Board of Governors Appoints Alumnus Peter Jones to FSU Board of Trustees

By Amy Farnum-Patronis, FSU News

The Florida Board of Governors appointed Peter Jones to Florida State University’s Board of Trustees on Jan. 30. The FSU alumnus begins his term immediately.  

A native of Clearwater, Florida, Jones graduated from the College of Business with a Bachelor of Science in accounting in 1977. He has extensive senior executive, accounting and investment management experience at firms in the investment management industry. 

In 2015, Jones ended a 27-year career at Franklin Templeton Investments, where he served as chairman of Franklin Templeton Institutional, LLC and president of Franklin Templeton Distributors Inc. 

After retirement, Jones became an FSU adjunct professor, teaching finance classes over four summers in the university’s study abroad program in London and Valencia, Spain. In 2018, he was inducted into the FSU College of Business Hall of Fame. 

Jones has devoted countless hours of service to his alma mater as a board member for several support organizations, including the FSU Foundation Board of Trustees, the FSU International Programs Association and the FSU College of Business Student Investment Fund. He continues to serve on the FSU Foundation’s Investment Committee. From 2020-2023, he served as the inaugural chair of the Professional Advocacy Board for the Department of Finance in the FSU College of Business. 

Jones currently serves on the Investment Advisory Council of the State Board of Administration of Florida and as an independent trustee of MFS Investment Management.  

Actively involved in the community, Jones served on the board of Copperhead Charities Inc., the host organization of the PGA TOUR Valspar Championship, from 1990 to 2023 and the Tampa Bay Research Institute board from 2010-2024.  

The FSU Board of Trustees is the 13-member governing board for the University. Peter Collins is the Chair of the Board of Trustees.

The Florida State University Board of Trustees was created in 2001 and is the public body corporate of the university. It sets policy for the institution and serves as the institution’s legal owner and governing board. The Board of Trustees is responsible for high quality education programs within the laws of the State of Florida and Regulations of the Florida Board of Governors. The Board of Trustees holds the institution’s resources in trust and is responsible for their efficient and effective use. The thirteen-member Board of Trustees is composed of six members appointed by the Governor, five members appointed by the Florida Board of Governors, the Chair of the Faculty Senate and the President of the Student Body.