As the Vice President of the Jacksonville Public Education Fund (JPEF), Dr. Ronetta Wards diligently works to promote effective implementation of JPEF's strategic initiatives. Her main aim is to make a substantial and quantifiable impact on the quality of education by managing and supporting the organization's dedicated program team. Collaborating closely with JPEF President Rachael Tutwiler Fortune, Dr. Wards helps ensure the organization's overall operational effectiveness.
Before her tenure at JPEF, Dr. Wards established herself as a much-sought-after thought partner and educational consultant for five years. Her consultancy work allowed her to collaborate with a broad spectrum of education-focused organizations and institutions. This included national educational non-profits, expansive urban school districts, and leaders within charter and private schools.
Building on her experience, Dr. Wards has served in several executive and district leadership roles, as well as school administration positions. These roles enabled her to directly influence student learning and academic achievement. She takes immense pride in her innovative contributions to school-based STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) programming, teacher coaching, and professional learning initiatives. Moreover, she is a fervent participant in numerous initiatives aimed at promoting literacy across various content areas and fostering school-community partnerships underpinned by design thinking.
Spanning a career of over twenty years in education, Dr. Wards has honed an array of professional skills. These include astute analytical and strategic thinking abilities, effective facilitation, capacity-building, leadership and operational expertise, program evaluation skills, applied research proficiency, commitment to equity work, and high-impact relationship management.
Dr. Wards has earned a B.S. in Biology from Florida A&M University, a M.S. in Secondary Science Education from the University of North Florida, a M.Ed. in Educational Leadership from Ashland University, and a Ph.D. in K-12 Educational Administration from Michigan State University.
She is a proud member of several professional organizations including the National Science Teaching Association (NSTA), the American Educational Research Association (AERA), and the Women’s Giving Alliance of Northeast Florida.