Lake County, Florida Schools Announces New Principals, Administrators

Who is the new principal of Mount Dora High? These answers and more as Lake County Schools reveals new principals and board changes.

TAVARES — About a dozen schools and district offices in Lake County will be under new management next school year.

Superintendent Diane Kornegay has announced administrative changes over the past few weeks as the district prepares to return students in August. Here’s the information, which comes from a news release from the school district.

NEW ROLES IN THE SCHOOL BOARD

Chad Farnsworth

Pending approval by the School Board, Chad Farnsworth, assistant principal for human resources, will assume the position of assistant principal, overseeing the school’s operations and facilities while continuing to support the work of human resources, employee relations, technology, and teaching and learning.

Farnsworth will take over the duties of Deputy Chief John Carr, who is retiring after eight years of service to the district, as well as additional responsibilities.

Previous Farnsworth story: Lake Pre-K teachers receive $1,000 recognition bonus

Guido Zamora

To fill Farnsworth’s vacancy, Guido Zamora was promoted from director of human resources to deputy director of human resources..

Zamora began his career in education in 1999 as a teacher in Miami-Dade County Public Schools and joined Lake County Schools in 2004. Since then, he has worked as a teacher, program specialist and assistant principal before joining human resources.

Robert Feltner

Robert Feltner is transitioning from Regional Executive Director, Region 1 to Associate Director of Teaching, Learning and Leadership.

Over the course of his 27-year career, Feltner has held a variety of positions, from teacher to principal to district administrator.

Marlene Straughan

Mount Dora High School principal Marlene Straughan has been promoted to regional executive director of Region 1, which includes schools in Eustis, Umatilla, Sorrento, Lady Lake and Mount Dora, as well as Lake County Virtual School.

Straughan is a longtime Lake County resident and a 1997 graduate of Umatilla High School. After graduating, she attended the police academy and became a deputy sheriff with the Lake County Sheriff’s Office. In 2008, she changed careers to begin teaching at Mount Dora High School, where she later rose to assistant principal and was then named principal of Triangle Elementary School in 2017.

She has served as principal of Mount Dora High School for the past four years. In 2023, she was named Lake County Principal of the Year and was one of three finalists for Florida Principal of the Year in 2024.

Mount Dora High in the news: Mount Dora High School Graduation Flashback

Quiana Peterson

Quiana Peterson has been promoted from teacher recruitment partner to director of human resources.

Peterson has more than 20 years of experience in human resources, focusing on recruiting, employee relations and program coordination. She joined Lake County in 2013 as an employee relations manager before moving into a recruiting role.

Jake Stein

Jake Stein, principal of Tavares High School, where he founded Lake County’s first International Baccalaureate program, has been named director of special education for students with special needs. He replaces Melissa Lyford, who is retiring. Stein has been with Lake County Schools for 27 years, serving as a coach, teacher, assistant principal and principal. He was named Lake County’s Principal of the Year in 2018 while at Mount Dora Middle School.

NEW SCHOOL HEADS

Stacy Keaveny, Tavares High School

Stacy Keaveny, assistant principal at East Ridge High School, has been named principal of Tavares High, replacing Stein. She began her education career in Osceola County in 2001 as a school counselor after several years as a civilian working in family support centers and U.S. Air Force social service programs in Florida.

After three years of working in middle and elementary schools, including opening Pine Ridge Elementary, Keaveny seized the opportunity to work with young adults at East Ridge High School. Starting as a school counselor and then moving into administration in 2015, this year marks her 20th anniversary at East Ridge High.

Kyle Bracewell, Mount Dora High School

Kyle Bracewell, Seminole Springs Elementary School principal, is returning to Mount Dora High, where he was an assistant principal for eight years. This time, he will take over as principal, replacing Straughan.

Bracewell began his career at Umatilla Middle School as an ELA teacher and spent one year at Leesburg High School as a literacy coach before rising to assistant principal at Mount Dora High. He was named principal at Seminole Springs Elementary in January 2023.

Terri Soos, Seminole Springs Elementary School

Eustis Heights Elementary Principal Terri Soos is moving to Seminole Springs Elementary as principal, replacing Bracewell. Soos has served in several roles in Lake County schools, including assistant principal at Eustis Heights, dean at Triangle Elementary, and teacher and instructional coach at Eustis Elementary.

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Juanita McCall, Eustis Heights Elementary School

Juanita McCall, assistant principal at East Ridge Middle School, will replace Soos as principal at Eustis Heights Elementary. She grew up in Leesburg and is a product of Lake County Schools. Before joining Lake District, she worked as an assistant principal at Osceola County High School.

Andrea Nelson, Principal, New Minneola Elementary and High School

Sawgrass Bay Elementary School Principal Andrea Nelson has been named principal of the new K-8 school, which will open in August 2025 in Minneola. Nelson began her education career in 2005 in Osceola County, where she worked as a teacher and instructor. She joined Lake County Schools in 2015 as a school specialist in the district office, where she provided support to schools and teachers. She was later named assistant principal of Sawgrass Bay Elementary School and then principal in 2020.

Gary Locuson, Sawgrass Bay Elementary School

Gary Locuson, vice principal of Mount Dora Middle School, will replace Nelson as principal of Sawgrass Bay Elementary. A graduate of Lake County Schools, Locuson has served as a paraprofessional, teacher, dean of instruction and vice principal.