The Okaloosa County School Board unanimously approved the appointment of Jennifer Beasley as the new Program Director for Career and Technical Education (CTE) during their meeting on Monday, March 11, 2024.

Superintendent Marcus Chambers praised the leadership of the previous and existing CTE program directors, Patti Bonezzi and April Branscome, for their role in developing one of the strongest CTE programs in the state of Florida over the past 10-15 years. 

• He then introduced Jennifer Beasley as the new appointee for the position.

Beasley has served as an assistant principal at Choctawhatchee High School in Fort Walton Beach for the past three years. Prior to that, she worked for Marion County Public Schools for 25 years, where she gained extensive experience in career and technical education. 

During her tenure in Marion County, Beasley served as an administrator in five schools, overseeing more than 25 different CTE programs. She also held the positions of principal at Liberty Middle School, Lake Weir High School, and Marion County Technical Institute, a CTE magnet school.

• “First, I’d like to thank Mr. Chambers and all of you for this amazing opportunity,” Beasley said during the meeting. “I’ve always been very passionate about CTE programs. I’m very excited and honored to work with our schools in our community.”

Beasley also expressed gratitude to her Choctaw family for welcoming her into Okaloosa County and acknowledged that while she will miss them, she is excited for what the future holds in her new role.

According to the District, current program director April Branscome is set to retire later this year.