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Civic & Community | | Education: The Key To Our Future | W.C. Gentry and his wife Susan are graduates of the Duval County public school system. Mr. Gentry was a high school teacher and coach before entering law school. He has participated in many capacities both locally and on the state level to enhance the quality of the public school system. He presently devotes much of his time to public interest matters involving education. His most signifigant recent work includes the following:
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| Research |  W.C. Gentry was appointed to the State of Florida Council on Education Policy, Research and Improvement (CEPRI) in 2002 by Governor Jeb Bush, where he was involved in research and development of numerous education policy papers, including analysis of class size reduction, state expenditures for teacher training and recommendations for career and professional education. He served as Chairman of CEPRI in 2004 & 2005.
| | Education Appropriations |  From 2004 to 2007, Mr. Gentry served as pro bono counsel to the Florida Senate and successfully defended education appropriations which were more equitable to Duval County and northeast Florida. In 2006, he worked with legislative leaders and staff in addressing co-teaching and class size reduction issues. For the last several years, he has provided assistance in various matters as pro bono and legislative counsel to the Duval County School Board.
| | Teacher and Principal Training & Support |  W.C. Gentry is a founding board member of the Schultz Center for Teaching and Leadership which opened a state-of-the-art professional development center in 2001. He presently serves as Chairman of the Board. The Schultz Center is dedicated to supporting local teachers and principals and providing the tools they need to teach our students to the highest level of achievement. The Center has been recognized as one of the leading Professional Development Academies in the nation.
| | Community Leadership for Education | W.C. Gentry is on the Board of the Alliance for World Class Education which was established by local business leaders to support and enhance public education. In December 2007, Mayor John Peyton appointed Mr. Gentry to chair the Education Subcommittee of The Jacksonville Journey, a countywide initiative to address crime and associated community issues. Over one-third of teenage juvenile offenders read at or below the fourth grade level and a signifigant majority of felons are dropouts. The Education Subcommittee is tasked with identifying specific actions and initiatives that can be brought to bear to expedite education reforms essential to giving our children the tools they need for a productive future.
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Environmental & Governmental Impact |  In 1987-88, Mr. Gentry served as pro bono special counsel to the Mayor of Jacksonville and as an Assistant State Attorney on environmental matters. In those capacities, he assisted in drafting modern rules and regulations to control air and odor pollution and was instrumental in helping resolve the City of Jacksonville's odor problem.
Subsequently, he served as Chairman of the Ethics Commission of the City of Jacksonville and oversaw development of the commission's guidelines and operation procedures.
| | Fighting Big Tobacco |  From 1995 to 1998, W.C. Gentry was a lead attorney for the State of Florida in landmark litigation against the Tobacco Industry. The Florida case not only resulted in a multibillion dollar settlement with Big Tobacco, but establised protections against youth smoking and placed major restrictions on tobacco advertising. The Florida decision was a major catalyst for a national settlement that was based on the Flordia model.
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For Information & Client Assistance - | 904-356-4100
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