Phil Ammann
Florida school board members have selected a new statewide leader.
Last week, former Charlotte County School Board member Andrea Messina was selected the new executive director of the Florida School Boards Association Board of Directors.
She will be replacing the retiring Dr. Wayne Blanton, who held the position since 1985.
Prior her promotion to executive director, Messina was FSBA’s director of professional development.
“We were fortunate to consider several excellent candidates for this position,” said FSBA President Caroline Zucker, a Sarasota County School Board member. “Andrea presented the best combination of experience and leadership to take the helm as executive director.”
During the formal process to replace Blanton, as FSBA created a special selection committee to interview and evaluate applicants, Bill Graham was interim executive director. Graham is executive director of the Florida School Labor Relations Service.
FSBA is the nonprofit corporation representing all school board members in Florida. Founded in 1930, the FSBA has developed into the advocacy and collective voice for Florida school districts, often working with other educational and community agencies to improve education in Florida. The group’s primary mission is to increase student achievement with effective school board leadership.
“I look forward to this new opportunity to work with school board members and school districts to build on FSBA’s legacy of advocating for students and public education,” Messina said.
A graduate of the University of Central Florida, Messina became FSBA’s director of professional development in 2012. Prior her tenure at the sssociation, she had three terms on the Charlotte County School Board.
