In Tallahassee, where there’s an interest group for every cause or issue imaginable, the Foundation for Florida’s Future has been a major player from the moment they opened their doors in 2007. Levesque, who was Bush’s deputy chief of staff and a longtime legislative staffer specializing in education issues, became its director and quickly became the go-to source for lawmakers hoping to move ahead with initiatives and policy that had its roots in the Bush administration. She was the moving force behind the teacher merit pay law signed into law in 2011 by Gov. Rick Scott. Former Gov. Charlie Crist had controversially backed away from the legislation a year prior after promising to sign it. She threw her weight behind multiple efforts to expand school voucher programs and school savings accounts. A one-size-fits-all model doesn’t work, she said. “We also need to create a marketplace of opportunity where all parents, not just those who can afford it, can pick schools that best meet their children’s individual needs,” she said. “A school can be a great school, but not a great fit for a particular child. Parents are the best judge of that.” In the 2016 session, she also scored an early victory alongside Senate President Andy Gardiner when Scott signed into law legislation to expand what’s called the Personal Learning Scholarship Account—renamed the Gardiner Scholarship—to allow for more school choice for students with disabilities. That bill was personal for both Levesque and Gardiner. Levesque’s son Luke is autistic. Gardiner’s son Andrew has Down syndrome. Gardiner said in an email that both he and his wife Camille were grateful for all of Levesque’s efforts in their “common vision” for all Florida students to be able to reach their full potential. “First and foremost, she was instrumental in our work to define inclusion,” Gardiner said. “We would hear stories of children with unique abilities joining their peers for art class and schools were calling that inclusion. With Patricia’s help, we worked to develop and pass (the) true definition of inclusion that makes certain students with unique abilities have the opportunity to participate in the classroom in a meaningful way.”
Runner-Up
EDUCATION LOBBYIST OF THE
YEAR
Helen Levine
H
elen Levine heads University Advancement for the University of South Florida St. Petersburg. Her actual title, Regional Vice Chancellor, rightly gives a sense that this is a woman with multiple jobs, and lobbying is one. Indeed, she was USF System President Judy Genshaft’s closer in the deal that sealed a state contribution this past Session for downtown Tampa’s USF Medical School. The school, a major component of developer Jeff Vinik‘s master plan for the Channel District, got a commanding $22.5 million. Levine also has handled public affairs over the years for former Mayor Rick Baker and the city of St. Petersburg and the Hillsborough Board of County Commissioners. Before that, she worked for the Florida Board of Regents, Florida State University, and in New York.
SPRING 2016 INFLUENCE | 135