Dr. Tony Arza

Dr. Tony Arza currently serves as the Vice-Chair on the Florida Virtual Board of Trustees, appointed by Governor Ron DeSantis. As a teacher, Dr. Arza believes that educating is the greatest responsibility of society. He currently works as an Adjunct Professor of Philosophy and Religion at New College of Florida in Sarasota, FL. He is also the Vice President of Mountain Moving Strategies, Inc., a consulting firm based in Palm Beach, FL, providing support to educational organizations across the state of Florida, expanding school choice to include religious institutions.

As an advocate, Dr. Arza has worked closely with the Florida Charter School Alliance to expand freedoms in the State of Florida, while at the Alliance he has supported the effort to expand school vouchers. He has spearheaded the Alliance’s authorizer training of school board members and facilitated collaborative roundtables between public charter and traditional public-school leaders throughout the State. In the name of school choice, he has also served on the Charter School Appeals Commission in the Florida Department of Education since 2022.

Previously, Dr. Arza served as a high school teacher of American History and Literature with True North Classical Academy in Miami-Dade County. In addition, he was the founder of a non-profit organization, Mountain Moving Ministries, at the age of 15. This organization was instrumental in making it possible for him to complete international missions in Uganda and Honduras. He has also traveled in Poland, Australia and Italy. In Italy he worked closely with Professor Paolo Pagani at Ca’ Foscari University of Venice and President of the lay-ecclesial movement, communion è liberazione, Davide Prosperi.

Dr. Arza earned a double major in Philosophy and Theology from Franciscan University of Steubenville. Afterwards, he received his Master of Theological Studies and his doctorate from The John Paul II Institute at the Catholic University of America. Dr. Arza studied under Dr. D.L. Schindler and specialized in political theology. His main area of focus was on the themes of Dignitate Humanae, which is considered a landmark document on religious freedom. His dissertation is titled, “The Fate of North America: George Grant’s Concept of a Civilizational Destiny.”