Sr. Magda Elkadi Saleh is entering her 31st year as an Islamic School administrator. She headed both Universal Academy of Florida (UAF) and American Youth Academy (AYA) in Tampa for 11 years each. She led both schools through two successful accreditation visits and gained IB Diploma School authorization for AYA. She is currently Head of School at Bayaan Academy, an innovative school focusing on achieving excellence in both Arabic/Qur’an/Islamic Studies and Academics.

Heading schools, Sr. Magda Elkadi Saleh spearheads and oversees Strategic Planning, Marketing & Fundraising, the development of new programs within the school, training teachers and other administrators and building relationships with other schools and organizations in the region.

Sr. Magda has been consulting with Islamic schools and with communities contemplating opening Islamic schools since 1998 and served on accreditation evaluation teams for both FCIS and AdvancEd from 2009 – 2015.

In 2014, Sr. Magda became President of Radiant Hands, a non-profit, social services organization, whose mission is to help empower women and families in the community, who are facing various struggles in their lives and are in need of education, counseling and/or financial assistance. In October 2015, Radiant Hands took on the additional task of serving refugees coming to Tampa Bay from Muslim or Arabic-speaking countries.

She has been and continues to be involved in community activities and sees it as her personal goal to empower others to reach their utmost potentials and help raise people’s awareness of and increase their knowledge about Islam and how much Islam truly values humanitarian work and service to all.

Andy was elected to the City Council in 2016 and served as Vice Mayor in 2019 and Acting Mayor in 2020. He was elected Mayor in November 2020 and re-elected in 2024. Prior to his elected service, he chaired the Municipal Code Enforcement Board and the River Watch Task Force.

As an elected official, he formerly served as the Vice-Chair of the Hillsborough River Inter-Local Planning Board and currently serves as Chair of The Hillsborough County Transportation Planning Organization, Chair of the Suncoast Transportation Planning Alliance's TMA Leadership Group, the Tourism Development Council, both the Fire and Police Pension Boards and represents the city on the Tampa-Bay Economic Development Council and Visit Tampa Bay Advisory Board. He is also active with the Florida League of Mayors and the Florida League of Cities and is President of the Suncoast League of Cities. Additionally, he is a Life Member of the USF Alumni Association, a member of the USF Club, and several other professional and civic organizations.

Before being an elected official, Mayor Ross served in law enforcement, retiring as a Captain from the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office, followed by service as the Deputy Chief of Police at Tampa International Airport and as president of a security consulting firm. He obtained his B.A. and M.A. from Saint Leo University and completed a graduate program at the University of Louisville's Southern Police Institute. Mayor Ross and his wife Meg have three children. 

Biographical Information

City of Residence:   Tampa
Occupation:  Attorney
Education:  Harvard University, BA, cum laude, Government, Citation in Spanish, Undergraduate Council, KUUMBA Singers, Women's Leadership Project, 1997-2001; Georgetown University Law Center, JD, Innocence Project, Student Bar Association, Moot Court, American Constitution Society, 2001-2004
Born:  March 3 Winter Haven FL
Religious Affiliation:  Protestant
Recreational Interest:  cooking, reading, spending time with family, travel

Legislative Service

Elected to the Florida House of Representatives in 2018, reelected subsequently
Minority Leader, 2022-2024
House Democratic Policy Chair, 2020-2022

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