Travis Pillow is director of state communications at the Foundation for Excellence in Education (ExcelinEd), where he works to elevate student-centered policies and leaders who champion them.

He started his career blogging and tweeting his way into Florida’s capital press corps. He developed a passion for education policy and joined Step Up For Students, the Florida nonprofit that administers the nation’s largest private school choice and education savings account programs. He then joined the Center on Reinventing Public Education, a research organization at Arizona State University which worked to lead the national conversation about school systems’ response to Covid-19, and the innovations that arose during the pandemic.

A one-time “square peg” who spent many of his high school days skipping or suspended, Travis found an unconventional path to the University of Florida. He now hopes to inform efforts to build an education system where every child finds grace, opportunities to nurture their peculiar talents and adults who believe in their potential.

He lives with his wife and daughter in Central Florida, where they grew up. An ardent Floridaphile, he enjoys taking long walks, baking cakes and learning obscure facts about the Sunshine State.

Follow @TravisPillow