Sandra Caruso / Executive Director and Founder

For thirty-one years Sandra Caruso has dedicated her life to teaching, guiding, counseling and helping students in the Palm Beach County School District.  She started her career in 1984 as a French teacher at John I. Leonard High School, and then became an assistant principal at the school.  As an instructional specialist with the Department of Adult and Community Education, Sandra had found her passion for educating adult students and making a difference in their lives. For more than twenty- five years, she designed and implemented programs and curricula that accelerated GED graduation rates, inspired and trained teachers, formed partnerships with community organizations that eliminated barriers and provided services needed for student success. She wrote and executed multi-million-dollar grants to support and fund these programs. 
Sandra’s transformational leadership style encourages bridges to strengthen individual, organizational, and community capacity. Her leadership in starting an adult and community education program at Delray Full Service Center awarded her the Robert A. Smith Award in 2012 for generating a dramatic increase of data results, GED graduations and services to the community. At the Adult Education Center, Sandra validated the effective teaching methods and strategies of andragogy that went above and beyond the standards. Her focus on encouraging students to see the GED as a springboard to post-secondary, vocational and workforce options, stimulated the development of the Career Pathways framework where students learned strategies for personal development, as well as, work-based learning experiences that students can apply in the real world for success. 
Her passion for helping and empowering GED students encouraged her to form HEROES Foundation of America, a non-profit organization where scholarships, counseling and other support services boost GED graduations and transition students to postsecondary, vocational or employment opportunities.  Sandra Caruso is an accomplished presenter and consultant throughout Florida and has recently been certified with the Department of Education as a Growth Mindset trainer. She received a Bachelor of Arts from McGill University, and Masters in Educational Leadership from Nova Southeastern University.  She is certified with the Department of Education in teaching French, Educational Leadership, and Adult Education.