Sylvia Schultz is the director of education at the Supervisor of Elections Office.
HOW LONG HAS SHE BEEN WITH SUPERVISOR OF ELECTIONS OFFICE?
“I started in October 2001. I had always been interested in politics, so when I heard that they were starting an education department, I applied for the job.” Before that, Schultz was the director of a Head Start program and also had the opportunity to work with disabled children when she was the director of Easter Seals in Jacksonville.
WHAT DOES SHE DO?
“When I first started, there were only three of us in the education department. And we were primarily used to educate the voters about how the election systems works. In the fall, we expanded to include poll worker training, staffing and management.”
WHERE SHE’S FROM?
Schultz hails from Minnesota. So what brought her to Jacksonville? “It’s not the weather; that’s what most people think. I really just wanted my children to grow up around more diversity.” Her daughter runs an English language school in the Czech Republic and her son works with disabled children.
WHAT DOES SHE ENJOY MOST ABOUT THE JOB?
“My favorite part is being able to work with so many different people, especially the clerks and poll workers who are so dedicated their jobs. I really love working here.”
JOB STRESS.
“My job can get stressful because we always need to be concerned with staffing. Plus, I’m a perfectionist and we don’t always have the time to do everything exactly how we would like to.”
IN HER SPARE TIME
“I love to kayak. I also love to read and to bead. Those are my big three.”
COMMON MISCONCEPTION.
“A lot of people think that we’re only working when there is an election. They don’t understand that we’re always getting ready for the next one down the line. Preparation is very important. We’re constantly training and recruiting and continuing our voter registration efforts. There is so much that people don’t know about the election process.”
HOW LONG DOES SHE PLAN TO STAY?
“I’ll be around as long as they’ll have me or until I get tired of it, whichever happens first. I already thought I retired once, so you never know. Right now, it’s just really exciting to see Jacksonville grow in so many ways.”
— by J. Brooks Terry