Sarasota County, FL - Sarasota County Schools is pleased to announce the school district’s organizational realignment hires that will assist the Superintendent of Schools in supporting the students, families, teachers, and staff members throughout the school district.

A Statement from Superintendent Terry Connor: “These individuals have been selected & appointed after a thorough evaluation that weighed their expertise, leadership capabilities, and dedication to improving our educational community. Some are new to the Sarasota County School District family, and some are familiar faces that have had a tremendous impact on countless lives in the community over many years. I believe the careful blending of existing and new perspectives – drawing on a wealth of varied areas of combined educational and organizational expertise – will further strengthen our team’s commitment to excellence in education. I am confident that together, with the continued support of our amazing community, we will be able to steadfastly serve the best interests of each student, family, teacher, and staff member that calls Sarasota County Schools their “home” for learning, teaching, and working.”

Please join us in congratulating the following existing & new team members on this next chapter of growth with Sarasota County Schools:

 - Chris Renouf – Chief of Staff

   - Mr. Renouf most recently served as the Assistant Superintendent/Chief Academic Officer of Sarasota County Schools. He has also served as the school district’s Executive Director of Elementary Schools and, from 1998 to 2017, served in principalships at both Toledo Blade Elementary School and Ashton Elementary School. During both of his distinguished tenures as Principal, each school was recognized with honors. The Florida Department of Education recognized Toledo Blade Elementary as a Title I Distinguished School, and the Council for Educational Change designated Ashton Elementary as a High Performing Model School. Mr. Renouf holds a Bachelor's Degree from Mercyhurst University, a Master's Degree in Elementary Education from Rutgers University, and a Specialist's Degree in Educational Leadership from Nova Southeastern University.

 - Rachael O'Dea – Deputy Superintendent, Chief Academic Officer

   - Mrs. O'Dea has been in education for 19 years, all of which have been with Hillsborough County Public Schools. She started her career as a fourth-grade math and science teacher at Tampa Heights Elementary School. Mrs. O’Dea has also served as the Assistant Principal of MacFarlane Park IB Magnet School and as an Assistant Principal at Roland Park K-8 IB Magnet School. She has also served as the Principal of Lanier Elementary School, the Principal of Forest Hills Elementary School, and a trainer, presenter, & mentor for Hillsborough County Public Schools. In 2020, Mrs. O’Dea was appointed to Regional Superintendent in Hillsborough County's Transformation Network, created to eliminate systemic underperformance in the district’s and state's persistently lowest performing schools. Drawing on her strong background in instructional excellence and exemplary management of schools, she helped reduce the number of D and F schools in her region to zero within two years. Mrs. O’Dea received both her Bachelor's and Master's degrees from the University of South Florida. She was awarded the Council for Educational Change Leonard Miller Principal of the Year award in 2018, and named Hillsborough County Principal of the Year in 2019.

 - Jennifer Mainelli – Chief, Elementary Schools

   - Ms. Mainelli has over 15 years of experience in education. Over the course of her career, she has proudly served with Fall River Public Schools (FRPS) and New Bedford Public Schools (NBPS) – both in Massachusetts – as well as Florida’s Hillsborough County Public Schools (HCPS). During her tenure with FRPS, Ms. Mainelli spent 7 years as an elementary classroom teacher (teaching 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grades) & 2 years as an instructional mathematics coach, district mentor teacher, and teacher leader. After completing her administration internship, she spent the following 4 years as a K-5 elementary school principal with NBPS. Ms. Mainelli’s efforts in all of her varying leadership roles have supported her schools to receive commendation status by the Massachusetts Department of Education, receive renewal of a school-board approved innovation plan, and increased percentile rankings for all years served, among other accomplishments. She most recently served as a Transformation Specialist for MGT Consulting, a national public sector management consulting firm that delivers services to a wide range of education clients across the country. Her role supported 4 of HCPS’ schools and focused on providing leadership support & coaching to principals and assistant principals in their school improvement efforts. Ms. Mainelli holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Elementary Education from Rhode Island College and a Master of Arts Degree in Elementary Education from American International College, with additional certifications in Education Leadership.

 - Dr. Brandon Johnson – Chief, Middle Schools

    - Dr. Johnson most recently served as the Executive Director of Elementary Schools. He has also served as the Principal of North Port High School, the Principal of Lamarque Elementary School, the Assistant Principal at Brentwood Elementary School, an Assistant Principal Intern at Bay Haven School of Basics Plus, and an Interim Assistant Principal at Emma E. Booker Elementary School, among other roles during his 18-year career with Sarasota County Schools. Dr. Johnson holds a Bachelor's Degree in Interdisciplinary Studies from Norfolk State University, a Master's Degree in Educational Leadership from the University of South Florida, and holds a Doctor of Education from the University of Florida.

 - Dr. Megan Green – Chief, High Schools

    - Dr. Green is a native of Jensen Beach, Florida, and has been an educator for 17 years. After teaching high school and middle school English, she became an Assistant Principal at the middle and high school levels before becoming a middle school principal in Duval County. Dr. Green joins Sarasota County Schools from St. Lucie Public Schools, where she most recently served as the Director of School Renewal, focusing on schools under the Florida Bureau of School Improvement. Prior to her most recent role, she served as a principal at the elementary, K-8, middle, and high school levels and was the Director of Secondary Curriculum for St. Lucie Public Schools. Dr. Green holds a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from Florida State University, a Master of Arts in Educational Leadership from Nova Southeastern University, and a Doctoral degree in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies from Florida State University.

- David Jones – Executive Director, Professional Learning & Leadership Development

   - Mr. Jones most recently served as the Principal of Sarasota High School. He has also served as the Principal of North Port High School, the Principal of McIntosh Middle School, an Assistant Principal at Sarasota High School, and a Mathematics Teacher at Sarasota High School. Mr. Jones has also served as an Adjunct Professor with Adams State University, a Teacher at Emily Griffith Technical College, a Teacher at the Gilliam Youth Services Center, a teacher at Cresthill Middle School, and a teacher at Sylmar High School. An educator for over 30 years, he received a bachelor’s degree in Social Sciences from Colorado State University and a Master’s Degree in Computers and Technology in Education from Lesley University. Mr. Jones also has a Secondary Teaching Credential in Mathematics from California State University and completed the University of Colorado Denver’s Professional Administrative Licensure and Leadership Program. He received the Governor’s Award for Excellence in Education while at Cresthill Middle School and received the Outstanding Teacher Designation from Douglas County Schools. Mr. Jones was named Sarasota County’ Principal of the Year in 2021.

- Chris Parenteau – Supervisor, Government Affairs

   - Mr. Parenteau is joining Sarasota County Schools with more than 14 years of communications experience. He spent nearly a decade as a news reporter for WJXT in Jacksonville, FL covering Northeast Florida governments, school districts, and the area military. In 2018, he joined a Jacksonville marketing agency as a Communications and Operations Manager, assisting clients in a variety of industries. For the last two years, he has been working as a marketing specialist at a Tampa engineering firm. In that role, he has worked with a variety of stakeholders putting together internal and external marketing materials to grow the firm’s client base while complying with regulatory restrictions for different pursuits across nine states. In his role as Supervisor of Government Affairs, Chris will work with the Superintendent and the School Board of Sarasota County to develop legislative priorities and advocate for them at the local and state levels. He will also work with departments across the district and legal staff to ensure established policies comply with state law, and develop strategies to keep employees, district stakeholders, and community leaders informed of local impacts of new legislation.