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ABOUT US

      Our Vision

Provide information, leadership and guidance to the Florida military community and legislature promoting a partnership between higher educational institutions and government entities to ensure a quality higher education environment

      Our Mission

The Florida Advisory Council on Military Education (FL ACME) is a member-driven organization that serves as a liaison between Department of Defense, state and federal Departments of Veteran Affairs, and Florida based institutions of higher learning to promote, support, and deliver quality educational and professional opportunities for all Florida based military affiliated personnel by providing innovative and ethical provisions for higher educational institutions, government and state entities.  FL ACME advocates and promotes delivery of meaningful higher education and provides appropriate educational resources for all Florida military affiliated adult learners.

 

Other Goals

  • Provide a forum for the discussion of current issues and planning.

  • Review the concerns and problems brought before the Council and make recommendations to the appropriate agency or entity.

  • Encourage cooperative and coordinated efforts leading to improved functioning of the Council and more efficient and effective educational programming for military personnel.

ACME, while a Florida-based organization, has members from Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, and surrounding states. We welcome educators and officials regardless of location as long as they share our dedication to providing educational opportunities for members our nation's armed forces and their families -- active duty, reserve/guard, or retired.

The emphasis at all ACME workshops is on the exchange of ideas and information to better serve the educational pursuits of members of the military community. ALL are welcome at ACME!

ACME Executive Board

  • Savanah Lareva, President

  • Ryan Bauman, Vice President

  • Leo Damiron, Treasurer

  • Secretary - Loren Rovere

  • Aaron Hall, Past President

 

Savanah Lareva, President

Ms. Savanah Lareva has been a member of the FL ACME for 5 years. She currently serves as the Assistant Director of Military and Veteran Programs: Southeast at ECPI University. Savanah has worked for ECPI University for 5 years. She has a strong passion for helping our military community navigate their educational goals and ambitions and has worked in military higher education for the past 8 years.

Savanah has served as a military academic advisor, a VA certifying official, and a military outreach liaison prior to her current role. Her prior roles have given her the opportunity to see military education from many different lenses.  Savanah earned a bachelor’s degree in business with a minor in Education from Liberty University and has plans to start pursuing her MBA in the coming year.

Savanah is a proud Navy brat and has lived all over the United States. She is dog-mom to her chocolate lab named Lily.  In her time off Savanah enjoys golfing, hunting, fishing, and spending time with her dog on the beach.



 

Ryan Bauman, Vice President

Ryan Bauman is originally from Elgin, Illinois. He graduated from the University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana with a B.A. in History and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps through the Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps in 1999.

After completing all initial officer training, he was assigned as a Field Artillery Officer and reported to his first duty station, 5th Battalion, 11th Marines, Camp Pendleton, California, serving with the Battalion until 2003.

In 2020, Ryan moved to Jacksonville, Florida, and worked for Allied Universal Services before joining Western Governors University as a Southeast Region Strategic Partnerships Manager- Military outreach. Ryan has a passion for serving the military and Veteran communities as a lifetime member of the VFW, recent member of the Board of Directors for the First Coast Honor Flight, and watch-stander for Jacksonville-based, “The Firewatch”, promoting awareness of Veteran suicide prevention and resources.

Ryan is a graduate of the Marine Corps Command and Staff College. He also holds a Master’s Degree in Management and Leadership from Webster University.
           

 

Leo Damiron, Treasurer

Leo Damiron is a Military & Veteran Strategic Partnerships Manager at National University. In this role, he oversees National University’s military and veteran outreach activities in the southeastern U.S., pursues partnership opportunities with military- and veteran-affiliated organizations, and provides enrollment assistance to military and veteran students and their family members to empower them through higher education.

Prior to joining National University’s Military & VA Programs team in 2022, Leo honorably served in the U.S. Marine Corps for eight years. An Aviation Supply Specialist by trade, he held numerous leadership, management, and supervisory positions in the armed forces before devoting his life to workforce development efforts within the military and veteran population.

Leo holds a Bachelor of Arts in Creative Writing & English from Southern New Hampshire University. He currently serves as the Tampa Bay Chamber’s 2023 Military Advisory Committee (MAC) Chair.

Leo manages outreach activities in the following states: Florida, Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. By maximizing outreach, he continues to develop an extensive network of employers and resource providers who are intentional in their efforts to develop a well-rounded military talent engagement strategy. This network can then be leveraged into long-lasting partnerships that result in customizable, holistic higher education solutions and pathways for National University students from the point of enrollment through successful employment and retention.

 

Secretary, Loren Rovere

Loren Rovere has worked as a Military Education Senior Manager for American Military University since 2020. In September 2022, Loren relocated to Pensacola, FL from San Diego, CA to continue working with AMU students.  After Loren relocated to Pensacola she became the Secretary for FL ACME in hopes to better connect with the military community in Florida and serve military students. She is a student centric leader with over 10 years of experience working in higher education and with the military. Loren has a passion for education and doing what she can to help others and give back to the community.

Loren earned her B.A. from Arizona State University in Business with a Concentration in Communications and her M.A. in Education with a Concentration in Higher Education from Ashford University.

Outside of work, Loren enjoys spending time with her dog Gunnar, is an ASU Sun Devil football fan, and is enjoying exploring the south while being in Pensacola.

 

Aaron Hall, Past President

Aaron is in his fifth year as part of the Florida ACME Executive Board.  He is an Iraq War veteran of the Air Force, where he served as a Security Forces and Combat Arms Training and Maintenance Craftsman. Aaron completed his Associate degree in Criminal Justice from the Community College of the Air Force while on active duty, and upon separating from the Air Force Aaron completed his Bachelor's in History from Xavier University. Aaron credits his experience as an Active Duty student, and student veteran with his passion for helping fellow Service members and veterans pursue their education.  He currently serves as the Director of Military Student Success at Full Sail University.