Teresa Jacobs (born April 6, 1958 in

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

) is the current chairwoman of the Orange County Public School Board. Jacobs previously served as Mayor of Orange County from 2011 until taking office as school board chair in November 2018, also having represented district 1 on the

Orange County Board of County Commissioners The Board of County Commissioners (BCC) is the governing body of Orange County, Florida. It runs in the manner of a county commission. It has six seats held by elected officials called "County Commissioners", each commissioner in charge of their o ...

from 2000 to 2008.

Early life, education, and family

Jacobs was raised in

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...

and

Jupiter, Florida Jupiter is the northernmost town in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. According to the 2020 Census, the town had a population of 61,047 as of April 1, 2020. It is 84 miles north of Miami, and the northernmost community in the Miami met ...

. She is a graduate of

Florida State University Florida State University (FSU) is a public research university in Tallahassee, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida. Founded in 1851, it is located on the oldest continuous site of higher education in the st ...

, graduating

cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some Sou ...

with a degree in

economics Economics () is the social science that studies the Production (economics), production, distribution (economics), distribution, and Consumption (economics), consumption of goods and services. Economics focuses on the behaviour and intera ...

. Teresa Jacobs is married to Bruce. They have four children together.

Early business career

Teresa Jacobs moved to

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

in 1981. She was Assistant Vice President of National Bank of Georgia, Atlanta from 1981 to 1989.
Campaign bio page

Political career

Teresa Jacobs represented District 1 on the Orange County Board of County Commissioners, Board of County Commissioners, which encompasses southwest

Orange County Orange County most commonly refers to: *Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area Orange County may also refer to: U.S. counties *Orange County, Florida, containing Orlando *Orange County, Indiana *Orange County, New ...

from

Winter Garden A winter garden is a kind of garden maintained in wintertime. History The origin of the winter garden dates back to the 17th to 19th centuries where European nobility would construct large conservatories that would house tropical and subtro ...

to Hunter's Creek. She was elected in 2000, re-elected in 2004, and stepped down in 2008 due to term limits. Jacobs was credited with championing new ethics rules for county elected officials, and successfully strengthening local laws to prevent school overcrowding. She was elected President of the Florida Association of Counties in 2007.

2010 Orange County Mayor campaign

Jacobs announced that she planned to run for Mayor of Orange County in

2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...

. Jacobs was the last candidate to enter the race. She was opposed by Bill Segal, Linda Stewart, and Matthew Falconer. On August 24, 2010, Linda Stewart (19%) and Matthew Falconer (15%) were eliminated in the primary election. Teresa Jacobs (42%) and Bill Segal (22%) both advanced to the general election in a run off. In the general election on November 2, 2010, Teresa Jacobs resoundingly defeated Bill Segal, 68% - 32%, despite being out fund raised 2-1.
November 03, 2010 By David Damron, Orlando Sentinel

2014 Orange County Mayor campaign

Despite

Val Demings Valdez Venita Demings (née Butler; born March 12, 1957) is an American politician and former police officer serving as the U.S. representative from since 2017. The district covers most of the western half of Orlando and includes much of the ar ...

having been in the race early on, she dropped out leaving Teresa Jacobs winning the election unopposed.

Electoral history

Current or Previous State and Regional Boards

*President, Florida Association of Counties (FAC) *Chair, East Central Florida Regional Planning Council (ECFRPC) *Member, Central Florida MPO Alliance, Member *Chair, Central Florida Smart Growth Alliance (CFSGA) *Member, MetroPlan Orlando Board *Gubernatorial Appointee, Wekiva River Basin Commission *Member, Myregion.org Executive Board of Directors *Member, Florida Transportation Plan Steering Committee *International Drive Master Transit and Improvement District Governing Board, Chair Person *Lynx Board of Directors *Orlando-Orange County Expressway Authority, Board of Directors *Orlando-Orange County Expressway Authority, Finance Committee *Greater Orlando Aviation Authority (GOAA), Board of Directors *Central Florida Commuter Rail Commission (Sunrail), Vice Chairman *Visit Orlando Board, Ex-Officio Director *County Executives of America, Board of Directors *Coalition for the Homeless of Central Florida *Tourism Development Council (TDC), Chairman *Central Florida Regional Commission on Homelessness, Co-Chair *Congress of Regional Leaders, Member *MyRegion.Org, Executive Board of Directors *St. John’s River Alliance

References

External links

Teresa Jacobs Campaign Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jacobs, Teresa 1958 births County commissioners in Florida County executives in Florida Florida Republicans Living people Florida State University alumni 21st-century American politicians 21st-century American women politicians People from Orange County, Florida Politicians from Miami People from Baltimore People from Jupiter, Florida