Announcing the 2026-2027 Classes
On behalf of the Leadership Florida Board of Directors, we are pleased to announce the 2026-2027 Leadership Florida Classes of Cornerstone Class 44, Connect Class 16, and Education Class 11.
Cornerstone Class 44
Calusa
Jerry Dakin, Dakin Natural Soil and Dakin Farm
Phillip Lanham, Gulf Coast Community Foundation
Shannon Treece, Babcock Neighborhood School
Tommy Gregory, State College of Florida, Manatee - Sarasota
East Central
Kim Strong, McKinnon Strong
Kristine Zonka, Florida Department of Health in Brevard County
Matt Chesnut, Space Florida
Nicole Martz, Orlando Sanford International Airport
Gold Coast
Debbie Madden, Gunster
Jessica Cohen, Makers Air
Jessica Rodriguez, Cloud Nine Nonprofit Advisors
Kate Goldman, Baptist Health South Florida
Melissa Dunn, City of Lauderhill
Gulfstream
Alex Dobin, Florida Power & Light Company
Marcos Montes De Oca, Seminole Tribe of Florida
Maria Marino, Palm Beach County Board of County Commissioners
Roderick Harvey, HCT Certified Public Accountants and Consultants
Todd Bonlarron, Capital City Consulting
Tom Hoban, Kitson & Partners
Wendy Sartory Link, Palm Beach County
Northeast
Abby Belobraydic, Walmart
Charles Moreland, JEA
Chris Hoffman, City of Jacksonville Beach
Chris Kalin, PNC Bank
Kevin Mroczka, Nemours Foundation
Melanie Patz, United Way of Northeast Florida
Soo Gilvarry, Lotus Commercial USA
Tracy Williams, Florida Health Care Plans
Wil Wright, Michael Baker International
Northwest
David Deliman, Cox Communications
Eddy Bouza, Executive Office of the Governor
Emilie Oglesby, Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation
Pepper Uchino, Florida Shore & Beach Preservation Association
Scott Mixon, Duke Energy
Tim Stanfield, Greenberg Traurig
Southeast
Alex Sueiro, PAAST
Andrea Iglesias, Urban Health Partnerships
Annie Gamez, Holland & Knight
Claudia Miro, Freebee
Southwest
Ian Schmoyer, Christopher Alan Homes
Jesse Bryson, STEMCAT
Lisa Kahn, Finding Sanctuary by Lisa Kahn Designs
Matt Heinle, Naples Comprehensive Health
Stefanie Ink, Community Cooperative
West Central
Alisha Ozmeral, Tampa General Hospital
Ashley Dietz, Florida Philanthropic Network
David Delancy, One Day Came
Freddy Williams, Boys & Girls Club of Greater Tampa Bay
Ian Anderson, Tampa Bay Business Journal
Isabel Dewey, Epic Staffing Group
Michele Hintson, Shumaker
Nicole Baldon, Bank of America
Ryan Toth, The Beck Group
Sandra Braham, Gulf Coast JFCS
Tim O’Connor, TECO Peoples Gas
Veronica Cintron, Tampa International Airport
Connect Class 16
Calusa
Brent Anderson, Manatee County
John Taylor, Ralph Taylor’s Nursery
Priya Ahluwalia, MoAloo Ventures
East Central
David Henson, Timbers Company
Keeyon Upkins, 4Roots Foundation
Lauren Grice, Colen Built Development
Nisha Brice, Florida Blue
Gold Coast
Aaron Brunson, Alliant Insurance Services
Frank Florio, Gunster
Steve Campion, Comcast
Gulfstream
Amy Kemp, Florida Power & Light Company
Lillian Bentley, AARP Foundation
Mat Huffman, Okeechobee County Sheriff’s Office
Matt Lundy, Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office
Nick Metropulos, Marine Education Initiative
Sean Cooley, School District of Palm Beach County
Sophia Kabbej, Nicklaus Children’s Health System
Northeast
Alyson McCullough, Nassau County Board of County Commissioners
Cora Merritt, Nemours Children’s Health
Karis Lockhart, The Southern Group
Robert Brown, WJXT/Graham Media Group
Sarah Shepard, Conservation Florida
Northwest
Blair Hancock, GrayRobinson
Brittany Dover, Volunteer Florida
Caitlin Brongel, Northwest Florida Water Management District
Chelsea Franklin, Teach For America
Daniela Herrera, Floridian Partners
Katie Fields, Executive Office of the Governor
Laura Dhuwe, Florida Division of Emergency Management
Marnie Villanueva Marrero, State University System of Florida – Board of Governors
Mike Papagikos, Florida Department of Management Services
Sam Kerce, Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation
Tobey Gable, Children’s Home Society of Florida
Tyler Sununu, Florida Association of Rehabilitation Facilities
Southeast
Destiny Alvarez, Goede, DeBoest & Cross
Joe Papiro, Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen
Michael Caballero, FedEx
Viviana Jordan, OpenAI
Southwest
Elizabeth Peterson, Clyde Johnson Contracting & Roofing
Kevin Besserer, Royal Palm Coast Realtor Association
Krissy Houlihan, The School District of Lee County
West Central
Anna Schrank, Concurrent Investment Advisors
Anvon Ferguson, CretePA
Ashley Faubion, Council for Adult and Experiential Learning
Christa Boarini, Tobias
Craig Kiernan, TECO Energy
CT Harris, AC Commercial Cleaning
Katie Crowe, Smith & Associates
Marion Dawkins, Tampa General Hospital
Paul Horst, Tampa International Airport
Education Class 11
Calusa
Aly Busse, Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium
Derek Jensen, School District of Manatee County
Ronnique Major, Sarasota County School District
East Central
Ben Whitehouse, Marion County Public Schools
Emily Cook, Forest High School
Fran Cardoza, Orange County Public Schools
Robert Palmer, Orange County Public Schools
Sarah Dobbs, Marion County Public Schools
Tayler Boyer, Orange County Public Schools
Gold Coast
Ernie Lozano, Broward County Public Schools
Kathelyn Jacques-Adams, Broward County Public Schools
Loli Formoso, Broward County Public Schools
Marie Duperval, Broward County Public Schools
Sarah DeCotis, Cognia
Gulfstream
Anthony Hamlet, CSI Strategies
Bernard Harrigan, Renaissance Charter Schools at Cypress
Erica Henn, Junior Achievement of the Palm Beaches & Treasure Coast
Jasmine Govan, Florida Power & Light Company
Lauren Kappler, Florida Department of Education
Maria Zapata Ramirez, Okeechobee County Schools
Presley Charles, School District of Palm Beach County
Ronda Smith, School District of Palm Beach County
Northeast
Angela O’Brien, Flagler Schools
Anna Rossano-Arnold, North East Florida Educational Consortium
Anntwanique Edwards, Alachua County Public Schools
Arelis Rosario Roldan, Levy County School Board
Chris Mullin, Lumina Foundation
Chris Stone, Children’s Home Society of Florida
Jametoria Burton, Florida State College at Jacksonville
Matthew Mitchell, One Clay District Schools
Melissa Fullmore, KIPP Jacksonville Public Schools
Melissa Wright, Northeast Florida Regional STEM2 Hub
Thomas Vu, School Board of Alachua County
Will Smith, The Discovery School
Northwest
Angela Long, Tallahassee State College
Chris McFarland, Escambia County Public Schools
Mandy Roden, The Florida College System Foundation
Ray Hernandez, Florida Department of Education
Tiffany Vause, WIN Learning
Southeast
Debbie Darbonne, Miami Dade County Public Schools
Jamal King, Miami Dade County Public Schools
Larnell Vickers, Larnell Vickers Enterprises
Southwest
Shanna Johnston, The School District of Lee County
West Central
Autumn Crabtree, Florida Virtual School
Jon Casanas, Hillsborough County Public Schools
Kimberly Feroli, Hillsborough County Public Schools
Mistie Palmer, AdventHealth
Sandra Misciasci, Hillsborough County Public Schools
Shannon Olmstead, Hillsborough College
Walter Jennings, Helios Education Foundation