Scott Powers
Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed longtime award-winning educator Cherie Hill to an opening on the Columbia County School Board.
Hill was an unopposed candidate for the vacant District 3 seat in the Aug. 23 election, so she will take the seat early and then win it outright for a full term.
According to her campaign video, Hill spent 19 years as a public school teacher, a year as an assistant principal, 12 years as a principal and three more years as an assistant superintendent for the Columbia County School District.
During her career she’s been named Columbia County teacher of the year several times, principal of the year, social studies teacher of the year and middle school teacher of the year. As a principal, she oversaw 11 consecutive years in which her school received a grade of A.
She currently is an adjunct instructor at Saint Leo University.
She replaces Steve Nelson, a physical therapist who resigned in January to take a job in Missouri after serving on the school board for two decades, according to the Main Street Daily News in Gainesville.
Hill earned her bachelor’s degree in history from Harding University and her master’s degree in elementary education from Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University.
