Laura DiBella (left) and Adrienne Johnston (right)
Please, congratulate the new leaders of Enterprise Florida and CareerSource Florida as nominated by Governor DeSantis and confirmed by each board of directors.
The Enterprise Florida, Inc. (EFI) Board of Directors unanimously voted to approve Laura DiBella as the new President and CEO of Enterprise Florida. DiBella will also serve as Florida’s Secretary of Commerce, becoming the first female Secretary of Commerce in the state’s history.
“I’m beyond humbled and grateful to both the Governor and EFI Board for what truly is the opportunity of a lifetime,” said Laura DiBella.“Florida is in an enviable position representing the gold standard for business freedom, all while being incredibly well positioned for even greater success. I’m excited and look forward to championing and leading the outstanding efforts of the entire EFI team, in lockstep with our statewide partners, to really capitalize on this amazing snapshot of time.”
The CareerSource Florida Board of Directors unanimously approved the appointment of Adrienne Johnston as the President and CEO of CareerSource Florida. Johnston, recommended for the position by Governor Ron DeSantis, most recently served as deputy secretary of the Department of Economic Opportunity’s Division of Workforce Services.
“Under our Governor’s bold leadership and together with our state partners, CareerSource Florida has an exciting opportunity to help transform Florida’s workforce system to be truly customer-focused,” said President Johnston. “I am grateful for our state board’s vote of confidence, and I will work closely with our board to achieve Governor DeSantis’ vision that Florida continues to be the best state in the nation to live, work and raise a family.”
Cliff Sims features as a Conference Keynote speaker
Cliff Sims served as Deputy Director of National Intelligence for Strategy and Communications, helping to oversee the 18 agencies of the U.S. intelligence community. In this role, he was awarded the Director’s Exceptional Achievement Award in recognition of superior accomplishment and valuable service to the mission of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.
He was also Special Assistant to the President and Director of White House Message Strategy under President Trump. A memoir of his time in the White House became an instant New York Times bestseller.
He is currently the CEO of Telegraph Creative, a full-service creative firm based in Birmingham, AL, with clients ranging from multinational corporations to small businesses and startups to government agencies. He graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Alabama with a degree in Political Science and now lives in suburban Birmingham with his wife, Megan, and their five-year-old son, Shep, whom they adopted from Colombia in 2020.
Be sure to submit your nominations for the FEDC Innovation in Marketing, Deal of the Year, Economic Development Professional, Workforce Development Professional, and Dan Webster Young Innovator Scholarship awards soon!
The next FEDC Foundation Annual Conference will be held May 8-10, 2023, at the Sheraton Lake Buena Vista in Orlando.
The newly established FEDC Foundation will host the 2023 FEDC conference. Our foundation, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization, is focused on economic, workforce, and community-development research and education.
