Monesia Brown Appointed to Tallahassee State College Board by DeSantis

The Tallahassee State College District Board of Trustees is now complete after Governor Ron DeSantis recently appointed attorney and advisor Monesia Brown to the board.

The appointment was announced Friday, along with the reappointments of current TSC directors Jonathan Kilpatrick — who currently serves as chairman of the board — and lobbyist Monte Stevens of The Southern Group’s Tallahassee office.

The TSC board now consists of seven directors, with Brown filling the vacancy left when Eric Grant stepped down in 2022.

“The college has such an outstanding reputation in our community and nationally,” Brown said in a prepared statement. “I am excited to join the District Board of Trustees and help continue that legacy of excellence.”

Brown, who earned her bachelor’s degree in English from Illinois State University as a first-generation college student in 1994 and her law degree from the University of Wisconsin in 1997, is vice president of Government Relations for North Highland, a global consulting firm based in Atlanta.

The company has contracts with the state of Florida; Brown is based in Tallahassee. Her career has focused on issues including economic development, government procurement and education.

Prior to her role at North Highland, she served as Director of Public Affairs and Government Relations at Walmart for more than 10 years. She also served on the Florida State Board of Education from 2021-24.

Additionally, she serves on several other boards, including the Board of Directors of the Jacksonville branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, Boys Town North Florida, Leadership Florida, and the Big Bend Minority Chamber of Commerce.

Brown was also one of Tallahassee’s 25 Women You Need to Know in 2022.

“We applaud the governor’s appointment of these community leaders to our District Board of Trustees,” TSC Chairman Jim Murdaugh said in a press release, referring to Brown’s appointment and the reappointments of Kilpatrick and Stevens.

“Everyone has an impressive track record of public service, is a great advocate for education, and values the mission of our college. I have no doubt that they will be excellent advocates for our students.”

The reappointment of Kilpatrick — founder and CEO of Trulight Consulting — comes after he served on the college’s board of directors for about 10 years. He was originally appointed by Gov. Rick Scott in 2014.

Stevens was first appointed to the board by DeSantis in 2021. Board members serve four-year terms and must be confirmed by the Florida Senate.