Rick Everitt has a long resume of leadership in education. He joined the Florida school volunteer effort in 1983 as Washington County District School Volunteer and Senior Mentors for Creative Students Coordinator. He has the longest tenure, ever, on the Florida Commissioner of Education's Community Involvement Council. He was appointed by Commissioners of Education Ralph Turlington, Betty Castor, Frank Brogan, Tom Gallagher and Charlie Crist.Everitt has long advocated for legislative funding for Florida's district school volunteer programs. As early as 1990, when the concept of eliminating categorical funding was becoming a popular concept with the legislature, he was working as a volunteer advocate for the statewide school volunteer program. Word came from Tallahassee to the Florida Association of Partners in Education Conference being held in Sarasota that the money was no longer in the legislative budget. He organized, within hours, a postcard campaign (obviously a few years ago) addressed to the head of the education appropriations committee. That legislator appeared at conference two days later to announce continued funding. Most recently, in 2007, he was a leader in the successful advocacy for legislative appropriation to provide training resources for district school volunteer programs.He is one of the original pioneers who developed the Neighbors Involved in Kids Education (NIKE) Program, a precursor to after school programs. He was an innovator of the Migrant Education Senior Mentors Program. He volunteered time and resources in 2005-2006 to develop on-line training for new school volunteer coordinators and Five Star Award Training accessible through the Florida Education Channel.Everitt currently serves as Coordinator of Technology at the Panhandle Area Education Consortium in Chipley, FL.