Speakers
September 14, 2026
Bemetra Simmons, President & CEO of Tampa Bay Partnership
Bemetra Simmons is the president and chief executive officer of the Tampa Bay Partnership, a coalition of regional business leaders working together to improve the personal and economic well-being of Tampa Bay residents.
Bemetra previously served as the chief strategy and operations officer for United Way Suncoast, and she has held leadership and executive leadership roles at Mutual of Omaha Bank, Wells Fargo, and BB&T.
September 21, 2026
Blaise Ingoglia, Chief Financial Officer of the state of Florida
Blaise Ingoglia serves as Florida’s Chief Financial Officer and State Fire Marshal, overseeing billions of dollars in taxpayer assets and leading the Florida Department of Financial Services. His role includes managing the state’s finances, rooting out fraud, increasing financial transparency, and supporting first responders across the state.
September 28, 2026
ECOT Board of Directors Election Day
This is a members-only meeting to vote on the open Director positions. Member attendance is important as we finalize our leadership team.
October 5, 2026
Jon Mest, CEO of ChatRank
Jon is a data scientist by training, a salesperson by accident, and loves working with customers more than any other part of his job. He's a highly technical person that can also speak to other humans, a trait that has helped him a ton in his career. Jon has worked as an investment banker on Wall Street, built data products for Fortune 50 brands, and helped found multiple companies. Today, he leads the charge in brand-building for the AI future as the CEO of both Just Reach Out and ChatRank.
October 12, 2026
No Meeting – Columbus Day
We will not be meeting on Columbus Day in observance of the holiday. We hope you enjoy the day, and we’ll see you at the next meeting!
October 19, 2026
Andrew Wright, Founder, Chairman and CEO of Franklin Street
Andrew Wright, is a Tampa-based entrepreneur, real estate executive, and investor with more than two decades of experience building and scaling diversified businesses across commercial real estate, private equity, hospitality, and specialty insurance.
Mr. Wright is the Founder, Chief Executive Officer, and Chairman of Franklin Street, a full-service national commercial real estate services firm he founded in Tampa, Florida in December 2006. Under his leadership, Franklin Street has grown from a startup into one of the most recognized independent commercial real estate firms in the Southeast, with hundreds of employees and tens of billions of dollars in total transaction value. The firm operates across several integrated business lines — including capital markets, leasing (agency and tenant representation), property management, project management, and insurance — serving both investors and occupiers of commercial real estate across the full lifecycle of ownership. Mr. Wright led Franklin Street through the 2008 financial crisis, a period during which the firm's diversified service model and commercial property insurance division provided critical non-correlated revenue stability and enabled the firm not only to survive but to gain market share during the downturn.
October 26, 2026
Van Ayres, Superintendent of Schools for Hillsborough County Public Schools
Van Ayres serves as Superintendent of Hillsborough County Public Schools (HCPS), the nation’s seventh-largest school district. Appointed on November 2, 2023, he brings decades of educational leadership and an unwavering commitment to student success.
Under Mr. Ayres leadership, HCPS has broadened access to accelerated learning through the growth of Advanced Placement (AP), Cambridge AICE, and International Baccalaureate (IB) programs, dual enrollment, and industry certification pathways. Since Florida launched its FAST assessment in 2023, the district has raised third-grade English Language Arts proficiency by eight percentage points, a marked gain in its foundational grades. These investments in rigor, early literacy, and college and career readiness fueled historic results across the district, culminating in an A rating from the Florida Department of Education in 2025–26, HCPS’s first A in more than a decade. It was the highest level of achievement in district history, anchored by a 92.8 percent graduation rate for traditional schools and a71 percent college and career acceleration rate, both district records. One hundred twenty-seven schools earned an A or B, and for the first time, every school in the district’s Transformation Network earned an A, B, or C, with none rated D or F. HCPS was also named Cambridge International’s Large District of the Year for 2024–25, recognizing its work to expand rigorous academic opportunities and deliver strong student outcomes.
November 2, 2026
Todd Wiseman Jr., Filmmaker
Todd Wiseman Jr. an NYU Tisch School of the Arts graduate. He directed the critically noticed sci-fi short The Exit Room, starring Christopher Abbott (Tribeca) and recently SIX STARS starring Milo Machaco-Graner. He produced several award-winning shorts including Lightningface starring Oscar Issaac and the Emmy-nominated Netflix documentary, Long Shot (Larry David.)
November 9, 2026
Ken Babby, CEO of the Tampa Bay Rays
Ken Babby was named chief executive officer of the Tampa Bay Rays in October 2025. A native of Potomac, Md., he was the founder of Fast Forward Sports Group and previous owner of the Akron RubberDucks (Double-A affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians) and Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp (Triple-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins) until their sale in December 2025. He is recognized for his leadership in sports business innovation and community-focused organizational growth.
November 16, 2026
Christopher Carrere, Chairman of the Board of Lykes Bros. Inc.
Christopher M. Carrere is Chairman of the Board of Lykes Bros. Inc., a role he assumed in March 2026 after serving on the company's Board of Directors since 2010. During his tenure, he most recently chaired the Governance Committee, helping shape the company's governance practices and leadership development.
In addition to his role at Lykes Bros., Mr. Carrere is a top-performing yacht broker with Galati Yacht Sales, where he has specialized in luxury yacht sales since 2003. He is also deeply committed to community service, serving on the Executive Committee of the National Pediatric Cancer Foundation, the Board of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Foundation, and as a Commissioner of the Tampa Port Authority following his appointment by Governor Ron DeSantis in 2025.
November 23, 2026
No Meeting – Thanksgiving Holiday
We will not have a meeting on Monday, November 23, 2026, in observance of Thanksgiving week.