As president of USF, Dr. Judy Genshaft presides over the 9th largest public university (45,000 students) in the country. One with 12,000 employees, $300 million in sponsored research, a $1.8 billion budget and an annual economic impact of $3.2 billion in the Tampa Bay area. She’s one of the pre-eminent executives in the region, including the pivotal, I-4 high-tech corridor.
And yet, on any given day, as Genshaft, 60, strides sprightly across campus, she will be hailed by a chorus of “JU-Dee, JU-Dee” chants from those two generations her junior.
Is this anyway to greet a president? You bet it is.
“I love it,” gushes Genshaft.
Now in her eighth year at the USF helm, the Canton, Ohio, native has established herself as a quintessential “people person.” She reveres the campus dynamic and loves networking and collaborating — whatever it takes to leverage USF as a community partner and a statewide and national player.
“She’s an extraordinary resource for our community,” says Stu Rogel, president and CEO of the Tampa Bay Partnership. “And she’s the university’s number one cheerleader.”
To Genshaft, community-USF synergy is a given. Her current chairing of the Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce — and previous service chairing the Tampa Bay Partnership — underscores her commitment to partnership.
“It’s all absolutely intertwined with the university,” states Genshaft.
Adds Kim Scheeler, the former president and CEO of the Tampa Chamber: “People just really like being around her.”
Often the venue is the contemporary, on-campus, 9,000-square-foot Lifsey House, originally built in 1993 as a presidential residence. While Genshaft lives in nearby Tampa Palms with her husband Steven Greenbaum and their adopted sons Joel, 14, and Bryan, 11, she hosts countless functions at Lifsey ranging from donor gatherings to dignitary fetings.
“It’s a great reception area – and a great party atmosphere,” notes Genshaft. “I like being out with people, so, yes, I enjoy the hosting part.”
But most of all she enjoys being the point person for a young (52), urban, top-tier research institution fast-forwarding onto the higher education stage.
“I love USF and this area,” says Genshaft. “It’s exciting because it’s new; that means you can really make a difference by your leadership.”