Past Speakers
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January 23, 2023
Kim Jowell, Hillsborough Education Foundation (HEF), CEO
Kim Jowell has devoted her life’s work to advocating for the most vulnerable children and families in our communities. For more than 20 years, she’s had a proven track-record of success in leading diverse not-for-profits. Since joining Hillsborough Education Foundation as CEO in 2017, she has increased financial resources more than 20 percent. Under Kim’s visionary leadership, the nonprofit has expanded its programs to advance their mission of
strengthening public education—raising on average $8 million annually to support students and teachers in the seventh largest school district in the country. -
January 23, 2023
Mike McCollum, Hillsborough Education Foundation (HEF), Chief Advancement Officer
Mike McCollum’s entire professional career has been dedicated to social service/equity non-profit work. In 2017, Mike joined Hillsborough Education Foundation as Chief Advancement Officer overseeing development/fundraising, events and public relations efforts. During that time, Mike’s efforts have helped grow the organization’s fundraising output to $8 million (on average) annually in support of students and teachers in Hillsborough County.
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January 9, 2023
Jeb Myers, Interim President at Cristo Rey Tampa Salesian High School
Jeb Myers is the current Interim-President of Cristo Rey Tampa Salesian High School and is passionate about the Cristo Rey model which prepares students from vulnerable backgrounds for their futures through a college preparatory and professional career preparatory program. With over twenty-five years of experience in education, Jeb has served vulnerable populations of students and families as teacher, principal and president in the communities of Camden, New Jersey, the Blackfeet Nation of Browning, Montana and Minneapolis, Minnesota before coming to Tampa. When not at work, Jeb runs, reads and spends time with his family.
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December 19, 2022
Mayor Jane Castor, City of Tampa
Mayor Jane Castor is the 59th Mayor of the City of Tampa. Born and raised in Tampa, Jane has spent a lifetime in service to the community, first as a police officer, then as Tampa’s first female Chief of Police, and finally as the city’s 59th Mayor. She graduated from Chamberlain High School and attended the University of Tampa on an athletic scholarship.
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December 5, 2022
Christopher M. Bowen , Chief Development Strategist, RD Management LLC
As Chief Development Strategist for New York City-based, RD Management, LLC, one of the largest, privately-held real estate companies in the nation, Christopher M. Bowen plays an interesting and diverse role in a wide range of projects involving urban redevelopment. He will tell you that what he loves most and what he’s best at, is “connecting the dots.” To him, the most important dots to connect are people and the most upside to be had is in making it easier for people to connect and share their common knowledge and help enhance each other’s ability to climb the mountain, bringing as many others along as possible – because that mountain is life itself. That philosophy in part, in 2018, helped him create the Uptown identity for the city neighborhood around the University of South Florida. In addition to his role with RD Management, Chris Bowen is Chairman of the Executive Board of Soaring City Innovation Partnership (Soaring City), an urban, arts & sciences tech ecosystem builder and 501c3 charitable foundation he co-founded with former, Hillsborough County Commissioner, Mark Sharpe. Soaring City is the Tampa Innovation Partnership reimagined, which Mr. Sharpe cofounded with leaders of USF, Moffitt, AdventHealth, and Busch Gardens over a decade ago.
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November 28, 2022
The Honorable Thomas N. Palermo, Unified Family Court, Division I
Judge Thomas N. Palermo is a native of Tampa, Florida. He was born at Women’s Hospital, grew up in the greater Carrollwood area, and has extensive roots in his hometown. His mother, whose first language is Spanish, is from Ybor City. She served a full career as a professor and, before that, as an English teacher at Leto High School. His father is from Seminole Heights. He owns a marine-related business in Drew Park. His brother and sister-in-law are attorneys here in Tampa and his sister is a real estate agent here in Tampa. Growing up, Judge Palermo was a member of Saint Timothy’s Catholic Parish, Saint Mary’s, and Saint Paul’s. Judge Palermo attended Saint John’s Episcopal and then Jesuit High School.
JUDICIAL BIOGRAPHY
Appointed by Governor DeSantis to the Circuit Court (Group 41) on March 29, 2019.
Commission Date: May 13, 2019.
Elected without opposition, November 3, 2020.
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November 14, 2022
Paul Tash, Former chairman of Tampa Bay Times/Times Publishing Company
Paul Tash started with the Times as a local news reporter in 1978 and worked his way through various news jobs before becoming the chief executive and chairman of the company. He retired in June. While Tash was chairman, Times journalists won eight Pulitzer Prizes; only seven news organizations won more. Tash is chairman of the Poynter Institute for Media Studies, a school for journalists and media leaders, which owns Times Publishing. The Times is the only major news organization in Florida that is independent and locally owned. Tash has served on the boards of America’s leading journalism organizations, including the Associated Press, the Committee to Protect Journalists, and the Pulitzer Prizes, where he was the chairman. Tash is a member of the Journalism Hall of Fame in both Florida and Indiana, his native state. In 2012, Tash received the Distinguished Alumni Service Award from Indiana University, and he was the university’s commencement speaker in 2018. Tash is married to the former Karyn Krayer, who was a legendary teacher at St. Petersburg High School. They met on a blind date arranged by the Times’ social columnist. They have two daughters, a physician and a lawyer, and twin grandchildren. Their older daughter was delivered by the same obstetrician who delivered her mother.
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November 7, 2022
Ginger Gelsheimer, Colliers, Director, Tampa Bay Office Services
Ginger is a high energy, strategic corporate real estate professional with 25 years of demonstrated history of working for a Dow 30 corporate user,
institutional REITs and office/industrial investment and leasing commercial brokerage firms. Skilled in lease and sale negotiation; cash flow analysis;
dispositions; activity-based workplace design and strong relationship development with landlords, tenants, brokers and construction project
managers. RICS certified for CRE and Facilities Management with international experience managing global requirements in 13 countries.