An accomplished and dedicated educator and leader, Amanda El Shemi is a graduate from the Florida State University with a B.A. in Music Education, a B.S. in Political Science and Psychology and a M.A. in Educational Leadership and Administration from Nova Southeastern University. Once graduated, she traveled to New Haven, Connecticut where she served in Ameri-Corp and Teach For America. After her service, Amanda returned to her hometown to serve as the Director of Choral and Piano Studies at Creekside Middle School and later the Director of Choir, Theatre and Dance at Ormond Beach Middle School where her ensembles, dance teams, and troops received straight superior ratings each year and hundreds of individual medals and recognitions at other competitions and festivals.

She has held many local and state positions within The Florida Music Education Association, The Florida Vocal Association, The Florida Educators Association, and The National Educators Association. In 2021, Amanda was selected by the Florida Music Educators Association as an Emerging Leader in her field and in 2023 she was feature in the Daytona Beach News-Journal as one of their “40 Under 40 Leaders” making a difference in the Volusia and Flagler communities. Amanda returned to Tallahassee in 2022 to take the position as the Fine Arts Education Specialist for the Florida Department of Education, begin her Ed.D. in Educational Leadership and Policy and currently serves as Contemporary Worship Leader and Director of Handbells at a local church in Killearn Lakes. 

In 2026, she left the Florida Department of Education in hopes to return to her true love of educating to each individual child and to one day create a school which will truly benefit and serve our children and their gifts.