UWF names new general counsel
The University of West Florida has appointed Susan Woolf as general counsel for the University, effective August 15, 2021. Woolf is currently the city attorney for the City of Pensacola, a role she has held since 2019.
“I’m delighted to welcome Susan Woolf to UWF,” said UWF President Martha D. Saunders. “With her wealth of experience as an attorney in the public sector, she will be a great addition to my executive team. I look forward to her leadership.”
In her position as general counsel of UWF, Woolf will provide legal guidance and counsel in executive and policy decision-making and serve as a member of the President’s senior leadership group; lead the Office of General Counsel and its team, as well as outside counsel retained to represent the University; oversee and manage the provision of all legal services to the University and Board of Trustees and provide counsel and guidance on all legal matters relevant to the University; and perform other duties as requested by the President and Board of Trustees.
“I’m excited to bring my legal experience into the realm of higher education,” Woolf said. “I look forward to working under Dr. Saunders’ leadership and serving the UWF community.”
In her nearly 30 years as an attorney, Woolf has worked in all three branches of government, at the federal, state and local government levels, and in trial and appellate courts. Immediately prior to her appointment as city attorney, Woolf held the position of general counsel for the Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller for Escambia County, Florida, for six years. She previously served as general counsel for the Pensacola Police Department and assistant city attorney for the City of Pensacola. She also has been a partner in a local, private law firm where she focused on employment law, community association law, and contract litigation; a prosecutor for the First Judicial Circuit, trying over 50 jury trials in misdemeanor and felony cases; and a law clerk for the Honorable John Godbold of the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals.
In the community, Woolf has served on the boards of the Escambia-Santa Rosa Bar Association, Panhandle Tiger Bay Club, Learn to Read, and FavorHouse of Northwest Florida.
Woolf earned her bachelor’s degree from Emory University. She received her J.D. in law from Cornell Law School.
For more information on UWF’s Office of General Counsel, visit uwf.edu/gc.
