Leadership Florida Selects its 2023-2024 Cornerstone Class

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Jennie Kroeger

jkroeger@leadershipflorida.org

(850) 556-2123

June 22, 2023

LEADERSHIP FLORIDA SELECTS ITS 2023-2024 CORNERSTONE CLASS

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Leadership Florida has selected 55 participants over age 40 for its 2023-2024 Cornerstone Class program. Leaders from across the state, including corporate CEOs, business owners, educators, elected officials and non-profit executives, will participate in educational program sessions and meet other leaders from a variety of backgrounds who represent Florida's diverse composition.

During the program, class members will participate in a stimulating and thought-provoking nine-month program consisting of a series of sessions held in cities throughout the state. These sessions include programming on issues critical to Florida; refining leadership skills through sessions with leading experts; and relevant information on Florida's history, demography, diversities, challenges and opportunities.

“Our mission at Leadership Florida is to bring together committed leaders from all over the state to recharge their leadership skills and expand their network,” said Wendy Spencer, president and CEO of Leadership Florida. “Through this powerful community, our class participants are able to find the knowledge and inspiration to take on some of Florida’s biggest challenges.”

The following individuals have been selected for Cornerstone Class 41:

• Akin Akinyemi, Leon County Property Appraiser, Tallahassee
• Danette Alfonso, Lennar Corporation, Miami
• Dori Alvarez, Baptist Health South Florida, Miami
• Harsh Arora, Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough, Fort Lauderdale
• Jason Bartz, NDC Asset Management and NDC Commercial Real Estate, Bradenton
• PJ Bimonte, Arthrex, Naples
• AJ Bouie, KIPP Jacksonville Public Schools, Jacksonville
• Rene Cantu, Equality Florida, Saint Petersburg
• Nika Coleman-Ferrell, Palm Beach State College, Lake Worth
• Joe Cox, Museum of Discovery and Science, Fort Lauderdale
• Kelly Cullen, Tampa General Hospital, Tampa
• Scott Daigle, TD Bank, Tampa
• Norie del Valle, United Way Miami, Miami
• Conor Delaney, Cleveland Clinic, Weston
• Daniel DeLisi, DeLisi, Inc., West Palm Beach
• Jed Dodds, The Studios of Key West, Key West
• Barbara Evans, Champions for Learning – The Education Foundation of Collier County, Naples
• Bob Feerick, Horizon Partners/Xymox Technologies, Naples
• Mandy Fernandez, Florida Power & Light Company, Juno Beach
• Jay Galbraith, Valencia College, Winter Garden
• Tiffany Garling, Jackson County Chamber of Commerce & Jackson County Economic Development Committee, Marianna
• Bill Hancock, Chesapeake Utilities Corporation/Florida Public Utilities, Lithia
• Michael Hazellief, Okeechobee County Sheriff’s Office, Okeechobee
• Michelle Hodge, AdventHealth, Land O’ Lakes
• Kim Holland, RS&H, Jacksonville
• Carol Hylton, CareerSource Broward, Fort Lauderdale
• Dena Jalbert, Align Business Advisory Services, Winter Park
• Rick Kriseman, Shumaker Advisors, Tampa
• Wayne Mayo, Southern Standard Construction, Tallahassee
• Tom McAlpin, Virgin Voyages, Plantation
• Mary Mehta, Nemours Children's Heath, Pensacola
• Sharon Merchant, The Merchant Strategy, West Palm Beach
• Felipe Pinzon, Hispanic Unity of Florida, Hollywood
• Myles Pistorius, Miami Dolphins, Miami Gardens
• Rick Plotkin, GrayRobinson, Jacksonville
• Sheila Pressley, JEA, Jacksonville
• John Prieschl, Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office, West Palm Beach
• Catherine Prince, WSP USA, Hollywood
• Carlton Robinson, JAX Chamber, Fleming Island
• Kiana Romeo, Kyndryl, Tampa
• Brenda Sabor, Bentek, Palm Beach Gardens
• John Schifino, Gunster, Tampa
• Dawn Shirreffs, Environmental Defense Fund, Saint Petersburg
• Brian Siegal, American Jewish Committee, Miami
• Justin Smith, The Development Group, Wauchula
• Alva Smith, Florida State University College of Law and Leon County School Board, Tallahassee
• Stephanie Smith, TECO, Tampa
• Miriam Soler Ramos, Holland & Knight, Miami
• Andry Sweet, Children's Home Society of Florida, Orlando
• Rashad Thomas, AT&T, Miami
• John Tiliacos, Tampa International Airport, Tampa
• Ryan Tilley, Florida Institute for Human & Machine Cognition, Pensacola
• Mayra Uribe, Orange County Government, Orlando
• Jamie Watts, Town of Welaka, Welaka
• Milo Zonka, Sheltair Aviation, Melbourne

About Leadership Florida

For the past 41 years, Leadership Florida has engaged more than 3,500 leaders through a competitive application process who represent all sectors of Florida’s economy and reflect the diverse demographics of the state. Through experiential classes, these leaders renew their leadership skills and build their networks with the goal of addressing key issues facing the state of Florida. For more information, visit www.leadershipflorida.org. Leadership Florida is a federally registered trademark.

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