Lawrence E. Dennis

(Vice-Chair)

Mr. Dennis is a native of Mobile, Alabama and a graduate of Florida A&M University where he received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees. He also received a Certification in Educational Leadership from the University of North Florida. He recently retired after a 37-year career with Duval County Public Schools, where he served as an elementary school principal, middle school principal, and in 2003, principal of Jean Ribault Senior High School. Under his leadership, Ribault was removed from the “F” schools list. In 2008, Mr. Dennis was appointed as region superintendent for Duval County middle schools. That title was expanded in 2011 when he served as the Region 2 Superintendent, overseeing thirty-one schools (twenty-three elementary schools, five middle schools, and three senior high schools). He has worked with novice and aspiring principals and assistant principals to teach and develop leadership skills.

Mr. Dennis and his wife, Kimberly, are the parents of a son, Mylz, and are involved in numerous community initiatives.  Both are active members of The Bethel Church in Jacksonville, Florida.

Heather Guzzino

Heather Lane Guzzino is a long-time resident of Neptune Beach and graduated from Fletcher High School in 1986. She has served the last 15 years as the Treasurer for the Beaches Educational Foundation, which provides deserving high school seniors with financial scholarship awards to help them with college tuition and various expenses. 

Heather and her husband, Alan, are investors in the restaurant, Salt Life Food Shack. They have 3 wonderful children who attend(ed) Fletcher High School.

Sarah Troup

Sarah Troup is a lifelong Jacksonville resident committed to elevating others, engaging the community, and sparking change. Sarah graduated from Wake Forest University with a B.A. in English Literature and University of North Florida with a Master’s Degree in Public Administration. Sarah is an independent contractor, specializing in on-point messaging, grant coordination, and community engagement. 

Sarah and her husband, Kevin, have three children who are students (and graduates) of Duval County Public Schools.

Erdine Johnson

Erdine C. Johnson's career as a distinguished educator spanned over 40 years. She started her career as a classroom teacher in Marion County and later joined Team Duval. 

Rising through the ranks, Erdine became an outstanding principal, where her greatest success was spending all her principalship in urban school settings. Under her leadership, these urban schools never received a poor or failing school grade. This proved her philosophy: All children can be successfully educated.

Nathan Love Jr.

Nathan Love Jr. is a Jacksonville native and a life-long member of Central Metropolitan CME Church. He supports his church locally, nationally, and internationally and holds a position on the Trustee Board. Nathan also has several designations within the church such as General Superintendent of Church School, North Florida District Lay Leader, Local Director of One Church-One School and class leader.

Nathan was married to the late Rosemary Clayton Love for forty-three years, and together share five children and eight grandchildren, who are all his absolute pride and joy.

Josh Trent

Originally from Charlotte, NC, Josh did as so many other smart people have done and transplanted to Florida. He and his wife, Katie, left Charlotte, followed the Lord, and moved to Jacksonville in 2008. He immediately sunk in his heels, laying roots in what he felt was the greatest place and opportunity to live. 

Josh comes from a wide array of professional backgrounds, ranging from Commercial HVAC to Warehouse Procurement/Management, Executive at a software company, and now owns a flooring company.

Allison Busuttil

Allison grew up in the Duval County Public School system, where she graduated from Sandalwood High School. She then received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Florida in civil engineering. She has worked in both private and public sectors as a project engineer and currently works as a program manager with security and construction projects.

She and her husband love to volunteer and seek to be an integral part of their three children’s educational journey in Duval County Public Schools.

Dr. Donald Green

(Chairman)

Dr. Donald Green has a Ph.D. From the University of Texas at Austin and additional graduate degrees from Alabama and Mississippi. He’s served as a faculty member, vice president and president of higher education institutions in Mississippi, Iowa, New York, and Florida. His most recent academic experience was opening a college in Sri Lanka (South Asia). 

Dr. Green is the current Chairman of the North Citizens Planning and Advisory Committee for the City of Jacksonville and the H.O.A President of the Captiva Bluff community.

Tammie Brooks-Evans

Dr. Dawn Emerick

Dr. Dawn Emerick is the Senior Director of Public Policy Research for the Jacksonville Civic Council. Originally from the DC / Maryland metropolitan area, she graduated from Frostburg State University (B.S.) and is a two-time alumnus of the University of North Florida (MPA, Ed.D). 

Over a span of 30 years, she has crafted her leadership skills at various private, government, and non-profit organizations in Florida, Minnesota, Washington, Oregon, and Texas.

Lynette Clinch

Lynette Clinch is a wife, mother, and grandmother of three beautiful girls.  She is a retired Corrections Sergeant with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office after 32 years of service.

Lynette graduated from Florida Community College of Jacksonville (now Florida State College at Jacksonville) with an Associate Degree in Criminal Justice. She has a strong belief that education is the key and having the necessary tools is of fundamental importance. She has worked as a certified court mediator, served on several boards, and loves reading and traveling.

Monique Tookes

Monique Tookes is best described as authentic, driven, and invested. She is a graduate of Western Michigan University with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication and has over 16 years of experience as a Parent and Education Advocate in Duval County Public Schools (DCPS). Monique is a dedicated member of the DCPS Parent Academy and contributed to the program’s development. She is an alumnus of the second Parents Who Lead cohort, completing the requirements to be recognized as a DCPS Parent Leader. She also participated in the development of the Single Gender Leadership Academies program at Eugene J. Butler, and the Fort Caroline Middle School Visual Performing Arts program.

With an investment of eight children in the DCPS system, she is a visionary leader with a proven track record serving in various roles such as, DCPS advisory councils, a board member on the Public School Facilities Planning Joint Planning Committee, Director of Family Empowerment at the Potter’s House International Ministries, and a twenty-seven year member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. Monique brings tenacity, fiscal responsibility, and dedication expected while serving families for the betterment of the community and the educational system.

Monique is currently serving in her second term as the representative for the Jacksonville Joint Planning Committee and was recognized as the Sales Surtax Oversight Committee's Vice-Chair during her first term.

Hank O. Rogers

Hank Rogers is a graduate of the University of North Florida, where he received a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science.  He went on to further his education at Troy University, where he attained his MPA (Master of Public Administration).

Hank worked for the Florida House of Representatives for nearly 10 years and resigned from his position to focus more on volunteering and mentoring.  He currently works with the I'm A STAR Foundation. In addition, Hank is a Guardian Ad Litem, fighting for kids in the foster care system that have no voice, all while serving on various boards and committees, including the Jacksonville Branch N.A.A.C.P. 

Hank is currently serving in his second term as the representative for the Jacksonville NAACP and was recognized as the Sales Surtax Oversight Committee's founding Chairman during his first term.

Amy Henderson

Amy serves as the Director of Marketing and Communications for the Jacksonville Public Education Fund. Her love of reading and writing, fostered by many of her public school teachers, led her to Troy University, where she received a Bachelor's of Science in Journalism. 

She was a reporter and news editor at the Bainbridge Post-Searchlight (Bainbridge, GA.), and Editor of the Cullman Times (Cullman, AL.). Amy spent the bulk of her career with the Georgia Municipal Association, where she served as Director of Marketing and Communications.

Ashley Folladori

Proud to call Jacksonville her hometown, Ashley Folladori has always had a passion for the region. With her experience at the Jacksonville Regional Chamber of Commerce, she has become a strong advocate for the region's exceptional quality of life. 

As Vice President of Public Affairs, Ashley works daily to promote JAX Chamber members and the business-friendly environment they foster to encourage sustainable economic growth in Northeast Florida.

Sarah Griffis

Sarah Griffis is from Duval County and grew up attending Duval County Public Schools. She works in the mayor’s office for the Town of Baldwin assisting with community growth within the city of Baldwin.

Sarah currently resides in Baldwin, Fl with her husband and three children who also attend(ed) Duval County Public Schools.

Anita Vining

Anita Vining has been a Realtor with Berkshire Hathaway Home Services since 1996. She has received the following recognitions:  Top 5 Realtors in Jacksonville for 2022-23 by the Jacksonville Business Journal, 2022-23 Top 500 Realtors in State of Florida, and Woman of Influence for 2016 by the Jacksonville Business Journal.  

Anita is a current board member of the San Marco Merchants Association, and previously served as a board member for the Jacksonville Public Education Fund (JPEF).

Chris Wood

Chris is a native of Jacksonville, FL. Chris and his partner, Matt Roberts, started Riverside Homes in 2012.

He graduated from Auburn University with a degree in Business and met his wife, Chloe, while at Auburn. Chris and Chloe currently live in Ortega and have three children, Cooper, Barrett, and Charlie. You can find Chris spending his free time with his family, hunting, fishing, or coaching his kids’ sports teams.

Kay Hawkins

Kay Hawkins has served as a VPK Teacher, as well as a preschool teacher and director. She is currently the Duval County Council PTA Board President and has served on the DCCPTA Board for the last ten years. In the last two years, Kay has also served on the Florida PTA Board and carried roles on various committees for the Florida PTA. 

She has a daughter who is currently in the 9th grade at Fletcher High School.

Wanda Ford

Dr. Wanda L. Ford has over twenty-five years of higher education administration experience and currently serves as the Vice President of Finance and Administration at Florida State College at Jacksonville. 

She provides oversight and leadership for the offices of Finance, Budget, Human Resources, Information Technology, Facilities, Risk Management, and Campus Safety.

Dr. Dana Kriznar began her service to Duval area students in 1986 as a mathematics teacher after graduating from Iowa State University. She taught at John Gorrie Junior High School and then at Mandarin Middle School until 1993, when she entered school administration. From 1993 to 2001, Dr. Kriznar served as a vice principal and assistant principal at multiple schools. As a first-time principal in 2001, she improved Thomas Jefferson Elementary School from a “C” to an “A” grade in just two years. She then transitioned to Kirby-Smith Middle School (now known as Springfield Middle School), where she again improved the school from a “C” to an “A” grade over three years.

Her success in school leadership led to district-level leadership positions, including:

• • • • • • • Executive Director, Multiple Pathways and Support Services (2008-2013)
            • Assistant Superintendent, Strategic Planning and Partnerships (2013-2016)
            • Chief of Staff (2016-2019)
            • Deputy Superintendent (2019-2023)

In May 2023, the Duval County School Board selected Dr. Kriznar to serve as the superintendent of schools for a six-month period while it conducts a national search for the successor to former superintendent, Dr. Diana Greene.

Upon being selected to serve during this interim time, Dr. Kriznar said, “At my core, I am Duval proud and grateful for this opportunity to work with our principals, teachers, and staff in this capacity. When it comes to student success and great schools, so much positive momentum has been generated in recent years, and I will be working with our school leaders to keep that momentum moving in a good direction.”

Dr. Kriznar is married to Brad, a retired Navy Senior Chief and Duval County Public Schools teacher. They have two adult sons, who both graduated from Duval public high schools, and a wonderful dog named Pete.

Ja'kori Reed

Ja’kori Reed is an Early College Scholar and Student-Athlete at Edward H. White High School. He is currently on the track team and a member of  the Jacksonville Association of Governing Students (JAGS).

Ja’kori plans to uphold straight A’s while taking all courses at FSCJ - Kent campus. He is determined to hold leadership positions within Ed White’s Student Government and National Honor Society. Ja’kori will continue volunteering with Trinity Rescue Mission, assisting the homeless and less fortunate.

After graduation, Ja’kori plans to attend a Historically Black College or University, preferably Howard University, and obtain his MBA with a concentration in marketing.