“I have a vested interest”
Family
- Married to Maria (Guidy) for 25 years with seven children; 4 children enrolled in Santa Rosa County Schools. Ages range from 8 to 17. Father of 3 valedictorian graduates.
- Extended family has been involved in Santa Rosa County education for the past 50 years
Experience
- 16 years in private industry
- 10 years high school educator in Santa Rosa County
- 12 years in private industry medical sales
- School Advisory Council member and secretary at Hobbs Middle School
- City of Milton Community Center Sports Authority Committee member
- Church Sunday School teacher
- Church Royal Ambassador Director
Education
- B.S. University of Florida in Animal Science
- B.S. University of Florida in Building Construction
Joe was born in Coral Gables Florida in 1963. His father, Dr. James Pool, moved the family and his veterinary practice to Hollywood, Florida in 1971 where Joe grew up and graduated from Hollywood Hills High School. In high school he lettered in Cross Country, Swimming, and Golf. He held several student government offices and graduated in 1981. After attending the University of Florida where he received two bachelors’ degrees, Joe worked at the Shands Teaching Hospital at the University of Florida as a research biologist. It was in Gainesville that a friend (soon to be cousin in-law) introduced Joe to a lovely lady, Maria Guidy (soon to be wife), who was visiting for the weekends’ home football game, Florida vs. Kentucky.
The family joke is that Joe really did not want to meet Maria. However, Joe soon moved to Milton, Florida. In 1990, he married Maria and they both began teaching at a local high school. As a high school teacher, Joe taught Chemistry and Computer Assisted Drafting (CAD). He taught a wide variety of classes during his high school tenure. These included Honors Chemistry and Environmental Science as well as High School Competency Test (HSCT) prep classes. His CAD classes (if taken for four years) satisfied entry-level requirements for CAD classes at the college level. The CAD curriculum encompassed architectural renderings, residential model building, and mechanical drawing. At times there were 2-3 levels of students in one classroom working at either drafting tables or PC workstations. He also coached the boys’ and girls’ golf teams who competed successfully at the district and state levels.
In 2000, Maria was carrying their 5th child (4th boy) and had been a full time stay at home mom for several years. At that time Joe decided after 10 years of teaching to change careers and move into medical sales. He has been in the medical sales industry for the past 12 years and conducts most of his business in the North Florida region. He thoroughly enjoyed his high school teaching career and believes his work experiences in the public and private sector have prepared him to be the best choice for the Santa Rosa County School Board District 2 position.
He is very active within his church as a Sunday school teacher and Royal Ambassador director. He has also coached soccer and baseball teams too numerous to count. He now has seven children, six boys and one girl; four of them are currently enrolled in the Santa Rosa school system. Their ages range from 8 to 17.
This is why he believes “I have a vested interest” in becoming your School Board member.