Dr. Margaret Gunderson has 37 years of experience in public education—23 as a teacher and 14
as an administrator. Gunderson’s approach to leadership is patient, thorough, and transparent.
Upon arriving at Millennium Middle School, one parent says that Gunderson “took time to
quietly get to know the inner workings at Millennium before she implemented any changes.” She
then turned her focus to growing the school’s internal talent by making intentional hires, building
stronger PLCs, and developing more effective instruction through tailored professional
development for all teachers. With the help of a reinvigorated PBS, behavior referrals decreased,
while the development of collaborative data analysis practices have greatly improved academic
performance. Noticing that enrollment in advanced classes did not reflect Millennium’s diverse
student population, Gunderson spearheaded a summer-long effort to review students’ assessment
scores to re-enroll prepared students who had not opted into advanced classes. Ninety-five
percent of those students who were re-enrolled earned passing grades, and many have selfreported improved confidence in their ability to achieve academically. Gunderson has a proven
commitment to community service; she is an advisory board member for the Boys and Girls
Club of Sanford and has served as president and treasurer of the Seminole Association of School
Administrators. She holds an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership from the University of Central
Florida, an M.Ed. in Business Education, and a B.S. in Business Education from Trenton State
College.