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Board of Trustees

LEADERSHIP

Strategic Oversight

FSDB operates under the leadership and direction of its Board of Trustees, pursuant to Section 1002.36, Florida Statutes. The Board consists of seven members who are appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Senate. One of its members is required to be a person who is blind/visually impaired, and one is required to be a person who is deaf/hard of hearing. Each member is required to have been a Florida resident for at least ten years and the term of office for each member is four years. The Board is invested with full power and authority to appoint the President of the School.

 

The President is the Chief Executive Officer serving as secretary to the Board of Trustees and is responsible for the organization, operation, and management of FSDB and its programs. The President also serves as the educational leader of the school, under the direction of the Board.

 

View Section 1002.36 of the Florida Statutes pertaining to FSDB.

Meetings

FSDB Board of Trustees meetings will be held in Kirk Auditorium and are are open to the public; American Sign Language interpreters will be provided. The Board meeting agenda focuses on matters pertaining to FSDB. 

 

Pursuant to the provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act, any person requiring special accommodations to participate in this Board meeting is asked to advise the FSDB by calling at least two (2) days in advance.

 

If any person decides to appeal any decision made by the Board with respect to any matter considered at this meeting or hearing, s/he will need to ensure that a verbatim record of the proceeding is made, which record includes the testimony and evidence from which the appeal is to be issued.

Dates

Official FSDB Board of Trustees Meeting Dates for 2023-24

Aug. 25, 2023 (Workshop)
Sept. 29, 2023 (Enroll/Audit)
Oct. 27, 2023 (Endowment)
Dec. 8, 2023 (Enrollment)
Jan. 19, 2024
Feb. 23, 2024 (Audit)
April 12, 2024 (Enroll/Endowment)
May 23, 2024 (Graduation)

rules

The bylaws and related state rules (Chapter 6D-1) by which the FSDB Board of Trustees manages the school is maintained by the Florida Department of State’s Florida Administrative Register/Florida Administrative Code.

sunshine law

Florida’s Government-in-the-Sunshine-Law was enacted in 1967. Today, the Sunshine Law regarding open government can be found in Chapter 286 of the Florida Statutes. These statutes establish a basic right of access to most meetings of boards, commissions, and other governing bodies of state and local governmental agencies or authorities – this includes meetings of the FSDB Board of Trustees.

Board Members

Owen B. McCaul, Chair

Owen B. McCaul, Chair

Tallahassee (Leon County)

Owen B. McCaul is chair of the FSDB Board of Trustees; previously he served as vice chair for nine years and has been a trustee since 2006. He is the first FSDB alumni (1982) and the first visually impaired person to serve as board chair. McCaul works as an assistant state attorney in Leon County, a position he has held since 1989. He serves as general counsel for State Attorney Jack Campbell of the 2nd Judicial Circuit of Florida. McCaul also represents the State of Florida in Leon County Felony Drug Court, Baker Act hearings, and in numerous extradition matters. He also represents the State Attorney’s office on Leon County's Criminal Justice Coordinating Committee and the Public Safety Coordinating Council. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Flagler College and a Juris Doctor degree from the Florida State University College of Law. McCaul is active in masonic organizations including J. Edwin Larson Lodge #361, F. & A.M. (past master) and Talwar Grotto (past monarch). He also serves as a member of the Lighthouse of the Big Bend Board of Directors.

Ralph V. "Terry" Hadley III, Vice Chair

Ralph V. "Terry" Hadley III, Vice Chair

Winter Park (Orange County)

Ralph V. “Terry” Hadley III is owner and managing partner of Swann, Hadley, Stump, Dietrich & Spears, P.A., a private law practice in Winter Park, Fla. He served as director and counsel to the local BankFirst (now Seacoast Bank) for 25 years. He earned his bachelor’s and Juris Doctor degrees from the University of Florida. After graduation, he served in the U.S. Navy JAG Corps and achieved the rank of lieutenant commander. He is currently a member of the American Bar, Florida Bar, California Bar and Orange County Bar Associations. He is also the owner of the Aunt Zelma’s Blueberries, a farm in Island Grove, Fla., and has received awards for his pro bono work on behalf of neglected and abused children. He and his wife, Carol, reside in Winter Park.

Christine M. Chapman

Christine M. Chapman

St. Augustine (St. Johns County)

Christine M. Chapman is a philanthropist who has devoted herself to many organizations in support of St. Augustine. She earned both her master’s degree in educational leadership and bachelor’s degree in special education K-12 from the University of North Florida. A longtime resident of St. Johns County, she worked for 20 years at FSDB in both the classroom and administration. Her community experience includes service on many nonprofit boards, including the Junior Service League of St. Augustine (past president), Kids Bridge (past president), Community Hospice & Palliative Care, Flagler Hospital and Limelight Theatre. She is married to Steve Chapman, owner of All American Air-Conditioning and Heating. In 2010, she and her husband established the All American Air Charitable Foundation, and she serves as president of the board.

Matthew "Matt" Kramer

Matthew "Matt" Kramer

St. Augustine (St. Johns County)

Matthew Kramer currently works as an executive therapeutic specialist at Gilead Sciences, a company with a vision to advance therapeutics against life-threatening diseases worldwide. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Marketing Management from Grove City College in Grove City, Penn. In 2004, he married Melissa and they established residence in St. Augustine, Florida. Over the first five years of their marriage, they adopted four children with varying special needs who range in age from 11 to 13. Of the four children, one is hard of hearing, one is deaf and autistic, and one is deafblind. In 2018, he and Melissa started Growing Together Behavioral Center in Jacksonville, Fla., a small private school for children with autism and developmental disabilities.

June Ann LeFors

June Ann LeFors

St. Augustine (St. Johns County)

June Ann LeFors is an American Sign Language/Deaf Studies instructor in the Department of Exceptional, Deaf and Interpreter Education at the University of North Florida and a freelance deaf interpreter and ASL translator in the central and northeast Florida areas. She is an appointed member of the Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Advisory Committee for the Florida Department of Health. A state-certified K-12 teacher, LeFors previously worked at FSDB for 10 years in several roles, including as an ASL specialist and evaluator, preschool teacher in the Early Learning Center, and as a parent advisor in the Parent Infant Program. She earned her master's degree in deaf education/ deaf studies from Lamar University and a bachelor's in elementary education from Gallaudet University. She and her husband, Eric, a physical education teacher at FSDB, have six daughters - three of whom are deaf or hard of hearing.

Thomas M. Zavelson M.D.

Thomas M. Zavelson M.D.

Gainesville (Alachua County)

Dr. Thomas M. Zavelson is a retired pediatrician and clinical professor of pediatrics at the University of Florida College of Medicine. Previously, he was a founding and senior partner with the Pediatric Associates of Gainesville; a pediatric consultant for Children’s Medical Services; chairman of the North Florida Regional Medical Center Department of Pediatrics; and a member of the North Florida Regional Hospital Board of Trustees.

contact information

For more information about the FSDB Board of Trustees, contact:

Cindy Brueckner
Executive Assistant to the President
PH: 904-827-2210

For more information about FSDB Board Rules, contact:

Pauline Wagner
Executive Director, Parent Services
PH: 904-827-2221
VP: 904-201-4540

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