Staff
Patricia Levesque
Patricia Levesque is the Executive Director for the Foundation for Florida’s Future. She served as Governor Jeb Bush’s deputy chief of staff for education, enterprise solutions for government, minority procurement, and business and professional regulation. Previously, Patricia served six years in the Florida Legislature in the Speakers Office and as staff director over education policy.
Contact Patricia at Patricia@aFloridaPromise.org.
Mathew Bahl
Mathew Bahl is the Senior Strategic Officer for the Foundation for Florida’s Future. He joined the Foundation from the staff of the Florida House of Representatives, where he had spent eight years serving in a variety of roles including chief of staff. Mat earned his Bachelor’s Degree from Florida State University and his J.D. from the Duke University School of Law.
Contact Mathew at MatB@aFloridaPromise.org.
Lauren Chianese
Lauren Chianese is Director of Community Engagement (North and Central Florida) for the Foundation for Florida’s Future. In this role she helps elevate the critical voices of parents, teachers, students, and community members in education policy conversations in Florida. Prior to joining the Foundation, Lauren was Senior Education Policy Analyst for Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, analyzing and advocating for state and federal education policy to improve schools. Lauren was inspired to do this work from her time as a middle school math and science teacher in Los Angeles and as a program director supporting new Teach For America teachers. While in USC’s Master of Public Policy Program she also participated in Education Pioneers, a summer fellowship, where she was matched with City Year Los Angeles to develop training guides for City Year corps members serving as tutors in public schools. During the year, she was the director of USC's ReadersPlus, a tutoring program that connects USC student tutors with neighborhood schools. Lauren grew up in Florida and graduated from the University of Florida with a Bachelor’s in History and minor in Secondary Education.
Contact Lauren at Lauren@aFloridaPromise.org.
Sara Clements
Sara Clements is the Legislative Analyst for the Foundation for Florida’s Future. In her role, she helps develop the Foundation’s policy agenda, as well as advocate on behalf of the Foundation within the legislative process. Prior to joining the Foundation, Sara worked in the Florida public school system as an English/Language Arts and reading teacher, at a Title I middle school and later at a K-12 charter school. She is currently working toward her master’s degree in Education Policy at Florida State University.
Contact Sara at Sara@aFloridaPromise.org.
Cristal Cole
Cristal Cole is the Foundation’s Director of Community Engagement (South Florida), and joins the Foundation with extensive experience in cross-cultural public relations, marketing and community outreach in both the public and private sector. She previously served as a member of Governor Bush’s press team, where she managed statewide Hispanic and African-American media relations and outreach, and has served as a spokesperson and coordinated special projects and initiatives for the Executive Office of the Governor and Volunteer Florida Foundation. Cristal is also a former press secretary for Florida's Agency for Healthcare Administration (AHCA), where she served as agency spokesperson.
Contact Cristal at Cristal@aFloridaPromise.org.
Minda Corso
Minda serves as the Social Media Manager for the Foundation for Florida's Future. She is responsible for bridging the gap in the ever-expanding world of social media, where a growing number of people are gathering their news. Prior to joining the Foundation, Minda served in a similar capacity for a non-profit organization in Dallas, Texas. She spent three years in administration for a large charter school in the Dallas/Ft. Worth metropolitan area. Minda received her Bachelor's degree from the University of Texas at Arlington in 2006.
Contact Minda at Minda@aFloridaPromise.org.
Jaryn Emhof
Jaryn Emhof is Director of Communications for the Foundation for Florida's Future. Jaryn joins the Foundation from the Florida Senate, where she served for 10 years, working as a legislative assistant and, most recently, Communications Director for the Senate President.
Contact Jaryn at Jaryn@aFloridaPromise.org.
Erin Price
Erin Price is the Development Director for the Foundation for Florida's Future. Prior to joining the Foundation, Erin was the Deputy Finance Director for two political campaigns for the Westchester County Executive and NY State Comptroller where she helped raise a total of over $10 million. Erin's career started at Teach for America where she was a Recruitment Fellow in their national headquarters in NYC. She then joined the development staff of The New York Public Library and Carnegie Hall as the Hall's Special Event Manager. Erin was also an Education Pioneers Fellow for The Fund for Public Schools at the NYC Department of Education. She received her Master's in Public Administration from the Robert F. Wager School of Public Service at NYU.
Contact Erin at at Erin@aFloridaPromise.org.
Bill Warren
Bill Warren is the Legislative Director for the Foundation for Florida's Future. He assists in the development of the Foundation's policy agenda, as well as advocating on behalf of the Foundation within the legislative process. Bill has worked in Florida's political process for over 15 years including stints as an agency Legislative Affairs Director and Staff Director of the Senate Majority Office.
Contact Bill at Bill@aFloridaPromise.org.
Khori Whittaker
Khori Whittaker is Director of External Affairs (Southwest Florida) for the Foundation for Florida’s Future. He developed boundless respect for educators and the teaching profession after teaching fifth grade through Teach for America. Khori has worked in various K-16 roles at a variety of institutions. Prior to joining the Foundation, Khori led business development and account management operations for InsideTrack, Inc.’s Community College Impact Initiative. Khori received his Bachelor’s degree in Economics from Princeton University and his Master’s degree in Political Science from California State University, Long Beach.
Contact Khori at at Khori@aFloridaPromise.org.