FLORIDA TRADE ACADEMY HIRES CHIEF ACADEMIC OFFICER

Lynette Barcewicz Brings Over Two Decades of Experience in Academia and Helping Students Succeed 

(Tampa, FL) March 7, 2023 – Florida Trade Academy (FTA), a groundbreaking program offering trade education programs for career seekers and job changers, has named longtime higher education leader, Lynette Barcewicz as its first Chief Academic Officer. In this newly created role, Barcewicz is helping advance FTA’s mission to close the skills gap that has become increasingly prevalent in the U.S. and to become a reliable resource for talent at a time when millions of jobs remain unfilled. 

Prior to joining FTA, Barcewicz has been in adult education for 23 years. Most recently, she served as the Academic Dean for Rasmussen University for 10 years where she excelled in faculty and student development. Over the years, she built successful partnerships with internal and external stakeholders to deliver quality results to her students and educational institution. Barcewicz has served on the Greater Brandon Chamber of Commerce’s Board of Directors and in 2021, she was awarded the Leadership Brandon Impact Award.

“I am passionate about helping students succeed and building teams in higher education. I am grateful for the opportunity to join FTA and their powerhouse team of leaders who provide an educational pathway to a successful trade career.” Said Barcewicz

Barcewicz will be responsible for defining and implementing FTA’s learning strategy as well as measuring its impact. In addition, Barcewicz will be focusing on deepening FTA’s relationships with faculty and instructors, including working with FTA’s Academic Advisory Board, a group of senior academic and non-profit leaders who provide guidance to help the company better understand and respond to the needs and challenges of today’s educators. 

Florida Trade Academy was the inspiration of Chris Pello, an educator, community leader and a school operations specialist. For over 35 years, Chris has been involved in education as a principal, athletic director, high school coach, teacher, and community leader. Over the last 20 years, Chris has also successfully founded and operated four private schools in Hillsborough County Florida, now serving over 400 students in grades K-12 with 85 employees. 

Chris knew that if FTA was going to be successful, he needed to recruit some major players in the community. Chris tapped Chuck Burgess, CEO of High 5, Inc. a community sports and recreation facility and Jeffrey Stone, a successful entrepreneur, as Co-Founders. Now, adding Lynette Barcewicz as Chief Academic Officer, FTA will be adding more years of knowledge and experience to their students and employment partners. 

“We are thrilled Lynette has joined the FTA team during this pivotal time of building out our program in Tampa Bay and other Florida regions. She has extensive leadership experience bridging the worlds of academia and online learning, and we are confident that her experience and forward-looking insights will help us deliver on our promise to provide students with the tools and services they need to succeed.” Said FTA’s CEO, Chris Pello.