President: Andrea Szarowicz
Andrea Szarowicz is the director of orchestras at Steinbrenner High School in Tampa, Florida, a position she's had since 2019. Prior to Steinbrenner, she taught at Gaither High School, Monroe Middle School, and many elementary schools as a floating Strings Specialist. She earned her Bachelors degree in music at the University of South Florida and a Masters in Music Education from Florida State University. She has been on the Executive Board of the Florida Orchestra Association since 2008, most recently as coordinator of the 11th & 12th grade All-State Symphonic Orchestra. She is an adjudicator for both FOA and FBA.
Past-President: Laurie Bitters
Laurie is the director of orchestras at Winter Park High School. She oversees the orchestra program consisting of four orchestras, teaches AP Music Theory and IB Music, serves as the advisor for Tri-M Music Honor Society, mentors student interns and first-year teachers, and conducts the pit orchestra for musical productions. Under Laurie’s leadership, the orchestra program has grown from 75 to more than 200 students and has consistently received superior ratings at FOA district and state music performance assessments. Park Philharmonic, under Laurie’s direction, performed at the ASTA National Orchestra Festival in Atlanta and was named the first-ever Orlando Philharmonic High School Orchestra of Distinction.
President-Elect: Lauren Pardee
Lauren K. Pardee currently serves as the Performing Arts Department Head at Gulf Coast High School in Naples, Florida, where she directs the Orchestra, Chorus, and Guitar programs. She has been recognized as a Teacher of Distinction and nominated for the Champions for Learning Golden Apple Teacher Award. For FOA, she has been a District Chair and Coordinator of the Florida All-State 11–12 Symphonic Orchestra. Locally, she coordinates the Collier County Public Schools High School Honors Orchestra. She is an active presenter at professional development conferences, including the Florida Music Education Association (FMEA) Professional Learning Conference and the FOA Fall Conference. She has guest conducted the Naples Philharmonic Youth Orchestra and mentors student teachers from Florida Gulf Coast University. Mrs. Pardee holds both a Master of Music in Orchestral Conducting and a Bachelor of Music in Music Education from the University of Florida, where she was awarded the Stella Sung Conducting Fellowship and the UF Teach the World (Rome) Fellowship in 2011. Outside the classroom, she enjoys boating with her husband, Skip, and their three children—Quinn, Vivienne, and Braxson.
Executive Director: Cheri Sleeper
Cheri A. Sleeper recently retired as the orchestra/band director at Strawberry Crest High School, where she increased her student numbers to three full ensembles, including string and full orchestra. She was previously the orchestra and band director at King High School. At both positions, her ensembles received accolades for their musical excellence at the district and state levels. Under her musical leadership, she has inspired four future music educators, including the 2019 Florida Teacher of the Year, Dr. Dakeyan Graham. She has been an educator for 37 years in the state of Florida, teaching kindergarten through 12th grade.
