Candidate: Casey Ayers

My name is Casey Ayers and I'm running for your Duval County School Board. I’ve learned firsthand how to prepare for opportunities in the new economy, and want to ensure our students gain the skills to succeed.

I married the love of my life, Emily, in 2017. We don't have children yet, but hope to in the future. My goal is for families to be flocking from surrounding areas to Duval County, thanks to the unrivaled quality of our schools, before their first day of Kindergarten.

I graduated from Mandarin High School and earned my BBA with Honors at the University of North Florida in Economics and Finance. After entering the financial industry a few months before the collapse of Lehman Brothers and the start of the Great Recession, I continued my education, earning my MBA at Rollins College, while beginning to pursue ventures of my own.

While at Rollins, I cofounded one of the first studios producing apps for the iPhone and iPad, and later went on to serve as the Chief Operating Officer of a healthcare startup that improved patient outcomes following eye surgeries. Following its acquisition, I led several nationally-recognized Kickstarter campaigns and founded PointsAway, a website and book dedicated to showing readers how to travel for pennies on the dollar by leveraging frequent flyer programs.

After becoming a PMP-certified Project Management Professional in 2014, I began producing online training courses in association with Pluralsight, the leader in enterprise training. Learners at 60% of Fortune 500 companies, as well as a vast number of other organizations around the world have access to the 40 courses I’ve published to date, and more than 256,000 professionals have used my courses to sharpen their skills in project management, business analysis, and other advanced business topics.

Now, I’m driven to apply the lessons I’ve learned in helping students worldwide earn industry-recognized certifications to our schools in Duval County. Relevant, high-quality education ensures our students have the skills and knowledge to thrive. Businesses desperate for well-equipped job candidates will flock to Jacksonville to compete for our pool of talent. Many more students may go on to create new ventures of their own, right here.

Our schools are the engine of our economy, and our students are the future of our community. Every one of us – grandparent, parent, aspiring parent, or simply citizen – have a direct stake in the future of our schools and students, and I'll work with singular focus to ensure that future is bright.

Learn more about how we can develop smart solutions for tomorrow’s schools at http://CaseyAyers.com