Fla. Virtual School’s top exec claims knighthood
Legitimacy of Lady Dhyana Ziegler’s title is being questioned
The Florida Virtual School’s new top executive uses a British title in front of her name and claims knighthood from an ancient order of chivalry, but there are questions about the legitimacy of the title.
Lady Dhyana Ziegler, as she likes to be called, says she was knighted as a “dame of justice” in a ceremony at England’s Cambridge University in 2008 by an order of the “knights of justice.” She served on the FLVS board of trustees for 19 years before being named interim president in March.
At her request, school officials use the title “lady” when addressing her, according to former employees. The title also appears in school documents, from minutes of the FLVS board to the press release announcing Ziegler’s new job on March 27.
But Ziegler bases her title on an organization that is one of many “fake” orders that often charge money “for a completely worthless piece of paper,” said Guy Stair Sainty, owner of a London art gallery, who has published books on orders of knighthood and chivalry and works to debunk orders that pretend they are related to legitimate, centuries-old groups.
The group Ziegler says knighted her — the Sovereign Order of the
Knights of Justice — isn't a genuine order recognized by the sovereign state in which it was founded, nor would membership in it entitle someone to be addressed as lady, he said in an email in response to questions from the Sentinel. Those addressed as “Sir or Lady by right of a knighthood are those who have been so honoured by HM Queen Elizabeth II as Sovereign of the United Kingdom,” he added.
“As for the Order of Knights of Justice, I had heard of this but not given it much attention because it seemed to be something of a bucket-shop operation,” he wrote.
In an interview with the Sentinel, Ziegler said she did not pay for her knighthood and was tapped by the group after giving lectures at Cambridge and Oxford universities as part of her work as a journalism professor at Florida A&M University, where she worked from 1997 until recently.
The group, which she described as a “service organization,” is legitimate, she added.
Ziegler, who holds a doctorate from Southern Illinois University-Carbondale, has also touted other honors, including being named one of the “greatest geniuses” of the century.
In 2009, FAMU announced Ziegler was a “Genius Laureate” and was included in a book titled “500 Greatest Geniuses of the 21st Century.”
“It's still surreal and I have yet to really grasp the magnitude of this honor,” Ziegler said in the university press release.
The book was published by the American Biographical Institute, a North Carolina company that filed for bankruptcy in 2012. The company specialized in selling copies of its various publications, including “Man of the Year” or “Woman of the Year,” to people who were included in the books. It marketed its products to academics around the world.
A virtual school spokeswoman said Ziegler purchased a copy of the genius book as a “keepsake,” but did not pay to be included in the publication.
Ziegler also boasted in two press releases in 2008 and 2009 of her affiliation with “London College,” saying she was the only woman on the academic board for the “international university.”
But when the Sentinel asked for more information and sent a website link for an institution called “London College” to the virtual school, a school spokeswoman said Ziegler could not confirm whether the institution is the one she touted.
“Although Dr. Ziegler was asked to be on the board, she did not have much interaction with the London College,” the FLVS spokeswoman said in an email. “We cannot confirm if the website is the right website, as the institution's logo does not look familiar to Dr. Ziegler.”
When Ziegler was interviewed by the Sentinel about being knighted, she shared two photos of the knighthood ceremony in England. They show a group of people, including her, dressed in shiny black robes, decorated with a red and gold insignia, and wearing medals around their necks.
Ziegler referred to the group that knighted her by different names, though she then clarified that it was the Sovereign Order of the Knights of Justice.
On Twitter that group describes itself as “a Chivalric Order from ancient times. You're welcome to join the Knights of Justice worldwide at any times[SIC]!” The Twitter account has not been active since January 2013.
The website Ziegler provided for the group has little information and a note on it says the site was shut down in order to comply with privacy regulations in the European Union. “The Order's goal is to achieve the best in life and society, and having this achievement for eternity,” it reads.
An older version of the website says members are expected to donate from about $300 to $3,000.
Attempts to reach the organization or other people affiliated with it were unsuccessful.
In 2014, the Tallahassee Democrat wrote a story on Ziegler's knighthood, describing how she learned of the honor when someone telephoned her and addressed her as “Lady Dhyana.” She told the paper, “I had no idea it was coming. You don't choose them — they choose you.”
Ziegler wrote about her own “global recognition” in 2017 for an online magazine, Seasoned Chocolate. In that piece, she called it the “pinnacle of a successful career especially being an African American woman.”
She wrote that “for the first couple of years I didn't really use the title or speak about it too much.” But then, she wrote, she decided it could help others realize their own potential, so “now I use my position and title with pride.”
Ziegler became head of FLVS in the midst of a tumultuous time for the school, which received more than $180 million in state money last year.
Since August, it has been roiled by accusations about “boorish” behavior and questionable spending by Frank Kruppenbacher, the school's general counsel, and his cozy relationship with the school's board members, who were his bosses. He resigned as the school launched an investigation after receiving a dozen complaints from FLVS employees.
Six board members also have resigned, and a former school executive has called on state leaders to investigate. Gov. Ron DeSantis said this week he is looking at options to “restore transparency and accountability” to FLVS.
In February, Ziegler resigned from the FLVS board and, having retired from FAMU, accepted a $200,000-a-year executive job at FLVS working for new president Robert Porter. Porter died unexpectedly in early March.
At the March 27 trustees meeting, board member Linda Pellegrini moved to “nominate Lady Dhyana Ziegler” as the school's next top executive, at least until a permanent new president could be found. The other three board members also voted to approve her appointment.