Serita Beamon was appointed Superintendent of Seminole County Public Schools (SCPS) on March 1, 2021. As a result, she historically became the 1st woman Superintendent, 1st African-American Superintendent, and 11th Superintendent overall for the district. Mrs. Beamon is a local native of Seminole County, having attended SCPS schools as a youth, and ultimately graduating from Lake Mary High School. After high school, she attended Stetson University and earned her undergraduate degree in Political Science. Mrs. Beamon received her Juris Doctor, with honors, from Florida State College of Law, where she was awarded the Virgil Hawkins Fellowship of academic achievement.
Mrs. Beamon began her legal career in Atlanta, Georgia with the law firm Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice, LLP, where her legal practice was focused primarily in the areas of commercial and intellectual property litigation. After three years in Atlanta, she moved back to Central Florida and joined the law firm Foley & Lardner, LLP.
In 2004, she joined The Legal Services Department for SCPS. Since that time, her practice has been focused exclusively in the area of education law. In 2006, Mrs. Beamon assisted the district with the major achievement of reaching Unitary Status. In 2011, she was in the first class of Florida attorneys to be recognized as board-certified education law specialists by the Florida Bar. In 2014, Serita Beamon joined the administrative team of SCPS as Staff Counsel and was immediately immersed in the work of the School Board and serving on Superintendent Dr. Walt Griffin's leadership team. There, she has assisted and provided guidance to the Superintendent, School Board, and Administrators on the day-to-day operations of both the Instructional and Business-side of the district for more than six years.
She currently is a member of the following professional organizations:
-
Florida School Board Attorneys Association, Member, 2004 - Present
-
National Council of School Attorneys, Member, 2015 - Present
-
American Educational Research Association, Member, 2019 - Present
-
Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development, Member, 2020 - Present
Previous professional activities include:
-
Coach for the Seminole High School Student Mock Trial Team, 2005 - 2007
-
Florida Bar, Education Law Committee, Member, 2014 - 2015
-
Panelist for the Seminole County Youth Summit, 2015
-
Graduate of Leadership Seminole (Class #25), 2017
-
Member of School Environmental Safety Incident Report (SESIR) Workgroup, 2019
-
Presenter for League of Women Voters forum on the journey to Unitary Status, 2019
Her primary areas of focus include:
-
Ensuring all students have the tools and resources they need to be successful
-
Closing the achievement gap through customized educational pathways for all students
-
Supporting programs that promote Equity, Diversity, and Excellence throughout the district
-
Assisting teachers and instructional staff with training and support programs
-
Providing Career and Technical Education (CTE) opportunities for students
-
Continuing Early Learning Programs that foster childhood development and school readiness
-
Creating opportunities for students with disabilities and exceptionalities
-
Relationship building amongst community stakeholders through partnerships with local businesses, government, faith-based groups, and constituents
Mrs. Beamon and her husband Demetry have two sons together who also attend SCPS schools.