New school board members take oath in Broward, Miami-Dade Counties. Here's a look at them
FORT LAUDERDALE -- Several newly elected school board members for Broward County Public Schools were sworn into office Tuesday following the recent midterm election.
Here's a look at the current board members in Broward County.
District 1: Rodney Velez, a community activist from the private sector. According to his campaign website, Velez was born and raised in Key West and graduated from McArthur High School. He has three sons and has been married over 20 years, according to his site. He has been an active member in the PTSA and has served on the Student Advisory Council Committee, according to his campaign website. Velez did not, however, take the oath of office Tuesday because of eligibility issues related to a prior felony conviction.
District 2: Torey Alston, a former Broward County Commissioner, was appointed to the post by Gov. Ron DeSantis in August, 2022. His term on the board extends to 2024. According to the county's website, Alston attended public schools in Broward County. He has worked both in government and the private sector in senior leadership roles, including with stints at the Florida Department of Transportation and at the Greater Miami Expressway Agency.
District 3: Sarah Leonardi is a current board member and has nearly a decade of teaching experience, primarily teaching English in Broward's public high schools, according to the district's website. During her tenure in Broward schools, Leonardi worked as the sponsor to various clubs, mentored other teachers, and was voted Teacher of the Year at Coconut Creek High School in 2016.
District 4: Lori Alhadeff won re-election to her District 4 seat during the 2022 midterm election after winning the seat for the first time in 2018. According to the district's website, she was born and raised in New Jersey, where she lived for over 38 years. Allhadeff is a former Health and Physical Education teacher for K-12th grade. Alhadeff's daughter, Alyssa, was one of the victims who were slain on Feb. 14 in 2018 during a mass shooting.
District 5: Jeff Holness operates a student tutoring business franchise. He is related to former County Commissioner Dale Holness. According to his campaign website, Jeff Holness has taught at several Broward schools, inlcuding Walter C Young Middle School and Apollo Middle School.
District 6: Brenda Fam represents District 6 and is a newly elected member. She is a lawyer in Davie and has worked as a flight attendant. She swept into office during the 2022 midterm election.
District 7: Nora Rupert won reelection to her seat during the 2022 midterm election after being first elected to the post in 2010. According to her website, she is a former high school reading teacher who worked four years with SBBC as a Language Arts/Reading teacher at Piper High School and substitute teacher for SBBC for three years prior to teaching.
At-large Seat 8: Allen Zeman: A business executive who is CEO of a data analytics company that specializes in workforce issues, according to his website. He attended Broward County public schools and also served on the city's Education Advisory Board.
At-large Seat 9: Debra Hixon. She was first elected to the board in 2020. According to the county's website, Hixon is a nationally certified teacher in Broward for 34 years. She was born and raised in Hollywood and is the widow of Chris Hixon, who was athletic director at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School who was killed on Feb. 14, 2018 during a mass shooting at the school.
School board members for Miami-Dade public schools were also sworn in Tuesday.
Here's more info about their backgrounds.
