LEADING THE WAY FOR TOMORROW
Since 1971, Leadership Tampa has been introducing its class members to major facets of the greater Tampa community through an intensive nine-month course. Founded by the Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce, Leadership Tampa’s members participate in educational sessions, tours and candid conversations with community leaders. Topics including law enforcement, education, social services, the environment, economic development and the arts – to name a few – challenge members to see their community as they never have before.
Members of Leadership Tampa are business/professional people who hold mid-to-upper level management positions within their companies or organizations. Additionally, they have demonstrated a concern for community issues and volunteered their time with service organizations, from Boy Scouts and Little League to church activities and professional organizations. The selection process is rigorous and competitive for each of the 50-60 seats available in each class.
The Leadership Tampa year begins in September and concludes in May. Members meet every other week for briefings, tours, seminars and hands-on learning. In addition, the class participates in an Opening Retreat and a Leadership Development Retreat in March. The Leadership Tampa program agendas bring in top-level business, civic, and government leaders for discussion and question and answer sessions.
We are now accepting applications for the Class of 2014! Click
here for the application.
Application deadline is May 28 by 5:00 p.m. Late applications will not be accepted. Please download the application for additional information. If you have questions about the program, please contact
Lorrie Hero at (813) 276-9445.
Leadership Tampa Class of 2013
Class Chair, Mark House, The Beck Group
Rolfe G. Arnhym, Chairman, Vistage Florida
Maria Baltar, Senior Manager Outreach Latin America, AACSB International
John Bennett Jr., Assistant Chief of Police, Tampa Police Department
Ceci C. Berman, Shareholder, Fowler White Boggs PA
David Bode, Vice President of Human Resources, Busch Gardens & Adventure Island
Noel Boeke, Partner, Holland & Knight LLP
K. Clayton Bricklemyer, Attorney, Bricklemyer Smolker & Bolves, PA
Charles Michael Brill, Vice President, Investments, Raymond James
Nathan A. Carney, Shareholder, Trenam Kemker
Amy Carrasco, Sr. Human Resources Recruiter, Tampa General Hospital
Jaqueline Causey, Director of Business Development, Creative Sign Designs
Max Coberly, Vice President, Member Investments & Insurance Services, GTE Federal Credit Union
Tina Cotton, Vice President, Financial Foundations, USAA
OT Delancy, Project Executive, Skanska USA Building Inc.
Charlotte V. Diggs, Assistant County Attorney, Hillsborough County
Sean Donoghue, Partner, The Structure Group
Magda A. Farren, Audit Senior Manager, Crowe Horwath LLP
Lyle B. Fogarty, Vice President - Acquisition and Development, Redstone Investments
Andrew Fruit, Partner, Shutts & Bowen LLP
W. Todd Fultz, Construction Manager, Hardin Construction Company, LLC
Jeffrey W. Gibson, Attorney, Macfarlane Ferguson & McMullen
Rod Grabowski, Sr. Associate Vice President and Campaign Director, University of South Florida
Steven Grieco, Attorney at Law, Shumaker, Loop & Kendrick, LLP
Elizabeth Hennig, CFO, Tampa's Lowry Park Zoo
Keith Wallace Hodgdon, Senior Vice President, Hyde Park Capital Partners, LLC
James S. Judy Jr. , Principal, James Swann Design
Gregory R. Kadet, Executive Director, Complex Director, UBS
Willis Chadwick Loar, Sr. Vice President; Senior Client Manager, Bank of America
Debbie Lundberg, Principal, Debbie Lundberg Life & Business Coaching
Leslie A. Maher, Lieutenant Colonel, Commander, 6th Operations Support Squadron, United States Air Force
Merritt Martin, State Legislative Affairs Director, Moffitt Cancer Center
Adrian I. Martinez, Managing Partner, EKS Group, LLC
C.J. Mintrone, Vice President/Commercial Relationship Manager, PNC Bank
Jason Moss, Senior Vice President, Delivery Channels, Grow Financial Federal Credit Union
Eric J. Partlow, Partner, Adams and Reese LLP
Woodrow H. Pollack, Attorney, GrayRobinson, P.A.
Sharon G. Price, Sr. Vice President, Central Hillsborough Area Manager, SunTrust Bank
Jason J. Quintero, Shareholder, Carlton Fields, P.A.
Jay Rao, Physician, Emergency Medicine Associates
Richard Reeves, Director, Corporate Partnerships, Tampa Bay Rays
Emily Rogers, President, First Source Consulting, LLC
Christopher Rux, Manager, Cherry, Bekaert & Holland, LLP
William Sadlowski, Chief Financial Officer, Franklin Street Financial Partners, LLC
Erin A. Schwartz, Major, Chief of Standardization and Evaluation, 927th Air Refueling Wing, United States Air Force Reserves
Bemetra Simmons, Sr. Vice President/Area Executive, B B and T
Keith Skorewicz, Shareholder, Bush Ross, P.A.
Jimmy St. Louis, Chief Executive Officer, Advanced Healthcare Partners
Lara J. Tibbals, Shareholder, Hill, Ward & Henderson, PA
Amanda M. Uliano, Attorney, Law Office of Amanda M. Uliano, P.A.
Jimmy Ullrich, Vice President, Jones Lang LaSalle
John M. Unger, Vice President, Bank of Tampa
Jeffrie Van Loveren, Broker Associate, Smith and Associates Real Estate & Title, Inc.
Michael Weeks, Associate Professor of Management, University of Tampa
Joann Wehle, Director of Sales and Marketing, TECO
Nealy Wheat, Controller, Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce
Yolanda L. Williams, Executive Director, The Corporate Training Center, Hillsborough Community College
Elizabeth Zabak, Chief Marketing Officer, Carlton Fields, P.A.
History of Leadership Tampa
It was 1970, and Parke Wright III gathered the members of the Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce's Executive Committee along the shoreline. As Chairman that year, he had tasked the group to help solve a major water pollution problem in the bay. The director of the Environmental Protection Commission was to take them by boat to the source of the problem - the City of Tampa's sewage discharge point. This group of Tampa's elite - a dozen or more - stood in disbelief, as Roger Stuart pulled up in what looked like a 12-foot boat. In order to fit, everyone stood precariously as they motored slowly over to where the sewage was being dumped into the bay.
At one point somebody nervously joked about who would be left to run the city if the boat capsized. Parke Wright III chuckled, until a sinking feeling set in. There was no one under 50 in this elite group. Where was the next generation of civic leaders? Convinced that training tomorrow's leaders was critical for Tampa's success, he worked quickly to develop a program. Within a matter of months, Leadership Tampa was up and running.
Leadership Tampa Tuition Assistance
For those seeking tuition assistance, some scholarship opportunities are being offered. The Dr. Ike Tribble Minority Scholarship is awarded to ethnic minority (African-American/Black, Hispanic/Latino, American-Indian, Pacific Islander or Asian) applicants who demonstrate a commitment to community involvement. Dr. Tribble was the first African-American to chair the Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce and was a champion of local and national civic issues, particularly those in the area of education.
The Leadership Tampa Alumni Non-profit Scholarship, awarded to candidates who work in the Non-profit sector and need tuition assistance; and the newly established Parke Wright III Leadership Scholarship, given to candidates who exhibit exemplary leadership abilities are also available. Requests for tuition assistance must be made prior to the application deadline.