Florida School Boards Association Elects Leadership Slate for 2020-21

FSBA |June 18, 2020                                         

Tallahassee, FL – Today, the Florida School Boards Association (FSBA) held a virtual General Membership Meeting to conduct business typically handled face-to-face at the FSBA/FADSS Annual Summer Conference in Tampa. The annual event was cancelled due to COVID-19.

As school members from across the state logged in, the association presented the 2020-21 leadership slate selected by the FSBA Nominating Committee, Chaired by FSBA Immediate Past President Jerry Taylor (Suwannee). The slate was unanimously approved and sworn in virtually. Here is a list of the 2020-21 FSBA Executive Officers:

• Jane Goodwin, President, Sarasota
• Chris Patricca, President-Elect, Lee
• Thomas Kennedy, Vice President, Citrus
• Wendy Atkinson, Treasurer, Charlotte
• Tim Weisheyer, Immediate Past President, Osceola

In a heart-felt acceptance speech focused on equity and inclusivity, President Jane Goodwin (Sarasota) said, “I hope that in the future, we’ll all have brighter days, but we don’t know what next year will bring… We hope that communities will rally around public education. I know that our teachers are valued more today by parents who have done distance learning for twelve weeks, more than ever before.” Quoting Otis Redding, President Goodwin said, “’I believe that change is gonna come’, and I am committed to making sure that change is going to come. So, my question to you is, are you committed to working with me?”

Following the meeting, FSBA Executive Director Andrea Messina stated, “Jane has been an active and engaged member of FSBA for many years; she will be a valuable asset this year.  We are looking forward to enlisting her talents and benefiting from her professional, volunteer, and school board experience.”

The Florida School Boards Association (FSBA) provides leadership development opportunities and a vast network for school board members to preserve their mission: to increase student achievement through the development of effective board leadership and advocacy in public schools. To learn more, please visit www.fsba.org and follow @FLSchoolBoards.