Past Speakers
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November 27, 2023
Ed Ellsasser, CEO, PrimeGroup Insurance
Ed is the CEO of PrimeGroup Insurance which he started in 1999. PGI has 40 employees with offices in Tampa, Orlando, and West Palm Beach. PGI offers commercial insurance, employee benefits, and personal insurance including home and auto. PrimeGroup’s Core Values centers on clients, employees,
and giving back in the communities where we do business. PGI has been nominated for many awards over the years including Best Places to Work, Small Business of the Year, Tampa Bay Business Journal Top 20 Tampa Bay P and C Agency and Health Agency, and the Corporate Philanthropy Award. Ed
previously was a partner in PrimePay which had 500 employees and a 160 million dollar exit in March of 2021 and has been an investor in real estate and other businesses. Ed attended Indiana University where he earned his Bachelor of Arts in Economics. -
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November 13, 2023
Van Ayres, Superintendent, HIllsborough County Public Schools
Van Ayres serves as Superintendent of Schools for Hillsborough County Public Schools (HCPS), the nation’s seventh largest school system. He was appointed to the role on November 2, 2023.
Before being appointed Superintendent, Mr. Ayres served as Chief of Strategic Planning and Partnerships where he used his visionary leadership to direct and implement the district’s 5-year strategic plan, all while fostering community relationships. -
November 6, 2023
Matthew Gordon, CFO and Co-Founder, The Pickleball Club
Matt Gordon is a Co-Founder of The Pickleball Club whose mission is to build the nation's leading dedicated indoor pickleball facilities.
Mr. Gordon’s career spans business operations, finance and law. Mr. Gordon is a noted expert on legal topics related to visa-investment
organizational structure and visa-investment policy. He is the editor of the leading legal treatise on the EB-5 program, “The EB-5 Book”
and is a frequent writer and lecturer. He has also done policy work at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government and with the
White House. In February 2016, Mr. Gordon testified in front of the House of Representatives Judiciary Committee as a policy expert on
EB-5 matters. -
October 30, 2023
Lelo Prado, Deputy Athletics Director / Development (Sport Admin: Baseball), University of South Florida
Lelo Prado was named Deputy Director of Athletics/Development on Sept. 6, 2018.
Prado rejoined USF Athletics after a successful eight-year tenure as the head coach of the Bulls’ baseball program (2007-14) and a previous stint serving as USF Associate Director of Athletics for Administration and External Services (2014-17). Prior to rejoining USF, Prado served as Assistant Vice President/Market Development Officer for Republic Bank in Tampa. -
October 30, 2023
Michael Kelly, Vice President For Athletics/Director of Athletics, University of South Florida
Michael Kelly began his tenure as USF Vice President for Athletics on August 6, 2018, returning him to the Bay area where he previously served as an associate athletic director for USF and led efforts around a Super Bowl, the College Football Playoff National Championship and the NCAA Men’s Final Four in Tampa Bay.
Upon his introduction, Kelly conveyed his vision of "building USF Athletics tradition one champion at a time," while emphasizing that "our youth is an absolute strength" in embracing an athletic program founded in 1965. Kelly's vision includes building champions in competition, the classroom, the community and in life with a guiding principle of creating an exceptional student-athlete experience in which USF's nearly 450 student-athletes can thrive. Kelly laid out his plan to engage the community and build Bulls Nation through exceptional customer service and ensuring rewarding and memorable experiences. He has led the Bulls to numerous record-breaking achievements in fundraising, in the classroom and competition during his tenure. -
October 23, 2023
Dr. Brad Massey – Curator of Public History Tampa Bay History Center
Brad Massey is the Saunders Foundation Curator of Public History at the Tampa Bay History Center. He has worked at the History Center since 2018. He holds a doctorate in history from the University of Florida. In his current role, Brad curates exhibitions for the History Center and creates other works of history.
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October 16, 2023
Linda Olson, President/CEO, Tampa Bay Wave
Linda Olson is the CEO & founder of Tampa Bay Wave. To date, Linda has raised over $12 million in federal and local funds to launch and expand Tampa Bay Wave including a total of eight federal grants. Linda has been a founder or management team member of several tech startups since 1999, including Yet2.com. Prior to that, Linda began her career running ERP implementation projects for Fortune 500 companies.