Tonya Whitehurst

I received my B.A. in Mathematics in Education from University of North Florida in 1993, and then earned a M.A.T. in Integrated Learning and Educational Technology from Jacksonville University in 2001. In 2006, I added Educational Leadership to my list of degrees.

I began teaching math in 1993 in Palatka, FL where I continued teaching for 11 years in the classroom. I then stepped into the role of Reading Coach for one year before moving into administration in 2005. I was a school administrator for 10 years and has been at the district level since 2015 where I am currently the Executive Director of Human Resources. Over the years I have participated and facilitated numerous trainings across the state of Florida as well as presented at several state and national conferences.

Regardless of the task at hand, my focus has always been and always will be students. I believe the educators' primary goal is to ensure their students are getting the education and support they need to be successful citizens. Even as the Executive Director of Human Resources, I often remind our employees that each and every one of them, regardless of the job they are doing, is here for students. I encourage them with this “There is no other profession that has the ability to impact the future in the way education does. This is why all educators should be honored and proud to do what we do - day in and day out. Remember, every single day, you have the opportunity to impact a student and in turn you are impacting our future!”