Jacksonville is known as the city of bridges, and it’s not just because many of its neighborhoods border the St. John’s river, the Atlantic Intracoastal, or the Atlantic Ocean. The movement for educational equity is in full swing here, and in addition to your fellow corps members and over 200 alumni, you’ll join over 642 other nonprofits working together to bring excellent educational opportunities to Jacksonville’s students. We are all connected to each other, just as the bridges connect our city, working together to provide high-quality education to our students.

There are countless ways to have an impact on students here in Jacksonville. You might continue to impact students in the classroom, like Darryl White (Jacksonville ’13), one of Duval county’s five finalists for Teacher of the Year, or maybe you’ll choose to transform lives as a principal or administrator, like Chelsea Matthews (Jacksonville ’10), who, like several other alums in the region, has engaged in the School Leadership Fellowship and Summer Principal’s Academy at Columbia University. You might even decide to follow in the footsteps of alums like John Fails (Jacksonville ’13), who is also a military vet and was just named the executive director of Bunker Labs, an organization that supports veterans in their own leadership as entrepreneurs.

In response to a community call, TFA Central Florida launched in 2015. Since then, we have recruited, trained, and supported over 100 teachers in Orlando, including those placed in Orange County Public Schools. In June 2020, TFA Central Florida made a strategic shift to expand its impact outside of Orlando to the broader Central Florida region, including Tampa. TFA Central Florida will become a premier region for alumni development. Following the success of TFA's first alumni region, Austin, TFA Central Florida will be able to see (1) An increased number of alumni in key systems roles, and those alums having sustained impact. (2) A network that is continuously spreading knowledge in ways that accelerate student learning. (3) Increased optimism in the solvability of the problem among the network. (4) A virtuous cycle that helps compel the next generation into the work.

At Teach For America Central Florida, we are eager to help alums make connections that can further their lifelong commitment to education equity. If you’re a TFA alum in the Orlando or Tampa area, get in touch—we can help you connect with other alumni as well others working in education and systems change throughout Florida. 

Alumni Affairs - Jacksonville & Central Florida

Marques Harris  - Director, Alumni Strategic Initiatives

Media Inquiries - Jacksonville and Central Florida

Please contact us at press.center@teachforamerica.org.

Mailing Address

40 East Adams St.
Suite 110
Jacksonville, FL 32202