In February, the national education advocacy group 50CAN named McGuireWoods Consulting vice president Sara Clements as a 2024 National Voices Fellow.
The National Voices Fellows cohort brings together leaders from across political and geographic divides and works to help fellows hone communications, policy, and advocacy skills. 50CAN is focused on creating a dynamic, student-centered American education system of the future that provides a high-quality education for all kids, regardless of their address.
Clements, a former public-school teacher, has worked in education policy in Tallahassee for more than a decade. Last year, she was appointed by the Florida State Board of Education to serve as a member of the state’s new Charter School Review Commission.
“We are proud that Sara has been chosen for this prestigious fellowship. There are few people with the experience and talent of Sara who advance new policy ideas in the educational arena,” said Sean Stafford, director of McGuireWoods Consulting’s Florida government affairs team.
Prior to joining the firm, Clements led external and legislative affairs for the nation’s largest scholarship funding organization, Step Up for Students, and was the Florida advocacy director for the Foundation for Excellence in Education. In 2011, Clements was nominated for Orange County Public Schools ‘Teacher of the Year’ award. Two years after exiting the classroom, Clements was named by Florida Politics as one of its ‘30 under 30 Rising Stars’ in 2014.
“It is gratifying to all of us at McGuireWoods Consulting to see an important educational group recognize the leadership role that Sara is playing in crafting educational policy,” said firm Chairman Mark Bowles.
