Elizabeth Sembler has served on the board of WEDU in Tampa, Florida since 1993. She was elected Chairman of the Board in 2001 and served in that role until 2003. Under her leadership, WEDU recruited a new CEO and launched its successful capital campaign for digital conversion. Elizabeth plays an active role on the WEDU board as chair of its Legislative Affairs Committee and has participated several times in APTS’ Capitol Hill Day. As a member of the Republican Jewish Coalition, Elizabeth has organized political fundraisers in the Tampa Bay area for several former U.S. Senators and Representatives.

Elizabeth is the Director of Jewish Studies at Pinellas County Jewish Day School, an elementary and middle school, a position that she has held since 2001. Elizabeth has been a leader in the Tampa Bay community since she moved to Florida from her native New York twenty years ago. Last year, she was elected to the Board of Overseers of the William Davidson Graduate School at the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York. She and her husband will be awarded the prestigious Shin Award from the Seminary for their commitment to Jewish life as shown through their service to their community, synagogue, and the seminary.

After earning a degree in political science and journalism from Syracuse University, Elizabeth went on to receive her Masters degree in English from the University of South Florida. While at USF, she worked as a graduate student teaching English. She was also a staff writer for the St. Petersburg Times.