Lauren May is director of advocacy at Step Up for Students. Lauren is a collaborative educational advocate with a proven track record of improving educational and operational performance through vision, staff leadership and development, and by building community partnerships and family connections. In Lauren’s role, she works with parents, schools, and providers to help them understand and advocate for educational options. Lauren also serves as the primary liaison to the Catholic schools in Florida. She works closely with the seven Catholic superintendents and staff at the Florida Catholic Conference.

Lauren has contributed to blog posts for Step Up For Students and recently co-authored a report about Catholic school enrollment in the state of Florida. She has presented at many state and national conferences and has authored posts for the National Catholic Education Association. As a proud graduate of the University of Florida, she received her bachelor’s degree in special education and Master of Education in early childhood education. She then completed another Master of Education in educational leadership from St. Leo University. A former teacher, early childhood director and principal, she was honored with University of Florida’s “Outstanding Young Alumni” award in 2018.

Lauren lives in Jacksonville, FL with her husband and two children. The family enjoys spending time with family and friends, especially time outside. They also love playing sports and watching Gator games. As a believer that parents are the first and best educators of their children, Lauren loves working with families, schools and providers to ensure families are able to find and make use of the best educational options for their children.