Rita Ferrandino

Rita Ferrandino (born February 17, 1963) is an American businesswoman in the education publishing industry. She is also ACTIVE in Democratic politics, serving as the chair of the Sarasota County Democratic Party since 2007.

Early Life and Education

Ferrandino was born on February 17, 1963 in Reading, Pennsylvania. The daughter of Italian immigrants, Ferrandino grew up in Reading, Pennsylvania. She attended Pennsylvania State University, earning a BS in business management in 1985 and a MBA in 1997.

Business career

Currently the CEO at Chicago Educational Publishing Company and a founding partner of Arc Capital Development, Ferrandino previously served as a senior partner at KnowledgeQuest Education Group and held positions at Technotects, Thompson Publishing, and Addison Wesley Longman Publishing, a Pearson Education company., Since 2007, she has served as the executive director of the Elementary Science Coalition, a group of educators, educational publishing companies and corporations focused on improving elementary science education and building a stronger scientific workforce through lobbying efforts and public outreach. Ferrandino has been a board member since 2008 for education companies Ultralingua and Teacher2Teacher. She sits on the government relations committee for the Association of Educational Publishers.

Political Involvement

Ferrandino moved to Sarasota, Florida in 2004. As a lifelong Democrat, she soon became involved with the local party and in 2007, was elected by unanimous consent as the chair of the Sarasota County Democratic Party. Ferrandino was also elected as a delegate to the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver, Colorado. The New York Times featured Ferrandino as one of its highlighted delegates for a video interview series. Since becoming the Sarasota County Democratic Party chair, Ferrandino has become increasingly recognized as an expert in area politics. She appears frequently as a guest on Florida This Week, a public affairs program airing on WEDU, the PBS affiliate in Tampa, Florida. Ferrandino has also been featured as a guest columnist in the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. She has been profiled in several publications, including a January 1, 2008 Sarasota Herald-Tribune article, “Eight to Watch in 2008,” an April 2009 SRQ Magazine cover story entitled “Fighting Nice,” and a November 9, 2008 Sarasota Herald-Tribune story, “Leading A Party Toward Renewal.” Ferrandino continues to serve as the party chair and is actively participating in the 2012 election. Ferrandino again served as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention and also served as one of Florida's 29 {{Electoral College]] electors.In December 2012, Ferrandino was again re-elected as the chair of the Sarasota County Democratic Party for another two-year term.