General Counsel 

Vee Leonard was appointed the General Counsel for Florida Gulf Coast University, and previously served as Associate General Counsel. Ms. Leonard was Assistant City Attorney for the City of Orlando. Prior to this, she worked in private practice, specializing in employment litigation.

Ms. Leonard received her Bachelor of Arts in Legal Studies from the University of Central Florida in Orlando, Florida. She received her Juris Doctor from the University of Florida Levin College of Law in Gainesville, Florida. Ms. Leonard is a native Floridian, born and reared in Orlando, Florida.

Ms. Leonard is a member of the Florida Bar Foundation Board of Directors and of the National Association of College and University Attorneys. She was also a charter member of the Orlando Chapter of the National Association of African Americans in Human Resources.

Assistant General Counsel

Melissa McIntosh was appointed Assistant General Counsel in June of 2008.  Previously, she served as the Affirmative Action Officer at Indiana University - Purdue University Fort Wayne.   Ms. McIntosh was an attorney for the Federal Labor Relations Authority in Dallas, Texas, and began her career as the Director of the Wage and Hour Division of the Indiana Department of Labor.

A graduate of Franklin College in Franklin, Indiana, Ms. McIntosh graduated law school from Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana. She holds a Senior Professional in Human Resources certification, as well as mediation and arbitration credentials.

 Administrative Assistant

Diane was appointed as the Administrative Assistant for the General Counsel in April 2008. A resident of Lee County since 1990, Diane served as Executive Assistant to Presidents and CEOs of Gates Construction/Development Company. Diane also was the office manager for private and non-profit agencies, managing the Bonita Springs YMCA Capital Campaign Office as well as Sylvan Learning Systems’ Regional Corporate Office in Bonita Springs.

In 1991 Diane was appointed as a Juvenile Arbitrator and Guardian Ad Litem in Lee County. Prior to moving to Florida, Diane was employed in Illinois for over ten years in the Administrative Office for a special education district cooperative serving sixteen school districts.