Public Ed Ambassador: “Our area is on the verge of achieving something truly great.”
10/26/2017
Clayton Levins is the Community Relations Coordinator at Jacksonville Universityand believes that “the Jacksonville Public Education Fund is at the forefront of creating positive, impactful change in the Jacksonville Community. Our area is on the verge of achieving something truly great and our education system plays a key role.” ” Levin applied to be a JPEF ONE by ONE Public Ed Ambassador because he has “a strongdesire to be a part of this work.”
As the first cohort of ONE by ONE: Public Ed Ambassadors filled the Lecture Hall at the DuPont Building in downtown Jacksonville on Saturday, Oct. 21, you could feel the collective excitement of individuals who were ready to use their skills, networks, and commitment to bring more parents, teachers, school leaders, students, caregivers and stakeholders into the education conversation. We are excited to support thirty-one (31) our ambassadors as they activate community voices to be as committed, knowledgeable and engaged as they are.
This is a unique opportunity for these community leaders to grow in their knowledge of public education issues and discuss with each other and the community about ways to improve and support our public schools through increased engagement and advocacy. By coming together to strengthen the systems that support child development, we are living up to our shared responsibility to make our city a place where all children can learn, grow and become responsible citizens themselves.
At our kick-off event, ambassadors were given an opportunity to become more familiar with ways to utilize their community engagement and research and writing skills to make a difference throughout the year. They were also provided with a sneak peek of some of the high-level findings from JPEF’s upcoming Talent Study -- a research series examining the opportunities to improve high-quality teacher recruitment and retention in Duval.
"The Ambassador initiative is designed to power the potential of these local stakeholders to effect change from the ground up and to equip them with new knowledge and skills as advocates committed to ensuring all students receive an excellent education." - Trey Csar, President, JPEF.
This year's cohort of Public Ed Ambassadors includes:
- Ana Solis, Parent
- Andrea Dempsey Schletter, Principal, Gregory Drive Elementary
- Anna McDaniel, Cohort Community Coach, Teach For America National
- Arlene Cameron-Lloyd, Teacher, Duval County Public Schools
- Austrai Bradley, Assistant Principal, SOS Academy
- Chidinmma, Egemonu, Student, Paxon School for Advanced Studies
- Clayton, Levins, Community Relations Coordinator, Jacksonville University
- Courtney Barclay, Assistant Professor, Jacksonville University
- Courtney Forshee, Evaluation Analyst, City Year Jacksonville
- Cristina Valentino, Parent
- Danela Oliveros, Student, Paxon School for Advanced Studies
- Genesis Piña-Pulido, Student, Englewood High School
- Gregory Hill, Student, Ribault High School
- Helane Freeman, Teacher, Duval County Public Schools
- Janet Myers, Retired Teacher/Administrator, Duval County Public Schools
- John Barnes, Governmental Affairs Manager, Intuition LLC
- John Murnin, Vice President of Project Management and Testing, US Bank
- Kacie Wiggins, Teacher, Duval County Public Schools
- Kiersten Washell, Teacher, Florida Virtual School
- Marq Mervin, Professor of Digital Media, Florida State College at Jacksonville
- Meagan Hendrix, Teacher, Duval County Public Schools
- Nicholas Slunaker Jr., Student, Stanton College Preparatory School
- Physhaunti Harold, Student, Ribault High School
- Rob Curran, Math Coach, Duval County Public Schools
- Roel Escamilla, Teacher, Kelly Educational Staffing
- Samantha Mims, Student, University of North Florida
- Sarah Niss, Outreach Assistant, River City Science Academy
- Startice Galmore, Teacher, KIPP Jacksonville Elementary
- Tabitha Cobb, Student, University of Central Florida
- Temika Jones, Parent/ Community Outreach Specialist, Magellan Complete Care
- Tim Sloan, Parent
Please join us in congratulating our ambassadors on their commitment to education in Jacksonville! If you have questions about the Public Ed Ambassador initiative or other ways that you can get involved, please contact Kristellys Estanga, Community Mobilization Manager at kris@jaxpef.org.