Past Speakers
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March 20, 2023
JULIANNE M. HOLT Hillsborough County Public Defender 13th Judicial Circuit
The Law Offices of Julianne M. Holt, Public Defender is committed to efficiently providing our clients with effective legal representation, and treating our clients, our employees, and our community with dignity and respect. Ms. Holt oversees the day-to-day operations of a law firm with approximately 200 employees of which over 120 are attorneys in addition to legal assistants, investigators, social workers, clerks, and support staff. Ms. Holt has been a practicing attorney since 1981. Ms. Holt focuses her practice in the area of homicide cases including those involving the death penalty. Each year her office is appointed to represent over 40,000 cases in Hillsborough County.
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March 13, 2023
Dr. Ronald L. Vaughn, President, University of Tampa
Dr. Vaughn came to the University in August 1984 as the Coordinator of the Marketing Department and holder of the Max H. Hollingsworth Endowed Chair of American Enterprise. Since then he has served as Director of the MBA Program, Dean of the College of Business and Graduate Studies, and Co-
Chief Academic Officer. He became President of UT January 1995 and has now served for 26 years. -
March 6, 2023
Ram Kancharla, Vice President of Planning and Development Port Tampa Bay
Ram Kancharla is Vice President of Planning and Development for Florida’s largest port. For three decades, he has overseen Port Tampa Bay’s capital improvements, strategic planning, economic development, capital resource management, and inter-agency coordination and outreach at the state and federal level. He has overseen $1.5 billion in capital projects and secured more than $600 million in external funding.
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February 27, 2023
DEV SWALY, CPA, CISA, CGMA, Senior Leader & Director
Devanshu “Dev” Swaly is an accounting and finance professional with over 12 years of industry experience. Dev was recently featured as a 40 under 40 upcoming business professional by the Business Observer. Dev’s primary responsibilities involve audit, tax and advisory services, supporting clients in all phases of their business cycle. Dev works with a wide variety of clients including, private equity, closely held as well as public companies. His industry
experience is focused on technology enabled companies, manufacturing, retail & distribution. Dev started his public accounting career in the audit practice of Ernst & Young (EY). He received both his MBA and Master in Accounting from the University of Tampa. Dev resides in Tampa with his wife and two children and enjoys motor sports and travelling. -
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February 13, 2023
Brian Butler, President and CEO, Vistra Communications
Brian Butler is President and CEO of Vistra Communications (Vistra), a Tampa, FL based communications and consulting agency.
Since its founding in 2007, Vistra has grown to nearly-120 employees with offices in Tampa and Northern Virginia and provides services to government, commercial and nonprofit clients. Vistra’s portfolio includes healthcare, information technology, transportation, sports and entertainment clients.
Vistra supports over twelve federal government agencies and several Fortune 500 clients. -
February 6, 2023
Vinny Tafuro, Institute for Economic Evolution, Founder & Author
Vinny is a founder of the Institute for Economic Evolution. A polymath and curious by nature, he is a pioneering advocate for the twenty-first-century economy that is disrupting society’s rigid institutions and beliefs. Vinny’s economic and foresight projects explore the societal and economic shifts being catalyzed by human culture as a result of technology, corporate personhood, and evolving human cognition.
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January 30, 2023
Jeff Gigante, Next Level Brands, Partner, Co-founder
Jeff Gigante, a St Petersburg Fla. native, has been successfully developing a diverse collection of restaurant concepts, for 25 years, steadfastly earning a reputation for hospitality, community involvement, and philanthropy.
Gigante started his path to a culinary career at a young age. Inspired by memories of the shared family table, he began working in all areas of hospitality, including, service, management, and operations.