Superintendent, Duval County Public Schools

"Every Student. Every Day.

Dr. Diana L. Greene began her tenure as Superintendent of Duval County Public Schools (DCPS), the 20th largest school district in the nation, on July 1, 2018. She arrived to this role with extensive classroom and leadership experience, beginning with her first elementary teaching position at Mamie Agnes Jones in Baldwin, Florida. Prior to becoming a superintendent in Duval County, Dr. Greene served as Superintendent and Deputy Superintendent of Instructional Services in Manatee County. During her 33-year career as an educator, she has spent time as a teacher, assistant principal, and principal as well as in curriculum development, staff development and in senior executive leadership. 

Last summer, Dr. Greene’s initial assessment of Duval County Public Schools concluded with three major goals:

• Improve academic achievement to become an “A” rated school district

• Improve safety and security, and

• Bring financial solvency to the district.

After just one year of leadership, the district has made outstanding progress on each goal.

The 2019 school grades for Duval schools reflect remarkable growth. The district scored a historic number of points on Florida’s Accountability Scorecard and now sits just a fraction of a percentage point from an “A” rated designation. Two-thirds of the district’s low performing schools – those that earned a “D” or an “F” in 2018, improved by one or more letter grades in the 2018-19 school year. Additionally, the number of “A” rated schools in the district grew by almost 30 percent.

On safety, Dr. Greene conducted a personal review of every high school, which lead to initiatives such as the installation of high definition security cameras throughout each facility and improved perimeter fencing at many schools. Surveillance is being improved at elementary and middle schools as well, and the district will be implementing a walk through metal detector initiative on an as-needed basis to manage school operations and ensure student safety whenever there is an alleged threat to a school.

Financially, Dr. Greene has taken several steps to improve stability and improve public perception of the district’s finances. Even during a year when state per student operational funding increased just 47 cents per student, Dr. Greene has made improvements to budget forecasting and budget monitoring toward reducing or eliminating the amount of reserves needed to balance the budget. The district has also completed a financial transparency web page providing easy access to budgets, audits and financial reports for the public.

Academics, safety, and financial solvency underlie one of the most visible initiatives of Dr. Greene’s first year as Superintendent of Duval County - a proposed referendum to voluntarily impose a half-penny sales tax to radically improve all school facilities over the next 10-15 years. If successful, the revenue will make schools safer, improve academic outcomes, and reduce operational costs enabling more dollars to be spent in the classroom.

On a personal note, Dr. Greene is the daughter of a father who served in the Air Force, and she grew up living in locations all over the United States and abroad. She is married to James Greene, an independent financial advisor, and retired Navy; they have two sons, Aldon and Joshua.

Superintendent, Orange County Public Schools

"Focused on nurturing the success of students by creating different academic pathways."

As the daughter of immigrants, Dr. Maria Vazquez understands the power education has to transform lives. Her parents fled Cuba, leaving everything they owned behind to provide a better life for their family. They instilled in her that education was the most valuable currency she had and she could not squander it. 

A first-generation American, Dr. Vazquez traces her passion for education back to the talented, dedicated teachers who changed her own life. Through the work of caring adults, school was a safe place where Dr. Vazquez thrived; she succeeded despite her language barrier. It is because of those experiences that she has made it her life’s work to create learning environments where students feel, supported and successful.

As a teacher, principal, and administrator, Dr. Maria Vazquez has dedicated her career to ensuring every student has a pathway to success. As Deputy Superintendent of Orange County Public Schools (OCPS), Dr. Vazquez helped lead one of Florida’s largest and most diverse school districts to an “A” rating in 2019 with a nearly universal (96%) graduation rate and has narrowed the achievement gap for Black and Hispanic students.

Dr. Vazquez has served at every level of the education system and has extensive expertise in curriculum and instruction. After beginning her career as an elementary school classroom teacher and resource teacher in reading and language arts, Dr. Vazquez served as an assistant principal and principal in OCPS. She served the district across multiple roles including area superintendent and chief academic officer before being promoted to deputy superintendent in 2018 and now Superintendent of the 8 th largest school district in the country. During her tenure at OCPS, Dr. Vazquez has developed a proven track record of leadership for educational equity. She has expanded access to advanced coursework for historically underserved students, recruited great teachers to the most vulnerable schools, and reprioritized the district’s budget to support teaching and learning. 

An active community member, Dr. Vazquez currently serves on several boards including, Orlando Economic Partnership, City Year of Orlando, The American Heart Association, CareerSource Central Florida and United Arts of Central Florida. She is also a member of the prestigious Chiefs for Change. 

Dr. Vazquez has been married for 35 years to her husband Ulysses Vazquez. They have 3 children, Elizabeth, Stephanie and Robert as well three beautiful grandsons, Wyatt, Henry and Theodore. Her greatest joy is spending time with her family.