For 25 years, Becky Elliott has been paying close attention to kids: what makes them feel safe, what causes them to shut down, and what happens when the adults in their lives have the right tools to support them.
As the new Chief Executive Officer of Frameworks of Tampa Bay, Becky brings decades of experience in classrooms and schools, a deep belief in the power of human connection, and a genuine passion for the work that shows in everything she does. She’s a Notre Dame and Northwestern alum, a former teacher and assistant principal, a competitive bridge player, and a proud mom of two daughters she raised to be kind before anything else.
We sat down with Becky to learn more about what brought her to Frameworks, what she believes about kids and our community, and what she hopes to set in motion in her first year as CEO.
The Story Behind the Role
Q: You spent 25 years as a teacher and assistant principal in schools across Tampa Bay. How does your experience in the classroom help you in your CEO role at Frameworks?
Becky: My many years as a teacher and assistant principal taught me something that continues to guide my work every day: kids learn best when they feel like they belong.
I know firsthand how hard it is to be a teacher and a school leader. There are always competing demands, limited resources, and never enough time. But I also learned that when we invest time in students’ emotional development, everything else becomes possible.
Children reach their full potential when they feel known, valued, and connected to a community. They need to feel safe enough to ask questions, take risks, make mistakes, and try again. They need trusted adults who see them, believe in them, and are there when they need support. They need consistency, predictability, and opportunities to build confidence and independence.
That’s why I am so passionate about emotional intelligence. When students learn to understand and manage their emotions, build healthy relationships, show empathy, and solve problems, they are better equipped for school and life.
As CEO of Frameworks, I bring both my experience and my heart to this work. I believe schools can intentionally create the conditions that help young people thrive. Supporting students’ social and emotional growth takes time, but it’s the most essential work that makes all the other learning possible.
Q: Most people know that emotional intelligence is a good thing, but many don’t see it as critical as academic success. What exactly is emotional intelligence, and why is it the sole focus of everything you do at Frameworks?
Becky: When people hear the term emotional intelligence, or EQ as it’s commonly referred to, they often think about being nice or getting along with others. Those things matter, but emotional intelligence is much bigger than that. It’s the set of critical skills necessary to navigate any emotion, conversation, or situation, no matter how difficult. Emotional intelligence is what enables us to understand and manage our feelings, build healthy relationships, make responsible decisions, show empathy, and navigate challenges effectively.
The reason emotional intelligence is the sole focus of our work at Frameworks is that EQ is the foundation for everything we want for young people. Think about what’s required to succeed in school: managing frustration when work is difficult, staying motivated, working with others, resolving conflicts, asking for help when needed, and bouncing back from mistakes. Those are emotional intelligence skills.
After years as a teacher and assistant principal, I came to see that academic success and emotional intelligence aren’t competing priorities. They’re deeply connected. The students who thrive academically are often those who have learned to regulate their emotions, persevere through challenges, and build positive relationships with peers and adults. When schools intentionally develop and nurture these skills, research shows that students succeed personally, academically, and one day, professionally.
Q: Was there a moment — a student, a situation, a conversation — that changed how you thought about emotional intelligence and what kids actually need?
Becky: Yes. When I became the assistant principal of a school serving children from prekindergarten through eighth grade, I was responsible for student discipline. What I quickly realized was that many of the challenging behaviors we see in schools are really children communicating the only way they know how.
Again and again, I saw students who were overwhelmed, frustrated, anxious, embarrassed, or hurt, but didn’t have the words or skills to express what they were feeling or what they needed. They were experiencing big emotions without the tools to manage them, and their reactions often got them into trouble. That experience completely changed how I thought about behavior.
Instead of asking, “What’s wrong with this child?” I started asking: “What is this child trying to tell us?” and “What skills are they missing?”
I also realized that it’s not just students who need support. Teachers are managing classrooms full of children with different emotional needs, and many have never learned how to recognize emotional triggers, de-escalate situations, or help students build emotional regulation skills. They’re doing incredibly important work, but they need tools, too.
When we teach students emotional intelligence skills and create school structures that support positive behavior, discipline incidents decrease. Students feel more successful, teachers feel more effective, and the entire school culture improves.
Emotional intelligence isn’t something “nice to have” or something separate from learning. It’s often the key to unlocking a student’s ability to learn, connect, and thrive. And that’s what ultimately led me to the work I do today at Frameworks.
A Vision for the Future & Tampa Bay’s Youth
Q: Frameworks partners with parents, teachers, youth organizations, and business leaders. What do you see as the greatest opportunity to support Tampa Bay’s youth right now?
Becky: The greatest opportunity is helping all the trusted adults in a child’s life pull in the same direction. Kids thrive when they hear consistent messages and experience supportive relationships at home, at school, in after-school programs, and throughout their communities. No single adult or organization can do it alone. When we build a community-wide commitment to helping young people develop emotional intelligence, the impact is powerful.
Q: What do you wish more business leaders in Tampa Bay understood about the kids who will be entering their workforce in the next few years?
Becky: I wish more business leaders understood that emotional intelligence is not separate from workforce readiness. It is the key ingredient.
The young people entering the workforce in the next few years have grown up in a world that is changing faster than any previous generation. They are going to need technical skills, of course. But they’re also going to need the ability to communicate effectively, collaborate with others, adapt to change, solve problems, manage stress, and build healthy relationships. Those are all emotional intelligence skills.
That’s one of the reasons Frameworks’ mission matters so much. The skills we help students build in schools, like self-awareness, empathy, responsible decision-making, relationship skills, and resilience, help them succeed far beyond the classroom. They’re the same skills that equip people to become effective employees, leaders, teammates, and community members.
The business community has an incredible opportunity to be part of that development. When business leaders invest in young people, mentor them, and help create environments where they can learn and grow, they’re helping build the future workforce and the future of Tampa Bay.
Q: What’s the one thing you most want to accomplish or set in motion during your first year as CEO?
Becky: What I hope to set in motion during my first year is a broader community commitment to emotional intelligence as a foundation for helping young people thrive.
Throughout my career, I’ve seen that kids do their best when they feel connected, supported, and equipped with the skills to navigate life’s challenges. I’ve also seen that no single teacher, parent, school, or organization can do that work alone.
I would love to bring more people into this conversation and help build a shared understanding that emotional intelligence isn’t extra; it’s foundational.
If a year from now we’ve strengthened partnerships, expanded our reach, and inspired more adults across Tampa Bay to see themselves as part of this work, I would feel like we’ve set something meaningful in motion.
Getting Personal: Leadership & Life
Q: What’s one piece of advice you’ve received that has shaped how you lead?
Becky: One piece of leadership advice that has really shaped me comes from Brené Brown: “Clear is kind.”
As a teacher, assistant principal, and now CEO, I’ve learned that avoiding difficult conversations doesn’t help people grow. Whether you’re working with students, staff, or partners, people deserve honesty, clarity, and respect. Being clear about expectations, feedback, and decisions is one of the kindest things a leader can do.
Another idea that has stayed with me is that strong teams are built on trust and vulnerability, not perfection. The best leaders don’t have all the answers. They create environments where people feel safe asking questions, sharing concerns, learning from mistakes, and bringing their best ideas forward.
That’s the kind of culture I try to create at Frameworks. I want people to know where we’re headed, understand their role in getting us there, and feel supported along the way. Amazing things can happen when people feel valued, trusted, and connected to a shared purpose.
Q: Do you have a personal mantra that inspires you?
Becky: A phrase that has guided me throughout my life is, “Unto those that much is given, much is expected.”
For me, that means achievement or success is not as important as how we use the opportunities we’ve been given. I often ask myself: How can I use what I’ve been given to create opportunities for others?
Whether I was working with students in a classroom, supporting teachers and families as an assistant principal, or now leading Frameworks, that question keeps me grounded. It reminds me that leadership is really about helping others discover their strengths, overcome challenges, and reach their potential.
Q: What’s one thing most people don’t know about you?
Becky: Most people don’t know that I’m incredibly competitive when it comes to games.
I love games of all kinds, and for years I played competitive bridge. What I enjoy most isn’t necessarily winning, although I do like to win. It’s the strategy, problem-solving, and constant learning. Every game is a puzzle, and there’s always something new to figure out.
So, while most people know me through my work in education and emotional intelligence, they might be surprised to learn that if there’s a game night, I’m all in and am probably playing to win!
Q: What would your former students be surprised to learn about who you are today?
Becky: I actually hope they wouldn’t be surprised by anything at all.
Of course, they might be surprised that I’m leading an organization like Frameworks, but I hope they see a connection between what I do today and who I was as their teacher.
The things I’m passionate about now are the same things I cared about in my classroom. I wanted my students to feel known, supported, and capable. I wanted them to believe in themselves, build strong relationships, and develop the confidence to take on challenges.
Today, I have the opportunity to work on those same goals on a larger scale. Instead of supporting the students in my classroom, I get to help schools, educators, and communities create the conditions where more young people can thrive.
So if one of my former students heard that I lead Frameworks, I’d love for their reaction to be, “That makes sense. That’s what she was always about.”
