Florida A&M University president Marva Johnson recently explained the reassignment of former Athletic Director Angela Suggs as Special Assistant to the President and as an advisor for intercollegiate athletics in an interview with the Tallahassee Democrat. In addition to Suggs' reassignment, FAMU announced that John Davis will assume the position of Vice President of Athletics.
Johnson spoke with The Tallahassee Democrat about the necessity and context of Suggs' new appointment.
“To have someone who's just an extremely competent culture bearer and an extremely competent leader and manager at my side as a personal advisor to the president is going to help me run faster and get a lot of special projects completed in a way that will accelerate them given her understanding of the institution and her grounding in the leadership team already.”
Suggs' reassignment comes months after she was placed on administrative leave following her arrest for fraud and larceny charges. The charges stemmed from her previous tenure with the Florida Sports Foundation, a nonprofit organization where she served as Vice President. The foundation serves as the state of Florida's sports industry development division.
Suggs was appointed as Athletic Director for the Rattlers in September 2024. During her brief tenure, she notably hired Florida State two-sport legend Charlie Ward as the men's basketball team's head coach.
Her criminal case was recently resolved after she accepted the conditions of a plea deal in September. The terms of the agreement include completing a course for gambling addiction and attending treatment or support groups. Furthermore, she is legally barred from holding any job or position that grants her access to funds or any line of credit from any employer for her personal use or benefit.
