Emerging Leaders Archive

From our 2014 Summer Conference: Drive-In to Leadership:

Conference Program

Featured Speakers:

Jeanne Reynolds

Jeanne W. Reynolds is the preK-12 performing arts specialist for Pinellas County Schools. Her education includes piano performance studies at Boston University, the B.M.E. from Florida State University, the M.A. from the University of South Florida and an Educational Leadership Certificate. She has served as the president of FMSA, FSMA and FMEA. She currently serves as the FMEA government relations/advocacy chairwoman. She has been named the Outstanding Arts Administrator for the Florida Association of Theatre Educators, has received the Educator Friend of the Arts Award from the Pinellas County Arts Council and has been awarded the Pinellas County Music Educators Association Administrator of the Year. Additionally, she has received the FMEA Leadership Award, the National Society of Arts and Letters Annual Community Award, the Ruth Eckerd Hall Shining Star Award and a distinguished alumni award from the USF School of the Arts. While president of FMEA, she worked with other leaders to create an FMEA Summer Institute. The FMEA Institute is an inspiring multiday training involving a relatively small number of successful, well-respected music educators.

Beth Cummings

FMEA president Beth Cummings is a graduate of USF, certified in Music K-12, holds a masters degree in Educational Leadership from Grand Canyon University and is a National Board Certified Teacher. Her current position is the Director of Fine Arts for Polk County Public Schools and she is also the project administrator for the RTTT Performing Fine Arts Assessment Project. Beth was the co-chair for the state music writing team for the NGSSS and on the course description writing team.

Rep. Joe Saunders

On November 6th, 2012 Representative Joe Saunders was elected to serve Florida House District 49 in East Orange County. For the past ten years, he has been a leader in the non-profit sector working to make people’s lives better. As the Field Director for Equality Florida, he spearheaded a successful coalition effort to pass statewide anti-bullying laws in Florida’s public schools. As a result, the Jeffrey Johnson Stand Up for All Students Act was passed in 2008 and required every school district in the state to create an anti-bullying policy. A respected leader in arts education, Joe has spent the last several years chairing the Osceola Arts for a Complete Education Coalition advocating for quality arts education in K-12 public schools. He is a member of “The Circle” coalition for the Dr. Phillips Performing Arts Center and a past Board member for the arts education non-profit Applause Academy. This past June, the Florida Alliance for Arts Education awarded Rep. Saunders with their 2013 Leadership Award. During the 2013 legislative session, Rep. Saunders filed the 'Arts for All Students Act', successfully fought and helped defeat 'Parent Trigger', and passed accountability measures to end the abuse of taxpayer dollars at for-profit charter schools. Rep. Saunders also passed legislation giving parents more control over their child's participation in fine arts courses.

Dr. Mary Palmer

Mary Palmer, University of Central Florida Professor Emerita and former College of Education Dean, has taught in pre-kindergarten through grade twelve schools, as well as colleges, universities, and community settings throughout the world. She is the delighted Grandma (aka, NaMa) of a brilliant toddler who loves to sing! As president of Mary Palmer & Associates, LLC, a consulting group in education and the arts, she assists schools and community organizations in transforming their practices through the arts. Dr. Palmer has served as senior author of multiple music textbook series published by Silver Burdett/Scott Foresman/Pearson. Her widespread teaching experiences are evident in the global and practical perspective she brings to her work. As founder of the Florida Alliance for Arts Education and a board member for numerous state and national organizations, she is a tireless advocate for arts education in schools and communities. Palmer hold’s Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctoral degrees from the University of Illinois. Her most recent publication written with Susan Rosoff, Teaching Through the ARTS: WRITING, 2014, provides materials and strategies for making the arts a central avenue for learning across the curriculum.

Dr. Rita Bornstein

Dr. Rita Bornstein is President Emerita and the George D. and Harriet W. Cornell Professor of Philanthropy and Leadership Development at Rollins College in Florida, where she served as president from 1990 to 2004. Before coming to Rollins, she was Vice President for Development at the University of Miami. She is a member of the Board of Directors of the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges (AGB) and past chair of the Board of Trustees of the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE). She is on the board of the Dr. P. Phillips Orlando Performing Arts Center and has served on a number of corporate and nonprofit boards. Rita has received numerous honors and awards, including three honorary doctorates, Indiana University Center on Philanthropy’s Henry A. Rosso Award for Lifetime Achievement in Ethical Fund Raising, the Institute for Charitable Giving’s Laureate for Lifetime Achievement in Fundraising, the Mid-Florida Junior Achievement Hall of Fame Laureate Award, and The E. Burr Gibson Lifetime Achievement Award from CASE. Among her publications are journal articles, book chapters, and five books. Rita has a B.A. and M.A. from Florida Atlantic University and a Ph.D. from the University of Miami.

Sherron Long

Sherron is president and founder of Creating Executive Options Inc., a management and planning consulting business. She manages three statewide service organizations: the Florida Professional Theatres Association, which she created in 1981; the Florida Cultural Alliance, which she co-founded in 1983; and the Florida Association of Local Arts Agencies. Prior to Creating Executive Options in 1985, she developed the grants program for the Palm Beach County Cultural Council's Tourist Development Cultural Activities Program and co-hosted and co-produced a weekly television show about the arts. She worked at the Florida Department of State Division of Cultural Affairs and Florida Arts Council from 1978 to 1983 as an arts administrator, where she created and managed the State Touring Program; initiated the first statewide Florida Dance Association summer dance festival and the first statewide conferences for local arts agencies and sponsors and presenters. She has a B.A. in Speech and Drama from Valdosta State University and an M.F.A. in Directing from Florida State University's School of Theatre.

Jeffrey Moore

Jeff Moore is the Director of the School of Performing Arts and a Professor of Music (Percussion) at the University of Central Florida in Orlando.  He was appointed to the music faculty in 1994 and served as Chair of the Music Department from 2009-2013.  Professor Moore’s instructional duties include teaching applied percussion majors, Percussion Ensembles, Percussion History and Literature, Percussion Arranging and Percussion Pedagogy. Active in all facets of percussion, he has performed with symphony orchestras and is a frequent performer of chamber music. He also performs on drum set, and is an international clinician, lecturer, and soloist. He is a contributing author to the third edition of Teaching Percussion by Gary Cook and has published two method books and over 30 arrangements with Alfred publications.  In addition, he has published marching percussion compositions and arrangements with Drop Six, Row-Loff and Malletworks. He also served as an Associate Editor of Percussive Notes and Percussion Director of the Madison Scouts Drum and Bugle Corps.