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profiles
board member profiles
 District
1 | The Honorable Martha Barrett
The Honorable Martha Barrett was elected to the Duval County School Board in a special
election on September 15, 2009. Ms. Barrett had previously served on the Duval
County School Board from 2000 to 2008. She chaired the board from 2003 to
2004. Ms. Barrett is currently Senior Vice President , Corporate Social
Responsibility and Market Manager for Bank of America, Northeast Florida. She
previously served as Press aide during Mayor Jake Godbold’s administration and
served as an Assistant Vice President at Independent Life and also was
associated with the Jim King Companies. She currently serves on the boards of
the Cultural Council of Jacksonville, Museum of Contemporary Art, Jacksonville
Symphony, Communities in Schools and Florida State College Foundation. She
is a Trustee of the Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce. She is a graduate of
Leadership Jacksonville and Leadership Florida. She received the Tillie Fowler
Community Service Award from the Junior League in 2009. She also received
the Leadership Award from Community Connections, EVE award finalist in
Employment and the World of Girl Scouting Award. Jacksonville Magazine
named her as one of the 50 Most Influential Citizens in 2009. Ms. Barrett
received her undergraduate degree in Political Science from Maryville University
in St. Louis, Mo. and her Masters in Education from Xavier University in
Cincinnati, Ohio.
Email The Honorable Martha Barrett
 District 2 | The Honorable Fred "Fel" Lee
The Honorable Fred "Fel" Lee
is the current Vice-Chairman of the Duval County School
Board and represents District 2. He is a native of Jacksonville and graduated from Terry Parker High School before going on to get a Bachelor of Science Degree in engineering at the University of Florida. As an engineer and executive, he brings a diverse management background from Fortune 500 companies such as AOL/Time Warner, Seagram Company, and CSX Corporation. In addition, he is a market investor and small business owner. Prior to his election to the School Board, he served as a Councilman and Vice Mayor of the City of Neptune Beach since 2006. His community involvement includes the American Heart Association's Greater Southeast Affiliate Board of Directors, Public Advocacy subcommittee, Business Operations Subcommittee, and Chairman of First Coast Community Board. He is a Rotary Assistant District Governor, past president and an active member of Rotary Club of Jacksonville – Oceanside, along with a Rotary Benefactor and two-time Paul Harris Fellow. At the University of North Florida he serves on the Dean’s Education Advisory Council of the College of Education & Human Services. Fel is a Trustee and member of the Board of Governors of the Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce. He is a graduate of Leadership Jacksonville. He is a member of the PTA and School Advisory Council of various public schools. He has been an Achievers for Life Mentor with Communities in Schools for several years. Fel and his wife, Karen, and their four children have all attended Duval County Public Schools.
Email The Honorable Fred "Fel" Lee
 District 3 | The Honorable W.C. Gentry
The Honorable W.C. Gentry
has been a member of the School Board since November 2008 and represents District 3. He and his wife, Susan, are graduates of the Duval County public school system. Before entering law school, Mr. Gentry taught and coached high school in Jacksonville. He received his Juris Doctorate magna cum laude from the University of Florida College of Law in 1971 and for more than 30 years has handled trials and appeals in complex litigation, including constitutional issues. He was appointed to the State of Florida Council on Education Policy, Research and Improvement (CEPRI) in 2002 (Chair 2004-05). From 2004 to 2007, he served as pro bono counsel to the Senate in successfully defending legal challenges to education appropriations under the Florida Education Finance Program (FEFP). In 2006, he worked with legislative leaders and staff in addressing co-teaching and class size reduction issues. He serves on the Boards of the Early Learning Coalition of Duval and The Alliance for World Class Education. He is a founding Director and Chair, Schultz Center for Teaching and Leadership. He has also served as pro bono counsel to the Duval County School Board and the Florida School Boards Association. In December 2007, he was appointed by the Mayor of Jacksonville to Chair the Education Subcommittee of the "Jacksonville Journey" to deal with crime and community issues.
From 1995-1998, he was principally involved in representing the State of Florida in landmark litigation against the Tobacco Industry. Mr. Gentry has been named one of America’s leading trial lawyers by Town & Country Magazine’s “Guide to the Best Lawyers in America,” Woodward-White’s The Best Lawyers in America 1986-2007 and has been profiled by Florida Trend Magazine as one of Florida’s “Top Trial Lawyers”. He has served as an adjunct professor, University of Florida College of Law, and is past Chairman of the Board of Trustees, University of Florida College of Law (2005-07).
Email The Honorable W.C. Gentry
 District 4 | The Honorable Paula D. Wright
The Honorable Paula D. Wright represents District 4 and was elected to
the Duval County School Board in August 2010. A
Jacksonville native, Paula graduated from Edward H.
White High School and Jacksonville University where she
earned a Bachelors of Arts degree in English.
Paula brings a rich and diverse background having
experience as a manager in the corporate world,
newspaper publisher, radio talk show hostess, athletic
coach, and an educator in both post-secondary and public
school education. Most recently, she was employed as an
administrator in the High School Acceleration Programs
Office in Duval County, where she transitioned from
teaching 8th grade Language Arts and Reading, served as
a school-based Reading Coach, and head coach of the
girls’ basketball and swimming teams, all at
Northwestern Middle School. She also served as a
District Literacy Coach and a Specialist in the Academic
Services Department. Paula, as an adjunct, taught
remedial English at two local colleges, Florida State
Community College (then Florida Community College at
Jacksonville) and Edward Waters College for more than
ten years. As a committed educator, Paula
throughout her adult life has dedicated time to
mentoring students, serving as an active PTA member at
multiple schools, and being involved in the community.
Paula is an experienced educator, a motivational
speaker, and a member of the PTA of several schools.
Publishing The Jacksonville Chronicle Newspaper and
hosting ViewPoint with The Honorable Paula D. Wright, a live radio
talk show, afforded Paula the opportunity to not only
inform citizens of important issues impacting their
lives, but to keep her finger on the pulse of the
community. Paula is an active member of St.
Matthew Baptist Church, and she has served in many
capacities including on the Springfield Preservation,
and Restoration Board, the TRUE Commission, the Duval
County Desegregation Committee, Junior Achievement,
NAACP Education Committee, as well as other community
organizations.
Email The Honorable Paula D.
Wright
District 5 | The Honorable Betty Burney
Betty Seabrook Burney
is the current Chairman of the Duval County School
Board and represents District 5.
Ms. Burney joined the Duval County School Board in
November 2004. She is a Raines High School graduate,
holds an undergraduate degree from the University of
Miami and a Master of Arts in Public Administration from
Northern Illinois University. Ms. Burney
serves as a consultant for the Center for Reform
Governance where she works with school boards and
superintendents to provide technical assistance on
governance strategies and practices designed to impact
student achievement and to narrow the academic
achievement gap. She is formerly the
Executive Director of The Project Reach Foundation, Inc.
and served as owner/director of Kidsville Learning
Center, Inc. for 14 years. Ms. Burney remains an
active volunteer in the Duval County jail where she
serves as a tutor, mentor and motivational advocate for
youth ages 13-18 who have been incarcerated as adults.
This experience inspired her to author a
nationally-recognized book, “If These Chains Could
Talk.” She is a member of Alpha Kappa
Alpha Sorority, NAACP Education Committee, Board of
Directors –Operation New Hope, Board of Directors
Healthy Babies Coalition and worships at St. Paul A.M.E.
Church in Jacksonville, FL. She is married to
Calvin Burney, Sr. and they have two sons, Calvin, Jr.
and Craig who are successful graduates of the Duval
County Public School system.
Email The Honorable Betty Burney
 District 6 | The Honorable Becki Couch
The Honorable Becki Couch was elected to the Duval County School Board
to represent District 6 in August 2010.
She is a native of Jacksonville and a graduate of
First Coast High School. Mrs. Couch
holds a Bachelor’s degree in Health Science from the
University of North Florida. She left
the position of Patient Services Manager for St. Luke’s
Hospital to begin teaching at Baldwin Middle Senior High
School, where she taught for ten years.
In 2009 she was elected as Baldwin’s Teacher of
the Year and was a semifinalist for the 2009 Duval
County Teacher of the Year. Ms. Couch
was also awarded the Jacksonville’s Character Counts
Character Builder award. Her
community involvement includes co-chair and team captain
for the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life, member
of the West Jacksonville Civic Association, PTA, Chaffee
Trail SAC committee, and co-chair for the 2010 Duval
County Teacher of the Year selection committee.
She and her husband, James, have two children who
attend VPK and a Duval County Public School.
Email The Honorable Becki
Couch
 District 7 | The Honorable Tommy Hazouri
The Honorable Tommy Hazouri represents District 7 and joined the School Board in
November, 2004, and was re-elected in 2008, serving as Vice-Chairman in
2008 and Chairman in 2009. Mr. Hazouri served for 12 years as a member of the Florida House of Representatives from 1974-1986, and as Mayor of
the City of Jacksonville from 1987 until 1991. While in the Florida Legislature, Mr. Hazouri was Chairman of the Duval Legislative
Delegation, chaired the House Committee on Education, K-12, and House Committee on Retirement, Personnel, and Collective Bargaining.
He also was a member of the powerful House Committee on Appropriations', the Subcommittee on Education Funding; and, Subcommittee on
Personnel. He was appointed by Governor Lawton Chiles to the Florida Ethics Commission, and Chaired the Sheriff's Mental Health and
Crisis Episodes Task Force. Mr. Hazouri earned a Bachelor's degree in history and government from Jacksonville University. He is
president of Hazouri & Associates, a private consulting firm. He and his wife, Carol, a 43-year public school elementary teacher,
live in Mandarin. Their son Tommy, Jr., is an elementary school teacher and coach.
Email The Honorable Tommy Hazouri
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