Betty Castor
Elizabeth Castor (née Bowe; born May 11, 1941) is an American educator and former politician. Castor was elected to the Florida Senate and as Florida Education Commissioner, and she subsequently served as the President of the University of South Florida, and President of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards.
Betty Castor | |
|---|---|
Castor in 1984 | |
| President of the University of South Florida System | |
| In office 1994–1999 | |
| Preceded by | Robert Bryan |
| Succeeded by | Thomas Tighe |
| Education Commissioner of Florida | |
| In office January 6, 1987 – January 3, 1994 | |
| Governor | Bob Martinez Lawton Chiles |
| Preceded by | Ralph Turlington |
| Succeeded by | Doug Jamerson |
| Member of the Florida Senate from the 21st district | |
| In office 1983–1987 | |
| Preceded by | David H. McClain |
| Succeeded by | John A. Grant Jr. |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Elizabeth Bowe May 11, 1941 Glassboro, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouses | Frank Castor
(m. 1965; div. 1978)Samuel P. Bell III (m. 1989) |
| Children | 3, including Kathy and Karen |
| Education | Rowan University (BA) University of Miami (MEd) |
Her public service included three terms in the Florida State Senate and one term as a Hillsborough County Commissioner. In 2004, she was the Democratic nominee for the open U.S. Senate seat of retiring Senator Bob Graham and was narrowly defeated by Mel Martinez.
After leaving elected politics, Castor was the director of the Patel Center for Global Solutions at the University of South Florida and later became chair of the J. William Fulbright Scholarship Board. She also works with Ruth's List Florida, a group dedicated to recruiting and aiding qualified Democratic women candidates, receiving the Architect of Change Award from them in May 2018.