Tara McLarnon

Tara McLarnon has a diverse work experience spanning over two decades. Tara started their career as a Teacher at the Los Angeles Unified School District from August 1998 to June 2000. Tara then worked as a Senior Project Associate at the Council of Chief State School Officers from October 2002 to August 2005. Following that, they joined the Florida State University School as a Teacher from August 2007 to June 2009. Tara then transitioned to the Florida Department of Education, where they held two roles: Program Specialist from September 2009 to August 2013 and Educational Policy Development Director from August 2013 to July 2020. Tara later joined Hillsborough County Public Schools as the Supervisor of Research and Evaluation from July 2020 to January 2023. Currently, they are working as a Project Coordinator at Focus School Software since January 2023.

Tara McLarnon earned a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree in Elementary Education and Teaching from Florida State University in 1998. Tara later pursued a Master of Education (M.Ed.) degree in Policy and Evaluation from the University of Virginia, completing it in 2002. Tara's educational journey continued as they pursued a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree in Curriculum and Instruction at Florida State University, which they obtained in 2017.