Linda Stump-Kurnick, who became UF’s first female police chief in July 2003, will become the Assistant Vice President of Public Safety, according to a Wednesday UF news release.
UFPD Deputy Chief Bart Knowles will serve as the UFPD interim chief. A national search for Stump-Kurnick’s successor will start soon, according to the news release.
“In more than two decades at UF, she has seen some of the most challenging events anyone can imagine,” UF President Ben Sasse wrote. “And we are tremendously grateful for her steady hand and level head. We will continue to draw on her wisdom and strong leadership skills.”
Stump-Kurnick holds a bachelor’s in criminal justice and corrections from Ball State University and a master’s in higher education administration from Purdue University.
She is a graduate from the Florida and Indiana Law Enforcement Academies, the FBI National Academy and the first Crisis Leadership in Higher Education course taught at Harvard in 2009.
Stump-Kurnick was awarded an Executive Certificate in Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy Graduate School in 2021.
Knowles, Stump-Kurnick’s interim replacement, started as a Hernando County sheriff’s deputy in 1988 and transferred to the Gainesville Police Department in 1991, serving in many positions including Rifle Team Commander and SWAT Commander. He was selected as the 2000 “COP” officer of the year and the 2001 employee of the year.
He retired as a captain from GPD in 2010 and accepted a position at UFPD in the same year.
“I feel honored to continue in my role as Assistant Vice President of Public Safety,” Stump-Kurnick wrote.
Contact Timothy Wang at twang@alligator.org. Follow him on X @timothyw_g
Timothy Wang is a junior journalism student and the Fall 2024 Santa Fe College Reporter. He was the University Administration reporter for Summer 2024. His hobbies include gaming or reading manga.
