Joshua Millikin is chief of staff at Florida Polytechnic University, where he supports the president as a key thought partner, helping position the University as an engine for innovation and a driver of Florida’s growing economy. With a background in legal strategy and governance, Millikin works at the intersection of executive leadership, institutional policy, and board relations, helping guide the University’s strategic priorities and operational effectiveness.
Prior to his current role, Millikin built deep experience in university legal affairs, serving as university and legal advisor at Florida Poly, advising on governance, employment matters, Foundation and Direct Support Organization (DSO) relationships, Sunshine Law compliance, and complex institutional agreements. He is particularly skilled in navigating board processes, public records issues, and executive-level decision-making in Florida’s public higher education environment.
Millikin worked in both private legal practice and Fortune 1 corporate legal environments, where he concentrated on complex commercial matters spanning mergers and acquisitions, corporate structuring, commercial contracts, regulatory compliance and governance frameworks, joint ventures and strategic partnerships, and wealth management.
Outside of his professional endeavors, Millikin enjoys volunteering, spending time with his wife, Madi, and enjoying Florida’s beautiful cypress swamps, waters, and fields, in search of whatever game is in season.
Education
This session will demonstrate that practical risk management is for everyone, regardless of a formal program. Attendees will learn actionable and simple strategies that are easy to implement, enabling them to start immediately by focusing on their top risks to build greater operational resilience and ensure the sustained success of their auxiliary enterprises.
Michelle Powell serves as the pioneering Risk Manager at Florida Polytechnic University, the state’s sole 100% STEM-dedicated institution. Having been with the university for nearly 11 years, Michelle transitioned from a leadership role in Admissions in October 2023 to establish and evolve the risk management function from the ground up. In this solo capacity, Michelle builds robust frameworks for our dynamic, young university, overseeing our insurance portfolio, consulting on third-party and event risks, and developing critical campus-wide training programs. Michelle has obtained the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations (COSO) Enterprise Risk Management certificate and the Associate in Risk Management (ARM) and Construction Risk and Insurance Specialist (CRIS) designations. Her distinct background in mathematics and engineering, combined with extensive higher education leadership, brings an analytical and strategic approach enhancing the institution’s resilience.
