Meet School Board Members
Meet the School Board Members
Thomas Kennedy has proudly served on the Citrus County School Board since first being elected in 2010, with subsequent reelections in 2014, 2018, 2022, and 2026. Over the years, his colleagues have entrusted him to serve as Chairman of the School Board during the 2013–2014, 2014–2015, 2018–2019, and 2023–2024 school years.
Thomas relocated to Citrus County, Florida, in 1989 from Stoneham, Massachusetts. In 1990, while volunteering at Crystal River Middle School, he met his wife, who had just begun teaching at CRMS. Married for more than 34 years, Thomas and his wife have made their home in the Central Ridge area of Citrus County and have two children who have spent their entire academic careers in Citrus County public schools. Their daughter graduated from Florida Southern College with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), works as a registered nurse and nurse instructor at FSC, and is pursuing a master's degree in nursing at the University of Central Florida (UCF). Their son graduated from the Florida Institute of Technology in May 2021 with a degree in Chemical Engineering and later earned an MBA from the University of Florida's Warrington College of Business. He currently works for an aerospace company.
Throughout his tenure on the Citrus County School Board, Thomas has represented the community, district, staff, parents, and students through his service on numerous committees and organizations. These have included, but are not limited to, the ESE/START Committee, Pupil Progression Plan for High Schools Committee, High School Directions Committee, District Technology Committee, District Technology Directions Committee, and various Pupil Progression Plan committees. In addition to his elected service, Thomas has maintained a longstanding commitment to community involvement. He currently serves with the Citrus County Education Foundation, LifeSouth Community Foundation, Citrus County Coalition for College and Careers, and Sun Coast Swim Team. He is also a certified USA Swimming coach, working with children and young athletes outside the classroom.
A passionate advocate for Career and Technical Education (CTE), Thomas strongly believes in preparing students with real-world skills that align with workforce and industry needs. During his tenure on the School Board, he has been proud to help lead the largest expansion of CTE programs in Citrus County Schools' history. These pathways allow students to earn industry certifications, gain hands-on experience, and explore career opportunities, whether they choose to enter the workforce, pursue higher education, serve in the military, or combine multiple pathways after graduation.
Thomas's service has been recognized at the community, state, and national levels. In 2018, he received the Florida STAR School Board Member of the Year Award from the Consortium of Florida Education Foundations, the only statewide award of its kind for school board members. In June 2021, he was honored with the Phil Royal Legacy Foundation's Heart of Gold Award for community service. In August 2023, he received the Florida School Boards Association Bridge Builder Award for fostering collaboration and turning challenges into opportunities. In May 2026, the Florida K–12 AI in Education Task Force, of which Thomas is a co-founder, received the State Policy Lab Torchbearer Award from the EDSAFE AI Alliance in recognition of its leadership in advancing responsible, student-centered AI integration in schools. In June 2026, he received the FSBA 2026 President's Award in recognition of his visionary leadership and efforts to advance AI literacy and innovation while preparing school board members, students, educators, and schools across Florida for the future.
Thomas maintains an active blog website about Citrus County Schools at ThomasTalks.
Citrus County has been Ken’s home for nearly 50 years, and his roots run deep here. He is a proud product of the Citrus County education system, as are both of his siblings and his young adult daughter.
Graduating with honors in 1984 from Crystal River High School, Ken discovered his passion for leadership and public service as the elected Student Government President. His educational journey continued through the United States Coast Guard Academy, culminating in a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from the University of South Florida, complemented by a Professional Engineer license.
Ken's professional trajectory included roles as Public Works Director, Assistant County Administrator, and a former division director with the Southwest Florida Water Management District. His tenure as the manager of the City of Crystal River, FL, was marked by overseeing impactful projects and reflected his commitment to community development.
Known for efficiently managing organizations and taxpayer funds, Ken's experiences have honed his skills in both public and private service. Actively contributing to numerous public and private boards, such as the Citrus County Chamber of Commerce, Citrus County Stakeholders Advisory Group, and the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council, he has been a cornerstone of community involvement.
As an executive manager and professional engineer, Ken excels at bringing people together to solve complex issues through creative thinking and consensus-building. He firmly believes in the paramount importance of providing children with a quality education and ensuring their safety. When elected he commits to dedicating his experience and leadership to benefit the community's most precious resource – our children.
Doug Dodd was born and raised in Inverness, Florida, attended public schools in Citrus County and graduated from Citrus High School in 1983. He went on to attend college at Florida Southern in Lakeland, Florida where he played on the men’s tennis team and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration.
In 1987, Doug was hired as a Deputy Sheriff with the Citrus County Sheriff’s Office. He served ten years in the role of School Resource Officer and had assignments at Lecanto High School, Lecanto Middle School, Citrus High School, and Inverness Middle School. He was awarded the Citrus County Chamber of Commerce Service to Youth award in 1997 for his work in teaching and coaching students.
During his 26-year career in law enforcement, Doug was promoted through the ranks at the Sheriff’s Office obtaining the rank of Captain. He has experience in public budgeting, finance, and strategic planning and has knowledge of personnel matters from serving as the Human Resources Director at the Sheriff’s Office. He was tasked with agency accreditation and helped lead the Sheriff’s Office to state and national accreditation status in 2007, 2010, and 2013. In his work as the director of the Sheriff’s Citizens’ Academy he saw over 2000 Citrus County residents graduate from the program, and he even developed and implemented a high school Citizens’ Academy class. He has also been an instructor for the Criminal Justice Academy at Withlacoochee Technical College.
Doug considers himself to be a life-long learner and knows the importance of education. He received a second Bachelor’s degree, this one in Criminal Justice from St. Leo University, and he completed his Master’s degree in Education at the University of Southern Mississippi. He is a 2001 graduate of Leadership Citrus and a 2003 graduate of the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Virginia.
Doug has been active in the community and in his church. He coached high school tennis for ten years and has coached girls’ volleyball and softball as well as boys’ Little League baseball and Upward basketball. Doug volunteers at Fort Cooper State Park, served four years as President of the Friends of Fort Cooper, and has over 2200 hours of volunteer service with the Florida State Park system. He has been the President of the Florida Sheriff’s Caruth Camp Board of Associates and was Treasurer of the Florida Association of School Resource Officers. He has worked on the board of Youth Leadership Citrus and has been an integral part of the student ministry at his church. Doug has been married thirty-five years and has four children, all of whom have graduated from Citrus High School.
Doug was elected to the School Board by winning the primary election in August, 2014 and took office in November, 2014. In December, 2016, Doug was recognized by the Florida School Boards Association for becoming a Certified Board Member after completing extensive training in boardsmanship, school finance, policy governance, and personnel issues. He has served twice as Chairman of the School Board (2017-18 and 2022-23) and twice as Vice-Chairman of the School Board (2016-17 and 2021-2022.)
In 2018, Doug was appointed as one of the sixteen commissioners of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Public Safety Commission and tasked with making statewide recommendations on how to improve school safety and security. He actively works to provide safe schools at the local level and to promote school safety legislation and funding at the state level. In June, 2023 he was recognized with the “Excellence in Education School Safety Award” at the school board conference in Tampa.
Doug served as the 2021-22 President of the Board of Directors for the Florida High School Athletic Association and completed six years on the FHSAA Board in 2023. He was Chairman of the Board of Trustees for HCA Florida Citrus Hospital for five years and served a total of nine years on the hospital board finishing at the end of 2023. Doug served four years on the Citrus County Value Adjustment Board and currently serves on the boards of the Phil Royal Legacy, the Gold Shield Foundation, and the Friends of Fort Cooper.
Doug was successful in winning his second and third terms on the Citrus County School Board running unopposed in 2018 and 2022.
Sandy Counts has lived in Citrus County, more specifically in Homosassa, since 1973. She was raised in Pinellas County. She received an Associate Arts degree from St. Petersburg Junior College, and a Bachelor of Arts in English/Speech Education from the University of South Florida.
Sandy retired in May, 2015 after twenty eight years in secondary classrooms. She taught English I, II, and III at every level. Additionally, she taught speech, drama, creative writing, and FCAT testing strategies classes. She also coached high school swim and dive teams for twenty five years at Maynard Evans High School in Orlando and at Crystal River High School.
Sandy still holds an active real estate broker's license. She owned and operated Crystal River Real Estate and the first RE/MAX franchise in Crystal River before returning to the classroom in 1993.
She ran her first political campaign and was elected to Citrus County School Board District 4 November 8, 2016.
Born in New York, NY, in August 1966, Joseph Faherty attended the Oceanside School District, graduating in 1984. Immediately following high school, he attended Nassau Community College, earning an AS degree, before going on to receive a BS degree in Behavioral Science with a minor in Criminal Justice from NYIT.
He moved to Citrus County in March 1990 and began working at Eckerd Youth Challenge, a residential facility for adjudicated delinquents. In 1993, he became a Community Education Specialist with Youth and Family Alternatives, and in 1994, he accepted a position as a Juvenile Probation Officer with the Department of Juvenile Justice. While conducting home and school visits for delinquent youth, he worked closely with School Resource Officers, which inspired him to attend the Law Enforcement Academy at WTI (now WTC).
After graduating, he was offered and accepted a position with the Citrus County Sheriff’s Office. He served 24 years as a deputy sheriff, spending over 22 years as a school resource officer.
In his personal time, Joseph and his wife spend much of their time off with their grandson, as well as volunteering and attending community events.