about me

“I believe my values and 40+ years of leadership experience in Leon County Schools has equipped me to “do the right thing” for our kids. If the voters in District 2 want me to continue working every day for our children, teachers, families, and schools–I’m ready!”

“Rosanne Wood has been recognized as one of Florida’s pioneer educational innovators.”

Rosanne grew up in Belle Glade, Florida. She moved to Tallahassee to go to FSU and never left. She has been happily married to Pete Kreis for 35 years. They have one daughter, Powell Kreis, and son-in-law, Chris Crevello. Rosanne has two wonderful step-sons, and is the proud grandmother of their combined five children.

After graduating from FSU with a Master’s Degree in Social Studies Education, Rosanne served as a founding teacher of SAIL. Three years later, she became the principal. She served as the SAIL principal for 32 years, until her retirement in 2010, which made her both the youngest person in the state to be a principal, as well as the longest-serving principal at the same school.

Under her leadership, SAIL received national and state recognition for groundbreaking work with students whose interests and talents were not met in traditional public schools. In 2010, the College Board recognized SAIL as one of 6 best schools in the nation for “Innovation in the Arts”.
In 2016, Rosanne was elected to the Leon County School Board, she was unopposed for her 2020 re-election and currently serves as the Board Chair. Rosanne also serves on boards for the SAIL Foundation and the South City Foundation.

She is a Past President and board member for the Council on Cultural Arts (COCA). She was recently featured in the LeMoyne Arts exhibit, “Women Among Us: Portraits of Strength” and honored as “Twenty-five Women to Know” by the Tallahassee Democrat. She was also selected for the Aquilina C. Howell Award by the Tallahassee Urban League. Currently, she serves as the School Board Legislative Liaison and is a member of the Equity committee for the Florida School Board Association.

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about Rosanne

Highlights

Making a difference for our kids,
teachers, and families every day!

Served as a panelist at the 2020 Tallahassee Race Relations Summit Session: EDUCATION – Race, Status, and Education Reform: Issues of Excellence & Equality.

Chosen as one of five “Trailblazers” by the Oasis Center for Women and Girls in 2013.

Served as a Panelist at the National Public Radio/TV American Graduate Town Hall on reducing dropouts and increasing options for high school graduation, October 2013.

Was a Keynote speaker at the International Conference for Invitational Educators in Orlando, Florida, September 2013. Her topic was, “Climate Change: Creating public school environments that foster creativity, honor every student, and eliminate bullying.”

Served on the Citizens Editorial Board for the Tallahassee Democrat in 2012.

Recipient of the FSU College of Education “Distinguished K-12 Educator” alumni award in 2011. 

Selected as the Leon County School Administrator of the Year in 2010.

Honored as a “Woman of Courage and Vision” by Tallahassee Community College in 2001.

Selected by the Florida Commissioner of Education for the “Principal Achievement Award for Outstanding Leadership” in 1990.

Served as President of the Leon County Principals’ Association in 1988 and 1995 and as the State President of the Florida Association of Alternative School Educators in 1989-91.