancement and Executive Director of the FAU Foundation, Associate University Provost and Associate Dean in the College of Business Administration. Dr. Jessell started his employment at FAU in 1983 as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Finance and Real Estate.

Dr. Jessell’s teaching and research interests are in the areas of financial management and real estate finance and appraisal. He has published 16 articles and abstracts in academic journals including The Financial Review, Journal of Cash Management, The Appraisal Review, Housing Finance Review, Applied Economics and Journal of Financial Education. He has also presented several research papers in the areas of finance and real estate at professional conferences and organizations including the Oxford Roundtable in Oxford, England.

Dr. Jessell received his Baccalaureate Degree in Political Science from Florida State University. He also holds a Master of Business Administration Degree and a Doctor of Philosophy Degree in Finance from FSU.