Our Team

Meet the Teach For America Tampa Bay team.

Local Leadership

LaKeisha Wells-Palmer

LaKeisha Wells-Palmer

Statewide Executive Director & Vice President, Executive Director Coach & Regional Field Advisor

Teach For America Florida Regions

LaKeisha Wells-Palmer serves as the Statewide Executive Director and Vice President for Teach For America Florida, where she leads the organization’s work across Miami-Dade, Jacksonville, and Central Florida, and strengthens statewide alignment toward long-term student success. In addition to her Florida portfolio, she serves nationally as an Executive Director Coach and Regional Field Advisor, supporting executive directors across the enterprise in sharpening their strategic judgment, deepening their leadership capacity, and navigating the complexities of regional vision, execution, and impact.

Meet Our Staff

Vice President, Head of Programs and Impact

Gerthy Eugene


Vice President, Statewide Operations

Patrick Evans


Managing Director, Board & Network Coalitions

Megan Cole


Director, Statewide Alumni Educator & Fellowship Initiatives

Zahirah Calloway


Director, Alumni & Network Engagement Central Florida

Vanessa Nicholson


Senior Managing Director, Statewide Leadership Development

Kiara Drummond


Director, Statewide Operations

Heather Phelps


Managing Director, Government & Public Relations

Chelsea Franklin


Managing Director, Statewide Alumni & Network Strategy

Jazmin Miller


Managing Director, Leadership Development

Demetria Geathers


Managing Director, Leadership Development

Chris Richardson


Director, Statewide Novice Teacher Training Program & Data

Kady Haslam


Managing Director, Statewide Matriculation Generalist

Xavier Suarez


Managing Director, Leadership Development - Operations

Emily Mayeda


Managing Director, Operations

Courtney Coffill


Managing Director, Ignite Program Impact

Cheria Funches


Director, Development

Alex Marasco


Director, Grants

Lauren Collens


Director, Statewide Talent Pipeline

Angie Arroyo

MD, Ignite Program Impact

Anna Lisa Caraveo-Flores

Get in touch

Connect with the Teach For America Jacksonville and Central Florida Team
Send us a note