Lisa A. Davis

Lisa A. Davis, a Massachusetts native, cut her journalistic teeth in the Boston market as a student reporter for The Boston Globe and moved to the Tampa Bay area in 1994, where she continued her nearly 20-year career. For more than a decade, she covered crime, courts and local government for The Tampa Tribune, and most recently was a correspondent for the Tampa Bay Times (formerly the St. Petersburg Times). She joined Step Up For Students, a nonprofit that oversees the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship program for low-income children, in May 2012 as the public relations manager and chief storyteller.

09/04/15 | Lisa A. Davis

Moving to a smaller school environment made all the difference

Adrienne Cirino’s children started their formal education at their neighborhood school, but soon her son started shying away from kindergarten and her daughter had days where she was ducking desks...

03/26/15 | Lisa A. Davis

School choice scholarship gives FL family more nurturing options

After looking at the school options for her firstborn, Benjamin, Autumn Nelson of Yalaha in Lake County, didn’t like what she saw. “We wanted an environment that was really nurturing...

02/21/14 | Lisa A. Davis

School choice scholarship ensures he doesn’t get lost in a crowd

Editor’s note: As we point out often, this blog is co-hosted by Step Up For Students, which administers Florida’s tax credit scholarship program for low-income students. Step Up periodically profiles students...

09/18/13 | Lisa A. Davis

Scholarship student & dad overcome struggles, graduate together

On graduation day 2013 for Franklin Academy in Tallahassee, the sanctuary at Tabernacle Missionary Baptist Church was packed with 1,500 guests who came to support the small private school’s 24...

06/21/13 | Lisa A. Davis

School “voucher” lifts father and son

Orlando Garcia never imagined he’d be a single father, and his friends didn’t think he could handle it. When his buddies asked him how he could take care of his...

04/12/13 | Lisa A. Davis

Florida ‘voucher’ student works hard on and off the field

While most young men who play high school football dream about making it to the pros, Kevin Kelly knows that it’s highly unlikely he’ll make it to the NFL. “I...

03/21/13 | Lisa A. Davis

Thanks to school choice, “the boys are getting what they need”

Isaiah Vargas entered the world addicted to drugs. As the toxins were purged from his tiny body in the hospital, he had repeated seizures and fought to stay alive. His...

02/01/13 | Lisa A. Davis

Step Up student critically injured; family needs help with medical bills

The first and only time I met Onicka Patterson was in May 2012, during a Step Up For Students donor event. She was one of 22 kindergartners and first-graders from...

01/31/13 | Lisa A. Davis

Thanks to “voucher,” girl and great-grandma find a school that’s like family

Editor’s note: Every month, Step Up For Students – which co-hosts this blog – profiles a family that benefits from Florida’s tax credit scholarship program. Here’s the latest: Vivian Calhoun is...

11/30/12 | Lisa A. Davis

Private school “vouchers” give siblings fresh start, new foundation

Editor’s note: Every month, Step Up For Students profiles a family that benefits from Florida’s tax credit scholarship program. This month it’s the Jenkins family of Tampa. Sharla and Donald Jenkins...

09/28/12 | Lisa A. Davis

‘It was always my dream to put my kids through private education’

Editor’s note: Behind all the debate, real kids benefit from school choice, whether it’s a voucher, a tax credit scholarship, a charter school or a more traditional public school choice option...

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Lisa A. Davis