Loranne Ausley

Loranne Ausley

Loranne Ausley is the Founder and Chair of The Florida Project, the only organization of its kind in Florida, dedicated to producing, disseminate and apply polling and research data across the progressive infrastructure. She is Vice Chair of the Southern Progress Fund, “of counsel’ to the Hollimon PA Law firm, and owns and manages her own consulting firm. Ausley is an attorney who served as an elected Member of the Florida House of Representatives for 8 years.

Ausley is a 6th generation Floridian. She has held senior positions in the Clinton Administration and in state government, working closely with Bob Graham, Lawton Chiles and Buddy MacKay. As a Democratic leader in the State House, Ausley developed a policy expertise in health care, and in 2008 was selected to oversee Florida’s $300 million child health insurance program. She retired from the Florida House in 2008 due to term limits, and served as Chair of the Florida Healthy Kids Corporation until 2011.

During her legislative career, Ausley’s focused on issues such as: economic development, respecting the role of state employees, health care, and education, particularly early childhood initiatives. Not only did these issues guide her legislative tenure, but her work in the community as well and led to her becoming known statewide as a “Champion for Children.”

Ausley’s leadership of the 2006 Florida Children’s Summit led to the introduction and passage of legislation to create a Children and Youth Cabinet. Ausley also focused on a number of issues related to children and adults with disabilities, including her service as chair of the Vision Caucus and as a member of Governor Crist’s statewide Task Force on Autism Spectrum Disorders.

Throughout her legislative career Ausley received numerous awards and recognitions from local and statewide organizations including the 2008 Child Advocate of the Year Award (North Central Children’s Home Society), the 2007 Spirit of Youth Award (Girls and Boys Town), the 2007 Stepping Up for Children Award (Florida Children’s Services Councils), and the 2005 Champion for Children (Early Childhood Association of Florida). Between 2000 and 2008, she was named Legislator of the Year by the Florida Association of Healthy Start Coalitions, the Florida School Board Association, the Florida Association of School Psychologists, the Florida Children’s Forum and the Florida Developmental Disabilities Council.

In addition to her legislative and appointed service, Ausley is active in a number of local, state and national organizations. She was instrumental in creating Whole Child Leon, a community based initiative focused on young children and their families, and she continues to serve as Founding Chair. She is a member of Leadership Florida’s Class XX, serves on the Board of The New Deal, and on the Advisory Council of the local chapter of the New Leaders Council. Loranne graduated from Randolph-Macon Woman’s College with a degree in Economics and earned her J.D. from the Washington & Lee University School of Law in Lexington, Virginia. She lives in Tallahassee with her husband Bill Hollimon and son, Will. Loranne is a runner and triathlete, and an Ironman finisher (Florida 2007).