IWF is excited to welcome Kelly Garcia as a visiting fellow. Kelly is a teacher with vast experienced in education policy. Her background and advocacy for school choice will be beneficial to the IWF team.
Welcome, Kelly!
Meet Kelly below.
Kelly has spent her career in education, beginning in 2009 as a Teach for America Corps member in Houston, Texas. She went on to teach for another eight years in charter, public and private schools in Florida with a deep interest in at-risk youth. In 2023, Kelly founded a new nonprofit organization, GuidEd, based in Tampa, Florida with the support of the Garcia Family Foundation. GuidEd helps families in Hillsborough County take advantage of the myriad of school choice options available whether that be public, private, charter, virtual or a mix thereof. GuidED abides by the principle of neutrality as their individual coaches help families find and enroll in a school that works for them. Currently, Kelly serves as the Board Chair.
In 2023, Kelly was appointed to the State Board of Education by Governor DeSantis after serving as a Trustee on the Board of Florida Virtual School. She also sits on the Board of Directors of Frameworks of Tampa Bay, a local nonprofit that trains teachers and adult stakeholders on emotional intelligence skills.
Kelly holds her B.A. in Politics from The Catholic University of America in Washington, DC and her MBA from The University of Florida. She also maintains a Florida teaching certificate. Kelly is most proud of her role as wife to husband, Gates, and mother to her three young and active children.