MEET CHRIS
Teacher • Coach • Executive • Education Leader
Chris Taylor (Coach Taylor) is an educator, executive, and longtime education leader in Hillsborough County.
He began his career as a classroom teacher and coach in Florida public schools, where he spent more than a decade teaching AP Government, AP Macroeconomics, and American History while mentoring students both in the classroom and on the athletic field. He later served in school leadership roles as a School/Community Specialist and Human Relations Specialist, helping strengthen partnerships between schools, families, and communities.
Chris has also built a career in entrepreneurship and executive leadership. He has founded companies in commercial real estate finance, managed complex budgets, negotiated contracts, and served on and chaired multiple structured boards.
He currently serves as a senior executive at a NASDAQ-listed public company headquartered in Tampa and was part of the leadership team that guided the company through its public offering. Last year he was asked to join the advisory board of Lindell Investments, a prominent Tampa-based investment firm managing hundreds of millions in assets.
Chris has also chaired several of Hillsborough County’s most impactful education organizations, including the Hillsborough Education Foundation and the Hillsborough Community College Foundation. He currently serves as Chairman of the William Gregory Jr. Foundation, Co-Chair of the USF College of Education Dean’s Advisory Board, The USF Stavros Advisory Board, and multiple advisory boards and committees supporting Hillsborough College.
Chris brings a combination of experience rarely found in public education leadership: classroom experience in our public schools, executive leadership at a publicly traded company, entrepreneurial experience building businesses, and years of governance leading education-focused institutions.
What sets Chris apart is his unique perspective. He understands our schools from the inside as a teacher and mentor, and he brings the leadership experience needed to help guide a large and complex school system.