Chief Academic Officer Robin Winder Named a “Most Influential Leader”

Robin Winder, chief academic officer at Florida Virtual School, has been selected  as one of Orlando Business Journal’s 2024 “Most Influential Leaders.”

ORLANDO, Fla. (Aug. 6, 2024) — Robin Winder, chief academic officer at Florida Virtual School (FLVS), has been selected as one of Orlando Business Journal's (OBJ) 2024 “Most Influential Leaders” for her contribution and commitment to online education nationwide and the Central Florida community. 

“I am honored to be recognized as a leader within the community among such a distinguished group of talented and dedicated professionals,” said Winder. “Education is my passion, and I firmly believe in its transformative power to unlock the full potential of every child.”

With more than 20 years of dedicated service at FLVS, Winder has held numerous roles within the organization, including a World/American History teacher, academic integrity manager, instructional mentor and leader, and senior director of student learning. Currently, as chief academic officer, she leads a team of more than 2,500 teachers, instructional leaders, and support staff who educate nearly 250,000 K-12 students across Florida annually. 

“As families continue looking for alternative forms of education, Robin and her team have been instrumental in ensuring Florida Virtual School remains a top school choice due to the one-on-one support offered by our teachers,” said Dr. Louis Algaze, president and CEO of Florida Virtual School. “Her innovative leadership and dedication to equipping teachers and staff with the tools needed to increase student learning outcomes has led to incredible results.”

During the 2022-23 school year, FLVS achieved a 92.6% graduation rate, surpassing the previous year’s rate by 2.6 percentage points and ranking Florida Virtual High School among the top 10 non-lab school districts in the state. In that same school year, FLVS students excelled with Advanced Placement scores that were 5.6 percentage points higher than the global average. In May 2024, over 1,110 students graduated from Florida Virtual High School with more than half of the class of 2024 achieving a 3.5 GPA or higher.

Since becoming chief academic officer in October 2023, Winder successfully established Florida Scholars Academy (FSA), a new unified education system for 2,300 students in the care of the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ). Within just eight months, Winder and her team built the district from the ground up, developing bylaws, a governance system, policies, and handbooks and hiring over 300 team members, including teachers, paraprofessionals, school counselors, and more. 

In her free time, Winder participates in the Volusia Thanksgiving Basket Brigade, creating and delivering Thanksgiving food boxes to children and families in need, further reinforcing her dedication to supporting school-aged children across Florida. 

For more information about Florida Virtual School, visit flvs.net.