DORETHA W. EDGECOMB

Doretha Edgecomb was elected to the School Board (District 5) in 2004 and re-elected without opposition in 2008. She served as chair of the School Board in 2011, after serving as vice-chair in 2010. She is one of seven members responsible for making policy decisions and overseeing a total budget of $2.9 billion for the 8th largest school district in the nation, which is also the county’s largest employer with 25,000 employees.

Mrs. Edgecomb is actively involved in numerous professional, civic, social, and community organizations. She represents the School Board on the Hillsborough County Children’s Board and the Florida School Boards Association Board (FSBA) of Directors, and is an alternate on both the FSBA Legislative Liaison Committee and the Hillsborough Education Foundation. She also serves on the board of directors for ChairScholars, the Florida Center for Survivors of Torture, and Keep Hillsborough County Beautiful.

Mrs. Edgecomb began her career in education as a junior high school English teacher with Hillsborough County Public Schools after graduating from Talladega College in Talladega, Ala. She earned a Master of Arts degree in Reading Education, K-12, and received certification in Educational Leadership from the University of South Florida. Since beginning her career as an educator she has held several positions in the same school system where she received her own education.

Mrs. Edgecomb is a 46-year educator who has held positions as a reading teacher, middle school learning specialist, tutorial teacher, coordinator for secondary drug education, Title I parent involvement coordinator, Title I reading supervisor, and elementary principal. In 1996, after retiring from the school district, Ms. Edgecomb joined Educational Testing Service (ETS) as a trainer, program developer, and technical assistance advisor. She has also taught reading courses to pre-service teachers in the College of Education at the University of South Florida.

Mrs. Edgecomb was named the 2010 Educator of the Year by the Tampa Bay Professional Chapter of Kappa Delta Pi, the international honor society of educators. She also received the HERO Award at the 2nd Annual Rowe Taylor Jr. Foundation Hero Award Dinner.

Mrs. Edgecomb and the late Judge George E. Edgecomb have one daughter, Allison, who is an administrator in the Hillsborough County Public Schools middle school department.

Nov. 2011