FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 14, 2012
Contact Megan Thompson 850-521-1220
Leadership Florida announces New Class
Fifty-five of Florida’s Top Leaders Selected for Class XXXI
Tallahassee, Fla. – Leadership Florida has announced the selection of its 31st Annual Class Program participants. Fifty-five Florida leaders – corporate CEO’s, small business owners, educators, elected officials and non-profit executives will participate in an eight-month learning experience that will take them to communities across Florida. In addition to an opening retreat held in Howey-in-the-Hills, four additional cities have been selected to host an educational session: Naples, Jacksonville, Tallahassee and Miami. Each session provides a comprehensive look at Florida’s major issues and opportunities. Program content is nonpartisan, and provides a variety of viewpoints on Florida issues, including education, governance, economy, growth, environment, demographics, arts, and health care. "We are pleased to bring together Florida leaders who are diverse in their perspectives, their heritage, professions and geography, but who are united in their commitment to working for a better Florida,” said Wendy Abberger, president of Leadership Florida.
Leadership Florida offers a continuum of educational opportunities for Florida leaders that includes programming for college students, young professionals, new executives to Florida, Florida mayors, and the annual class program for which these leaders were selected. The purpose of all of these programs is to educate, inspire, and engage Florida leaders who will work together, across their diversities, for the betterment of Florida. To date, more than 1,500 men and women have graduated from Leadership Florida programs. Collectively, members of Leadership Florida serve on more than 5,000 corporate and non-profit boards throughout the state, providing key leadership in their local communities and in the state.
The 2012-2013 class members include:
Sean Alveshire
Director of Corporate Affairs
Lewis, Longman & Walker, P.A.
West Palm Beach
Susan Amat
Co-Founder & Executive Director
The Launch Pad at the University of Miami
Miami
Jonathan Anderson
Vice President, Local Markets
Florida Blue
Jacksonville
Ann Blakeslee
Deputy District Administrator
Reedy Creek Improvement District
Lake Buena Vista
Lourdes Boue
Vice President, Operations
West Kendall Baptist Hospital
Miami
Eileen Boyle
President & CEO
Allegany Franciscan Ministries
Palm Harbor
Karen Bower
FL Dir. Public & Comm. Relations
Nemours
Orlando
Ronald Brise
Chairman
Florida Public Service Commission
Tallahassee
Tammy Brister
Manager, Environmental Integration
Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Worldwide
Lake Buena Vista
Ashley Brown
Executive Director
Women's Resource Center of Manatee
Bradenton
George Burgess
COO
Becker & Poliakoff, P.A.
Ft. Lauderdale
Michael Cavendish
Partner/Shareholder
Gunster
Jacksonville
Kevin Cooper
Chief of Staff/General Counsel
NCH Healthcare System
Naples
Beth Corum
Executive Vice President
Capital City Bank Group
Tallahassee
John Cranor
Chairman of the Board
AFC Enterprises
Sarasota
Ben Dachepalli
Shareholder
Hill Ward Henderson
Tampa
Chris Damian
Executive Vice President
Gibraltar Private Bank & Trust
Coral Gables
Sam Forrest
Vice President, Energy Marketing & Trading
Florida Power & Light Company
Juno Beach
Mary Forristall
President
Forristall Enterprises, Inc.
Palmetto
Joyce Gossom
Council Member
City of Fort Walton Beach
Ft. Walton Beach
Mitch Hutchcraft
Vice President, Real Estate
King Ranch/Consolidated Citrus
Ft. Myers
Joseph Jacquot
Senior Vice President, Government Affairs
Lender Processing Services
Jacksonville
Nona Jones
Community Relations Director
Gainesville Regional Utilities
Gainesville
Jackie Joyner
Vice President, Distribution
Progress Energy Florida, Inc.
St. Petersburg
Sonya Little
CFO
City of Tampa
Tampa
Thomas Loffredo
Ft. Lauderdale Managing Shareholder
GrayRobinson
Ft. Lauderdale
Cindi Marsiglio
Director, Public Affairs & Gov't Relations
Walmart Stores, Inc.
Tallahassee
Jason Matson
Senior Vice President
Kimley-Horn & Associates
West Palm Beach
Jim McGuire
Partner
Thomas & LoCicero PL
Tampa
Avery McKnight
General Counsel
Florida A & M University
Tallahassee
Nick Milano
Executive Partner
Holland & Knight LLP
Ft. Lauderdale
Natacha Munilla
Vice President
Thunder Electrical Contractors
Miami
Howard Nelson
Partner
Bilzin Sumberg Baena Price & Axelrod
Miami
Burnadette Norris-Weeks
Attorney/Principal
Burnadette Norris-Weeks, PA
Ft. Lauderdale
Carrie O'Rourke
Deputy Chief of Staff
Office of the Governor
Tallahassee
Kamela Patton
Superintendent
Collier County School District
Naples
Fatima Perez
Public Policy Advisor
Akerman Senterfitt
Miami
Todd Rebol
Vice President
Banks Engineering
Lake Suzy
Hudson Rogers
Dean, Lutgert College of Business
Florida Gulf Coast University
Ft. Myers
Katrina Rolle
Attorney/Owner
Law Office of Katrina Rolle
Tallahassee
Jerry Ross
Executive Director
National Entrepreneur Center
Orlando
Augusto Sanabria
President/CEO
Hispanic Business Initiative Fund of Florida
Orlando
Steve Schale
President
Schale Strategies
Tallahassee
Valerie Seidel
President
The Balmoral Group
Maitland
Gillian Smith
Chief Marketing Officer
City Year, Inc.
Miami
Justin Sorrells
COO
Sorrells Citrus
Arcadia
Kerri Stewart
Senior Vice President
Infinity Global Solutions, LLC
Jacksonville
Bob Swindell
President & CEO
Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance
Ft. Lauderdale
Tom Szelistowski
Managing Director, Regulatory Affairs
TECO Energy
Tampa
Ken Tuma
Managing Principal
Urban Design Kilday Studios
West Palm Beach
Joaquin Urquiola
Partner
Goldstein Schechter Koch PA
Coral Gables
Lisa Van Dien
Attorney/Shareholder
Cheffy, Passidomo, Wilson & Johnson, LLP
Naples
Lynne Wines
President
First Southern Bank
Boca Raton
Brian Yablonski
External Affairs Director
Gulf Power
Tallahassee
Todd Wodraska
President
Special District Services
Palm Beach Gardens
[For more information, contact Megan Thompson at (850)521-1220,
About Leadership Florida®
For thirty years, Leadership Florida has developed a reputation as a builder of a stronger, diverse statewide sense of community. A respected non-partisan convener of committed individuals, Leadership Florida enhances the knowledge and leadership abilities of Florida’s leaders through educational programs and by encouraging collaborative work for the betterment of our state. Leadership Florida provides Floridians essential information and a meaningful forum for their opinions, and creates opportunities for shared experiences that are inviting, inspiring and of lasting value. Leadership Florida is a federally registered trademark.
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