LaKeisha Wells-Palmer has 20 years of experience in education, serving as a champion for principals, teachers, and students. She has spent the last nine years on the Teach For America team, becoming the Executive Director of Teach For America Jacksonville in June 2019, expanding her leadership to Central Florida in 2020, and finally becoming the leader for all Florida Regions in June 2021.

Originally from Sumter, South Carolina, LaKeisha is a proud graduate of THE historic Shaw University, where she double majored in Mathematics and Secondary Math Education. She taught high school math in Raleigh, N.C. at William G. Enloe Gifted and Talented Magnet/IB High School for six years before moving to the D.C./Maryland area where she taught Algebra 1 and Geometry for one year at Greenbelt Middle School in Prince George’s County, Maryland. She also served two years as a school turnaround instructional specialist for mathematics, science, and exploratory sciences at John P. Sousa Middle School in Washington D.C. prior to being named Assistant Principal and later interim principal at Sousa Middle School.

In addition to Bachelor’s degrees in mathematics and secondary education, LaKeisha holds a Master’s degree
in Educational Leadership and School Administration from East Carolina University. LaKeisha lives in Florida with her 15 year old son, Isaiah, 10 year old son, Taylor, 4 year old son, Liam, and husband Donte. A respected leader in her community and across Florida, LaKeisha is appointed to three Florida Department of Education committees by the state’s Deputy Chancellor of Education. Her personal values are centered on family, friendship, partnership, achievement, loyalty, and community, and she strives to keep these values present in all aspects of her life both professionally and personally. LaKeisha cares deeply about all students and hopes the students across Florida see teachers, school leaders, and community leaders as their sense of possibility and know that they stand as a united front working to open up pathways of opportunity for them, as many before have done.