SYNERGY - Tina Certain

Story By: Beth Herbert

What goes around comes back around; Tina Certain, a self-proclaimed “community baby” was elected as a member of the Alachua County school board with the help of her lifelong friends and family. Born and raised in Gainesville, Florida, Certain has relied on her family members — like her grandmother and uncle — and close family friends for love and support while she was growing up.

A first generation college graduate, Certain earned her Bachelor’s degree in accounting, then worked with the Alachua County local government in certified management accounting for 23 years. As a mother of two, with a husband who also works full-time as a law enforcement officer, Certain had her hands full trying to balance her professional and personal life. She decided to switch to working parttime so that she could be more involved with her kids’ lives and be able to support them with their extracurricular activities.

As a part-time employee and full-time mother, Certain noted that she began to notice that, though it had nothing to do with their intellect or capabilities, her children and their peers were not excelling in their academics. She started researching and looking closely at the academic disparities in Alachua County, and was not happy with what she saw.

She became a part of a loose knit group of concerned parents, referring to themselves as the “Alachua Education Task Force,” which was a workshop of about 35 people. Four of them, including Certain, were incredibly passionate about the disparities they saw in their county and wanted to do more to justify them. The four of them broke off into their own, separate group and joined the Gainesville For All initiative, which dealt with disparities in education, housing and employment in Alachua County. Though Certain and her group members faced many challenges and were met with opposition from parents who did not believe the school district cared about the issues they raised, she wanted to prove them wrong. She decided, in 2018, to run to become a member of the Alachua County school board, stating that, no matter what they had to do, “[the board] will listen to us!”

Though the odds were stacked against her, as she was not an educator nor had a degree in education, she was a concerned parent who cared deeply for her children, their future, and the future of the children in her community. The love she has for the county where she and her children were born and raised, along with the support from her community members, motivated her to persevere through her campaign. Because she was not already affiliated with the Alachua County School System, she had an advantage over her competitors, as she provided new insights, a different vision, and a fresh perspective to the School Board. Though she had this advantage, she still relied on her campaign team for help so that she could enroll in training courses and learn the best tactics to win this seat.

Her neighbor and lifelong friend, Brenda Brooks, was a major volunteer on her campaign team; she helped take care of Certain as she was growing up and has always wanted her to succeed. Brooks helped bridge the gap between the voters and Certain by referring to her by childhood nickname, “Sam,” which helped her appeal more to her community and earn more votes. Her guidance and help with Certain’s campaign was priceless and further illustrates how her success was a community effort.

Certain’s story is not just about a Gainesville native who defeated the odds and was elected as a School Board member, it is a story about an entire community — filled with generations of friends and family members — who worked together during this election, and are now being represented on the Board by Certain. She may be on the Board, but their influence, wisdom, and power shine through her. She was raised to believe that she can do anything that she puts her mind towards, and the support from her community helped lead her to this victory. They knew her as a child, helped bring her up, then helped her win this election; now that she is on the Board, Certain can continue giving back to her community by paving the way for more young professionals to be successful like her. She has served on the Alachua County school board for 2 years now and is continuing to accomplish her goals by establishing reformations in the school system.