Following the Blue Star Families presentation at the ABM and discussion of the Ought to be a Law Program in Hillsborough County Public Schools, Florida, which resulted in the passage of Florida House Bill 1255 related to Compact training, the Commission wants to highlight this impactful initiative.
Presenters
Leah Love
Leah Love serves as the Director of Brand Marketing and Community Engagement at Blue Star Families. In this role, Leah focuses on engaging external communities – individuals, organizations, and corporations – in connecting with and supporting military families in neighborhoods across the country. She works directly with external and internal stakeholders in leading Blue Star Welcome Week, supports additional branded campaigns and implements select corporate and community partnership agreements. Before her work supporting military families, Leah was a high school American History teacher and earned her BA Ed from the University of Michigan. Leah has been a military spouse for more than 20 years, her husband serving on active duty in the US Navy, and has two teenage sons. She currently resides in Jacksonville, FL.
Terry McCaffrey
Col Terrance J. McCaffrey, USAF (Ret), is currently serving as Director, Office of Military and Defense at the Florida Department of Commerce. In this position, he ensures Florida’s 20 major military installations are preserved and protected for more than 1.5 million veterans and families and guarantees more than $1.2B in statewide economic impact. Prior to this role, he served as the Senior Director of Operations, Civil Air Patrol National Headquarters, the Vice President of Military and Defense Programs at Enterprise Florida Inc. and performed duties with the State of Florida with Volunteer Florida, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. Col McCaffrey transitioned to state government and corporate work in 2014 after serving 30 years in the US Air Force.
Tony Pirotta
Tony Pirotta is a veteran social studies educator with nearly twenty years of service in Hillsborough County Public Schools. Since 2007, he has taught a wide range of secondary social studies courses, led PLC teams, mentored future teachers as a University of South Florida Clinical Instructor, and contributed to statewide civic education initiatives through the Florida Council for the Social Studies. Tony coordinates the district’s long‑standing Ought to Be a Law (OTBAL) program, originally introduced by legislators Kevin Ambler and Victor Crist, which he preserved when federal Project E.L.E.C.T. funding ended by securing School Board approval and personally financing the program for a decade. Under his leadership, OTBAL has enabled students to influence significant Florida legislation, including protections for certified homeless youth, strengthened penalties for authority‑figure misconduct, and the 2017 repeal of Florida’s “tampon tax.” Students have continued shaping policy with proposals supporting English Language Learners, expanding abuse‑reporting education for vulnerable and foster‑care youth, and—most recently—passing the Military Families School Transition Act (MIC3‑aligned) carried by then Senator, now Lt. Governor, Jay Collins. This year, OTBAL students filed a bill proposing a narrow evidentiary exception to Florida’s two‑party consent law for domestic‑violence cases. The program has now expanded to thirteen participating high schools.
To discuss the student civic engagement aspect of the program, please contact Tony at Tony.Pirotta@hcps.net.
Dr. Andrew Weatherill
Dr. Weatherill serves as the Director of the Student Support Services Project at the Florida Department of Education. Prior to becoming director, Dr. Weatherill served as the Project’s secondary school counseling consultant. Before coming to the Florida Department of Education, Dr. Weatherill served at the district level as supervisor of school counseling and as a school counselor in the Florida school system.