Meet the Board
president
Angela Artman-Scott
Angela Artman-Scott received her B.A. In Art with an emphasis in Art History. She is a working artist, as well as a full time Art Teacher for the last 24 years. Her specialty in art making would be considered Mixed media often having a vintage or antique feel to it. In class, she loves to incorporate periods from Art History, as well as specific cultures. It is her goal to awaken the love of the arts in her students through the experiences we all share. She also loves to travel to visit art in real life and has visited 10 countries so far! As a budding leader in this incredible organization, it is her goal to share fun and interesting lesson plans, learning engagements, art supplies and materials, as well as bring a sense of community to all of us out there.
Business Manager
PD coordinator
tessa Hippich
Tessa Hippich has loved art and teaching for as long as she can remember. She grew up in Ohio with a principal dad and a teacher mom and was surrounded by educators her whole life. She attended Liberty University in Virginia and graduated with her B.S. in Studio Art and a minor in graphic design. After graduation, she moved to Sarasota and fell in love with teaching middle school art. She previously was the VPA Fine Art teacher at Booker Middle School but is on a leave of absence to enjoy the young years with her son. Outside of teaching, she loves to travel with her family, watercolor paint, spend time on the lake and meet new people!
Elementary rep
Deb Gerardi
Dr. Gerardi's love for education is evident in her impressive academic journey, having earned four degrees: two bachelor's degrees from Ringling College of Art and the University of South Florida, a master's degree from USF, and a doctorate from Florida State University. She also attended the University of Florida before her time at Ringling College Art. Among these institutions, FSU stood out as her favorite due to its nurturing, family-like atmosphere within the art education program, where everyone genuinely cared for one another. With over 20 years of teaching experience, Dr. Gerardi has been a beloved member of the Lakeview Elementary community since 2002. Although she served as an associate professor at FSU, her passion for teaching elementary school art brought her back to Lakeview after completing her studies in Tallahassee. She takes pride in her son, Nick who was named classified employee of the year last year at Ashton Elementary. Dr. Gerardi shares her home with a Persian cat named Sophie and enjoys using clay as her favorite art supply. Always eager to learn, she is enthusiastic about exploring new art techniques.
Stephanie rischard
Stephanie is a Sarasota native and Ringling College graduate with a BFA in Digital Filmmaking. She has been a full time digital art teacher at Booker Middle since 2022. Outside of the classroom she enjoys spending time in nature, with a particular love for water activities. Stephanie is a member of a local dance troupe, enjoys spending time in her garden, and spoiling her two kitties at home.
Felicia desiano
High school rep
Felecia DeSiano is a VPA teacher at North Port High School. She was born and raised in New Jersey and moved to Florida almost 10 years ago. Felecia earned a BA in Fine Arts form Kean University. She is excited to share her love of art with her students and hopes to inspire them the same way her high school art teacher inspired her. Since she was a child, Felecia has always had a love for art and a passion for helping others. Felecia believes that the artistic process should be fun and stress-free, and that artistic creation can help provide an escape from the stressors of everyday life, especially for young adults. Felecia enjoys working with a variety of media including clay, acrylic and watercolor. She believes her job as an art teacher is the best job in the world and that she is fulfilling her purpose, daily. Felecia enjoys her time off spending time at the beach with her family. She loves cooking and feeding others. She travels as often as possible. Her favorite museums are the MOMA in NYC and the Dali Museum in St Petersburg.