Charles (Chuck) Vilardi has been an administrator in Lee County for 24 years and he is beginning his 31st year with the Lee County School District. He was voted “Principal of the Year” by the Teachers Association of Lee County in 2023 and by the Lee County School Counselors Association in 2009. He was formerly the Principal at The Sanibel School for four years. He led the Sanibel School to be a Florida School of Excellence. He also started the highly recognized STEM program at The Sanibel School. He also served as a Principal Lead for four years. Previously he served as the Principal of Skyline Elementary for nine years and led Skyline to become a National Model School of Excellence. Prior to that he served as Principal of Pine Island Elementary for four years and worked as the Assistant Principal at North Fort Myers Academy of the Arts K-8 School . In 2018 Mr. Vilardi was nominated by the Lee County School district and was accepted into the Dr. Brian Dassler Leadership Academy. Mr. Vilardi was named “Teacher of the Year” in 1993 and was also named a “Teacher of Distinction” and “Outstanding Young Man of America” in 1998. He is married to his beautiful wife Leslie who is a teacher at Caloosa Elementary School. He is the proud father of two children, Carly and Nicholas. In his spare time he likes to go boating and travel. He is thrilled to be a part of Diplomat Elementary School Family and looks forward to many exciting years ahead!
Mrs. Edwards spent her childhood growing up in Minnesota and helping her mom run a children’s entertainment company. It was this experience that motivated her to pursue a career in education. She moved to Florida to attend Florida Gulf Coast University and eventually earned a master’s in Educational Leadership. She taught for 14 years at Diplomat before going into administration. She was the Teacher on Assignment for two years before being offered the Assistant Principal position at Diplomat Elementary.
Mrs. Edwards is honored to be a member of a Quality School that focuses on the whole child, not only through academics but also socially and emotionally. She believes Diplomat’s mission, to develop dedicated and responsible learners, and respectful and compassionate individuals, is important to our future community and our competitive world. In her spare time, Mrs. Edwards enjoys traveling, reading, and spending time with family.