[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 32 (Tuesday, February 17, 2026)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E140-E141]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  HONORING DR. CHUNDRA L. EVENS AS A DISTINGUISHED LEADER IN CENTRAL 
                    FLORIDA FOR BLACK HISTORY MONTH

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. DARREN SOTO

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, February 17, 2026

  Mr. SOTO. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor Dr. Chundra L. Evens, a 
distinguished educational leader, pastor, and community advocate whose 
career reflects a deep commitment to excellence, service, and 
transformative leadership.
  After serving five years as the principal of Osceola County School 
for the Arts, she made history in March 2020 as the first African 
American appointed to the position of Assistant Superintendent in the 
High School Division of the School District of Osceola County in 
Kissimmee, Florida. A highly credentialed educator, Dr. Evens is 
certified in K-12 and holds specialized certifications in Exceptional 
Student Education, ESOL, Reading, Educational Leadership, and School 
Principal. Her professional journey is enriched by earlier experience 
in correctional probation and the performing arts.
  She attended Florida A&M University as a member of the Marching 100 
and later earned a bachelor's in political science from the University 
of Central Florida. She completed both her master's and Doctor of 
Education in educational leadership at National Louis University. Dr. 
Evens has received numerous prestigious recognitions, including the 
Harvard University Extension School Strategic Leadership Program and 
the National Institute for School Leadership Executive Development 
Program. Her honors include the Florida Department of Education 
Outstanding Assistant Principal Achievement Award; Secondary Literacy 
Administrator of the Year; Distinguished Minority Educator of the Year 
at both St. Cloud Middle and Zenith High; New Beginnings Education 
Center Teacher of the Year and SAC Distinguished Service Award; Council 
for Exceptional Children Middle School Teacher of the Year and 
Outstanding Rookie Teacher of the Year; and the district's 
Distinguished Minority Runner-Up Educator of the Year. She was also the 
first principal in the district to achieve Best and Brightest 
recognition and was named the 2019 Principal of the Year by Osceola 
Visionaries, Inc.
  Guided by her faith and inspired by Nelson Mandela's belief in 
education as a powerful

[[Page E141]]

tool for change, Dr. Evens actively serves her community as a Girl 
Scouts troop leader, volunteer with Give Kids the World, member of Tau 
Beta Sigma, and member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.
  A lifelong servant-leader within the church, she was ordained in 
December 2023 and now serves as senior co-pastor of Trinity Church 
Sebring Campus alongside her husband of nearly 30 years, Pastor 
Roderick L. Evens.

                          ____________________