Mother of two public school children, professional non-profit leader and businesswoman, Hine seeks leadership position with the $1.5 billion organization
ST. PETERSBURG, FL. – (May 18, 2020) – Laura Hine, a local professional businesswoman, public education advocate and mother of two public school students is now running for Pinellas County School Board District 1, At-Large seat with primaries set for August 18, 2020.
Born in Tampa, Florida, educated in K-12 traditional public schools, and with an undergraduate degree in aerospace engineering from the U.S. Naval Academy and graduate degree in business administration from University of South Florida, St Petersburg, Hine says her experience with systems of scale along with her passion for public education make her the strongest candidate.
“The foundations of my early years began with a great public education which guided me into a life imbued with service,” said Hine. “First the Navy, then my own family, our chidren’s school and the wider community. The work I’ve done in the last few years within Pinellas County Schools has led me to understand the inextricable links and impacts of one policy on another and the trickle-down effects on the day-to-day school experience for students and teachers – much like the systems developed for the Navy and for large infrastructure projects I’ve worked on. We need people on the School Board who understand these concepts and how to navigate the systems to truly progress the way they perform.”
When her first child was born in 2011 in St Petersburg, Laura was awakened to the pressure that surrounds many parents in choosing school for their children. Having always attended zoned schools to include busing while growing up, she was most curious about their neighborhood school. After meeting leaders and teachers in their Title 1, D graded zoned school, and many other parents with similar questions and hopes, Laura was the founding president of Friends of North Shore Elementary in 2015, a support organization for the school dedicated to ensuring all children have the opportunity of great education experience, starting with supporting our educators.
St. Pete business and community leader Craig Sher was an early supporter of Laura’s, “Her efforts have led to building community among families of all backgrounds and among teachers and staff. Kindergarten enrollment at North Shore has increased 20%. Laura has also worked at the district and state levels around balancing oversight with autonomy, educators as ideators, school safety, school grading, and education funding. She has also served on the Healthy School Start Times task force, as well as being a citizen representative for architecture and construction manager selections – she’s the best candidate by far.”
Laura’s professional career began first as an officer in the U.S. Navy; then as a licensed general contractor managing project development, most recently project director for Tom & Mary James’ new museum of Western & Wildlife Art and adjacent commercial development; and now as the executive director of The James Museum. Laura is a graduate of Army Airborne school in Ft. Benning, Georgia, and was one of the first two women integrating a U.S. warship, and at 23-years-old qualified as Officer of the Deck (OOD) of a $1B warship.
Laura lives in St. Petersburg with her husband Hank Hine who is the Executive Director of The Dali Museum. The couple has two children who attend North Shore Elementary School.
For more information about Laura’s education priorities visit www.votelaurahine.com.
