Candidate: Cindy Stuart

Cindy Stuart is currently the elected School Board Member for District 3 serving students and constituents in the Northern section of Hillsborough County.  Mrs. Stuart is one of seven members responsible for making policy decisions and overseeing a total budget of $2.9 billion for the 7th largest school district in the nation, which is also the county's largest employer with more than 26,000 employees.

Cindy currently serves in many roles both within the district and on community organizations.  She serves on the Legislative Committee for the board, interacting directly with our contracted firms to push agendas and initiatives at the state and federal level.  She also chairs the Transportation Committee directly impacting the decisions that come forward from within the organization but are also in collaboration with outside partners.    Within the community, Cindy represents the district on the Metropolitan Planning Organization as a steering committee member and a policy committee member.  She also chairs the School Transportation Working Group under this organization to facilitate better communication and balanced decision making for all participating municipalities. 

She represents the School Board on the David A. Straz, Jr. Center for the Performing Arts Board of Trustees, Hillsborough Education Foundation (alternate), Juvenile Justice Board, Circuit 13, Glazer’s Children Museum’s Board of Directors, and Safe & Sound Hillsborough Leadership Council member, finance chair and executive team member.

At the state level, Cindy sits as a board member for the Florida School Boards Association representing Hillsborough County and is on the state legislative committee.  Cindy was recently named to the Executive Team of FSBA as the treasurer. 

Raised in Tampa, Mrs. Stuart is a proud graduate of A.P. Leto Comprehensive High School in Hillsborough County.  She worked full-time to put herself through college and became the first member of her family to graduate from a university. She earned a Bachelor's Degree in 1995 from Florida International University with a concentration in Management Information Systems and Programming. 

Mrs. Stuart is a Tampa resident, and mother of three children. 

A few highlights of Cindy’s accomplishments in her 7 years as a Board Member include, 6 Community Partnership Schools, 60 Feeding America food pantries within schools of high need, Board development of Racial Equity and Diversity policy (2019 Urban School Board of Excellence Award), a Pre-K swimming program for all students enrolled within district pre-k school and transportation and logistics programs across several municipalities including the school district.

Cindy was orginally elected to Hillsborough County School Board in 2012 and reelected in 2016.