Women We Admire is pleased to announce The Top 50 Women Leaders of Tampa for 2023. Tampa, known for its rich culture and beautiful beaches, has a diverse economic base that include the tourism, health care, finance, insurance, technology, construction, and maritime industries. This year’s awardees are leaders whose achievements, mentorship and contributions to their organizations and communities are leaving a lasting impact. Their abilities and talents are undeniable, fueling growth and creating more sustainability within the Tampa area and beyond.
Among this year’s awardees is Mary Melgaard, Group Vice President of Oracle, who has spent nearly 28 years serving for the organization, leading Oracle consultants, partners, and customer executives in multiple industries including telecommunication, financial services, manufacturing, and the travel industry. Awardee Allison Shaub, Chief Marketing Officer of TrueLook, is a transformational marketing leader with vast experience leading innovative change for start-ups, agencies, and Fortune 100/500 companies. Also awarded is Sabrina Calhoun, Vice President of Engineering for Bright House, who has responsibility for the network architecture and construction of outside plants, which includes over $100 million in construction capital annually.
Please join us in celebrating the accomplishments of The Top 50 Women Leaders of Tampa for 2023.
1. Miriam Barack
Chief Operating Officer of ICG Loans Operations, Citi
Miriam Barack began her professional career 37 years ago. Today, she is the Chief Operating Officer of ICG Loans Operations of Citi. Citi's mission is to serve as a trusted partner to its clients by responsibly providing financial services that enable growth and economic progress. Its core activities are safeguarding assets, lending money, making payments and accessing the capital markets on behalf of its clients. Barack is a financial industry executive with vast experience in global management, creating organizations, leading geographically dispersed teams, managing vendor relationships and directing large organizational change efforts.
Barack first got her start in 1985 as a lead software engineer at GTE Government Systems. From there, she went on to Alsys Inc, before eventually rising to SEQAP manager at Tadiran Communications, her most recent position prior to joining Citi. Barack graduated from Boston University with an undergraduate degree in engineering.
2. Johanna Herrmann
VP of Global Communications, Merck
Johanna Herrmann brings more than a decade of experience helping some of the world’s largest and most valuable brands build their reputation and deliver results. She currently serves as the Vice President of Global Communications of Merck. With a blended skillset across corporate communication, brand PR and journalism, Johanna applies her breadth and depth of expertise to shape holistic strategies that truly work with internal and external stakeholders. She has led numerous global campaigns with internal, media, digital, social and community outreach components, and is in her element leading high-stakes, high-visibility engagements.
Johanna guides clients through a broad range of challenges, including finance and M&A communications, crisis strategy, employee communications and engagement, and strategic message development. She has proven experience providing strategic communications counsel to executive leadership teams and other internal stakeholder groups. She has served as a critical leader in key company announcements and priorities, the creation and execution of global PR strategies for product launches, the advancement of sustainability agendas and more. Johanna graduated from Boston University with an undergraduate degree in journalism and from the University of Southern California with a master’s degree in communication management.
3. Mary Melgaard
Group Vice President, Oracle
Mary Melgaard leads Oracle Consulting's Cloud Migration Services where she drives strategy, automation and delivery of migration services to Oracle Cloud Infrastructure and PaaS. She has broad and deep experience leading Oracle consultants, partners, and customer executives in multiple industries including telecommunication, financial services, manufacturing, and the travel industry.
Mary has been a dedicated member of the Oracle team for nearly 28 years. Before joining Oracle, she served with Super Conducting Super Collider as a lead architect of geodetic engineering systems. She graduated from Mississippi State University with an undergraduate degree in environmental science and computer science.
4. Joo Sangrene
Chief Marketing Officer, BluePearl Specialty + Emergency Pet Hospital
Joo Sangrene is an accomplished executive with success in building high performing, engaged teams and new capabilities that drive profit and efficiency through analytic marketing. Over an 18-year career as a strategic leader, she has been recognized for numerous accomplishments with success in driving change through thought leadership and collaboration with peers. Joo understands and analyzes existing processes to bring about new, improved, efficient systems for both short- and long-term success of business. She is tech savvy, confident, and tenacious, creating expanded avenues of growth, brand awareness, and customer reach.
Joo currently serves as the Chief Marketing Officer for BluePearl Specialty + Emergency Pet Hospital, a subsidiary of Mars Inc. Mars is a national provider of emergency & specialty veterinary care. With 100+ hospitals in the US and an annual revenue of $1B+, Joo drives the organization’s overall performance through successful analytic marketing strategy. She previously led marketing for BluePearl from $350 million to over $1+ billion in revenue per year. Joo earned an undergraduate degree in public relations and journalism from the University of Minnesota and an MBA in marketing from UCLA Anderson School of Management.
5. Susan Tucker
Assistant Vice President, Molina HealthCare
Susan Tucker is the Assistant Vice President of Managed Long-Term Services and Supports Plan Support for Molina HealthCare. She is responsible for planning, organizing and coordinating core managed long term services and support (MLTSS) activities across markets. She directs staff of MLTSS product experts to support plans and centralized departments that operationalize MLTSS programs and is the primary resource to leaders within the organization for MLTSS program expertise.
Tucker’s career has been focused on providing financial, compliance and operational expertise for long-term services and supports (LTSS) programs at the local, state and national level and in public accounting. She has extensive experience with fiscal, programmatic and administrative functions for LTSS programs, national health care organizations as well as community-based organizations. Tucker graduated from the University of South Florida with an undergraduate degree in accounting.
6. Hercillia Henderson
Chief Executive Officer, Stadium Dates
Retired US Army veteran Cindy Henderson has launched an interactive dating site in hopes of knocking the social lives of sports loving singles out of the ballpark. StadiumDates.com offers fanatics of athletics a safe place to chat, get acquainted and plan a date at a sporting event with a potential love match. Henderson’s concept introduces a great dating opportunity for football, baseball, hockey and enthusiasts of all sports to meet, communicate on the website’s Sports Talk Forum and attend matches with someone just as passionate about their favorite team.
In addition to her roles with Stadium Dates, Henderson is a HR specialist for the US Army. She is responsible for personnel management, training and welfare of a diverse team of nearly 100 joint-service military, DIA government civilian and contractor personnel. Henderson graduated from the University of Phoenix with an undergraduate degree in entrepreneurial and small business operations.
7. Kris Morico
Vice President of Environment, Health, and Safety & Sustainability, Baxter International
Kris Morico has over 35 years of corporate, academic and professional society senior executive leadership experience in environmental, health and safety (EHS), enterprise risk mitigation, sustainability, ESG and engineering. She has led global EHS operations for Fortune 100 companies, including Baxter International, GE, Tyco International, United Technologies Corporation - Pratt & Whitney and Asea Brown Boveri - Combustion Engineering, Inc.
Presently Kris is the VP EHS and sustainability for Baxter. In this role, Kris is the senior executive responsible for the EHS and sustainability function at the company including proactively sustaining compliance, enterprise EHS risk assessment/mitigation and corporate ESG activities as well as advancing a step-change functional transformation across all of Baxter.
Kris earned an undergraduate degree in biology from Fairfield University, a master’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Connecticut, a master’s degree in environmental management from Yale University, and an Executive MBA from the University of Connecticut. She is a licensed Professional Engineer in nine states; a Board-Certified Environmental Engineer in the American Academy of Environmental Engineers and Scientists; a Certified Safety Professional, and Diplomate Water Resources Engineer (one of approximately 700 globally).
8. Kristyn Martin
AVP of Business Development, Transamerica
Kristyn Martin is an energetic business professional with demonstrated abilities to anticipate, produce, and implement creative solutions to deliver business goals. Solid relationship management abilities allow her to bridge the communication gap between different audiences as well as possessing strong presentation skills with a proven talent for educating the customer on difficult concepts.
Prior to joining Transamerica, Martin was a senior relationship manager with MassMutual and before that, a client relationship director with Great-West Financial. She currently holds FINRA Series 6, 7 & 63. Martin earned a degree in paralegal studies from Rivier University.
9. Jillian Feltham
Senior Corporate Counsel, Ashley Furniture Industries
Jillian Feltham was born and raised in Columbus, Ohio. She received her undergraduate degree in business administration, with high honors, from American University in 2004 where she was a member of The National Society of Collegiate Scholars and Golden Key International Honor Society. She received her law degree, with honors, from Florida State University College of Law in 2008. At Florida State, she served as the Writing and Research Editor for the Journal of Transnational Law and Policy and was a member of the Business Law Review and Phi Delta Phi. Jillian also received three Book Awards in Entertainment Law, Land Transfer, and Sentencing Law.
Jillian is admitted to practice in Florida, the US District Court for the Middle District of Florida and the US District Court for the Southern District of Florida. She is a member of the Florida Bar, the Hillsborough County Bar Association, and the Federal Bar Association. She currently serves as a Senior Corporate Counsel for Ashley Furniture Industries.
10. Mary Delong
VP of Travel Partnerships, iHeartMedia
iHeartMedia has created a new travel-focused division to meet the unique needs of Ad Agencies and their tourism-related clients and has hired Ad Agency DMO marketing veteran, Mary DeLong, to lead the new effort. DeLong is an expert in destination marketing and developing tourism new business for ad agencies, the exact skill set needed for iHeartMedia’s Partnership & Government Initiatives, the unique arm of iHeartMedia under which the Travel Division will be housed. It is a group that is designed to create partnerships with ad agencies to pursue, win, grow and retain new government-related business.
For the past 24 years, DeLong, lead the growth of BVK’s tourism practice, making it one of the most celebrated in the nation--boasting a client roster that included Visit Orlando, Visit St. Pete/Clearwater, The Maine Office of Tourism, Wyoming Office of Tourism, the Dominican Republic Ministry of Tourism, Experience Columbus, West Virginia Division of Tourism, Visit Reno-Tahoe and The Beaches of Fort Myers/Sanibel.
Prior to joining BVK, Mary served as the VP/account director at Fahlgren-Benito where she was responsible for the Florida Division of Tourism and oversaw the initial transition to what is now Visit Florida. Mary began her tourism marketing career at Barker Campbell and Farley (BC&F) in Virginia Beach where she worked on the Virginia Beach VCB; the Norfolk CVB; Colonial Williamsburg Foundation and the Virginia Division of Tourism.
11. Sabrina Calhoun
VP of Engineering, Bright House
Sabrina Calhoun is the Corporate Vice President of Engineering for Bright House Networks Engineering Design and Construction Department. She has responsibility for the network architecture and construction of outside plants for all six Bright House markets, which includes over 65,000 miles of plant and over $100 million in construction capital annually. Recent projects include launching FTTH service with Gigabit data in an exclusive managed property area, conversion of internal mapping systems to a geo-spatial platform, and deployment of over 15,000 public WiFi access points. Sabrina joined Bright House in 2008, and has over 27 years of engineering management experience in the telecommunications industry.
Previously, Sabrina was executive director of engineering at Cox Communications in Atlanta, Georgia where she led the implementation of strategic technology initiatives, as well as the standardization of technology, processes, and tools at Cox. Sabrina started her engineering career at BellSouth Telecommunications, where she spent 10 years before joining Cox.
Sabrina is a member of Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers, Women in Cable & Telecommunications, the Institute of Electrical & Electronic Engineers and the National Cable Telecommunications Association. She recently served as the WICT Florida Chapter President during 2013-2014. In 2006-2015, Sabrina was named as one of CableWorld’s Top Women in Technology. She received the 2001 Women in Technology Award from Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers and Women in Cable & Telecommunications. In addition, Sabrina was featured in Communication Technology’s Broadband Leaders Yearbook, Cable World’s 50 To Watch-People Who Are Reshaping the Industry, and National Register’s Who’s Who in Executives and Professionals. Sabrina has an undergraduate degree and master’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Alabama in Birmingham.
12. Tana Le Roux
System VP of Technology & CTO, PeaceHealth
Tana Le Roux received her undergraduate degree from University of Central Arkansas in computer science and her master’s degree in health informatics from University of South Florida School of Medicine. She currently serves as a System Vice President of Technology and a Chief Technology Officer for PeaceHealth. Tana is known for her leadership skills and her ability to grow people into the best they can be professionally.
A large part of Tana’s career has been spent in the technology, academia, and clinical spaces, utilizing her PMP skills to build and lead Project Management Offices and operations in these industries. Tana has been responsible for multi-million-dollar budgets and enjoys the financial side in her leadership roles. She appreciates both the strategic and organizational sides of the house and is very capable of navigating organizations while executing strategic initiatives.
13. Chrissy Capri
SVP of Commercial Banking, Synovus
Chrissy Capri is the Senior Vice President of Commercial Banking of Synovus. She first joined the company in 2017. Synovus is a top-performing midcap bank with over $57 billion in assets and $7.3 billion in capital and has been named one of the Best Banks in America by Forbes. Its purpose is enabling people to reach their full potential, whether they are clients, team members, or the communities it serves.
Previously, Capri was a VP and senior region manager II at TCF Bank and before that she was in the CitiGold portfolio management at CitiBank. Earlier in her career she worked with Critson Financial Services as a credit card specialist.
14. Sindi Kelly
VP of Supply Chain Operations, Vizient
Sindi Kelly serves as the Vice President of Supply Chain Operations for Vizient. Her background and experience encompasses the entire supply chain process including contract negotiations, procurement, distribution and logistics, technology and automation. She has extensive knowledge in materials management both from a hospital as well as a distributors perspective. She has worked in single hospitals and IDN’s ranging from small – large size hospitals to Academic Medical Centers. With over 25 years’ experience in the healthcare industry Sindi brings excellent communication, leadership, negotiating and motivational skills that effectively influence staff, internal and external customers.
Sindi has worked with healthcare executives, clinicians, and supply chain operations staff to develop and implement processes for both procurement and logistics to maximize savings and drive efficiencies, while supporting the clinicians and physicians in the ability to provide superior patient care. Prior to becoming a consultant Sindi was the director of corporate materials management for a four-hospital system responsible for; purchasing, contracting, logistics, case cart, mail room, print shop, and central supply in all facilities. She also spent 13 years working for Cardinal Health (previously American Hospital Supply, Baxter, Allegiance) working in various aspects of operations including logistics, manager of custom pack production and value link coordinator for Vanderbilt University.
15. Brittany Scott
VP of SMB Sales, KnowBe4
Brittany Scott serves as Vice President of SMB Sales for KnowBe4, the provider of the world’s largest security awareness training and simulated phishing platform. She was able to work her way quickly up the ranks at KnowBe4 and contributed to the recent accomplishment of the organization going public in April 2021. She has won awards for her contributions to KnowBe4’s sales success, including a 2x Stevie Award for Woman of the Year in Sales – Bronze Winner and is a recipient of the SVUS Women in Business and Professions World Awards – Silver Winner.
Brittany was also recognized as a Top 100 LinkedIn Sales Star for her engaging posts and contributions to thought leadership in both sales and cybersecurity. She founded the Women in Technology Employee Resource Group at KnowBe4. She also was recognized as a 2022 nominee for #GirlsClub Mentor of the Year where she has participated the last three years working with women in sales looking to move into leadership positions. Brittany holds an MBA from Johnson and Wales University and an undergraduate degree in hospitality management from Indiana University of Pennsylvania.
16. Kami Pentecost
SVP of Field Development, It Works! Global
Kami Pentecost is an ex-teacher turned millionaire. Today, she is a work-at-home mom, industry leader, and author. She is a determined dreamer and currently holds the #1 income earning spot with It Works!, and has been featured in publications like Success from Home and The Wall Street Journal. Kami currently serves as the Senior Vice President of Field Development for It Works! Global. It Works! Global, is a direct sales company that offers health, wellness and anti-aging products. It's widely recognized for their world's first naturally based body contouring line that delivers maximum tightening, toning and firming results in 45 minutes.
Prior to joining It Works! Global, Kami served as a teacher and basketball coach for Chippewa Hills High School. She graduated from Central Michigan University with an undergraduate degree in education.
17. Samantha Champagnie
Vice President of Revenue Cycle, Florida Medical Clinic
Samantha Champagnie began her professional career 27 years ago. Today, she is the Vice President of Revenue Cycle of Florida Medical Clinic. Florida Medical Clinic has proudly served the Tampa Bay community since 1993, growing along with its rapidly expanding population. It has built new facilities, expanded its technology and services, and increased its medical staff to include over 350 highly skilled physicians and medical providers located in more than 50 convenient locations. The clinic is a multi-specialty medical facility dedicated to improving both the quality and delivery of healthcare to the communities we serve. Its team of highly trained primary care and specialty physicians and healthcare providers offer an expansive range of care in more than 40 medical and surgical modalities. It prides itself in its coordinated care approach to healthcare.
Champagnie first got her start in 1995 as a call center manager at AT&T. From there, she went on to AOL, before eventually rising to senior director of operations at Himagine Solutions Inc., her most recent position prior to joining Florida Medical Clinic. Champagnie graduated from the University of South Florida with a DBA, and from the University of North Florida with an MBA and an undergraduate degree in business administration.
18. Kelly Barrena
VP of Global Talent Brand & Outreach, KnowBe4
Kelly Barrena is the Vice President of Global Talent Brand and Outreach for KnowBe4. She is a bilingual employer branding and recruitment marketing executive with over 12 years in talent brand, talent acquisition and consulting. In her current role, Barrena is responsible for overseeing a team that manages KnowBe4’s global employer branding and recruitment marketing, as well as the internships, scholarships, recruitment programs, recruiting events and talent pipelines for each of KnowBe4’s 12 offices worldwide.
Barrena is a distinguished leader, passionate about creating innovative & scalable programs, experiences, and messaging to help organizations grow quickly and scale effectively by attracting top-quality candidates from all types of diverse backgrounds. As President and Founder of her organization’s employee resource group for parents, Barrena is also an advocate for parents in the workplace and has worked to improve benefits and provide resources for parents from all walks of life. Prior to joining KnowBe4, she built and sold two small businesses while living in Madrid, Spain. Barrena graduated from the University of Florida with an undergraduate degree in psychology and with minors in business administration and Spanish.
19. Laura Barton
Chief Business Officer, Odyssey Marine Exploration
Laura Barton leads strategic and business operations initiatives at Odyssey, working closely with the company’s CEO. A communicator at heart, she directs and manages efforts to ensure the proper internal business services are in place to support the execution of Odyssey’s mineral resource project development and portfolio building plans. Barton bridges all Odyssey departments to facilitate alignment and progress toward the company’s strategic goals including increasing the company’s subsea mineral portfolio value and optimizing business operations.
Barton also serves as a member of the board of directors since 2019 and as corporate secretary since 2015. Prior to taking on her current role, Barton was a member of the executive committee and served as VP of communications and director of corporate communications and marketing from 2003 to 2007.
With over 35 years of business experience, Barton has extensive strategic planning, corporate governance, business analysis, management, investor relations, marketing, media, and content development experience. She previously served in various management, marketing, publicity, and creative services positions in local and network television. Barton earned an undergraduate degree in mass communications from the University of South Florida.
20. Holly Costello
SVP of Property Operations, Corvias
Holly Costello is the Senior Vice President of Property Operations of Corvias, a real estate company owned by John Picerne, a Rhode Island real estate heir who founded Picerne Military Housing (now Corvias Military Living) in 1998. Corvias is a privately owned family of companies with a diversified national presence. It provides creative, sustainable and long-term solutions for a wide range of clients including the military, higher education and the public sector. Costello has 23 years of experience. She began her career in 1999.
Before joining Corvias, Costello was a principal at CPM Consulting Services, LLC and before that a president and COO at Finlay Management, Inc. Earlier in her career she worked with Walden Residential as an SVP. Costello graduated from the University of South Florida with an undergraduate degree in geology.
21. Allison Shaub
Chief Marketing Officer, TrueLook
Allison Shaub is a transformational marketing leader with 13+ years of experience leading innovative change for start-ups, agencies, and Fortune 100/500 companies. In her tenure, she’s directed all phases of the creative and technical aspects of the industry and excelled in a variety of B2B and B2C markets including technology, construction, automotive, education, healthcare, business services, and more. She credits her success to her results-oriented, customer-first approach that has helped her consistently deliver higher ROI, pipeline growth, and exceptional product development.
She is currently the Chief Marketing Officer for TrueLook, a pioneer in the construction software space that is changing the way construction professionals view, document, and secure their job sites. In her role, she is responsible for developing strategic marketing and communications programs that generate awareness, achieve business targets, and drive deeper consumer engagement.
Prior to TrueLook, Allison was the digital strategy lead at Lenovo, leading the worldwide division responsible for driving growth and engagement across the globe for Lenovo’s enterprise solutions. Prior to Lenovo, she was at Oxford University Press leading end-user marketing initiatives. Allison is active in her community and serves as the VP of communications for the Tampa Chapter of the American Marketing Association, a not-for-profit agency dedicated to creating an essential community for marketers. Outside of business hours she enjoys spending time outdoors with her husband and her rescue pups.
22. Devona Pierre
Chief Equity & Diversity Officer, St. Petersburg College
Dr. Devona Pierre is an educator, trainer and strategist. A proud alumna of Dillard University in New Orleans and Auburn University in Alabama, her expertise is in developing and implementing frameworks that meaningfully connect equity, diversity and inclusion efforts with various areas of organizational functioning, including faculty and staff recruitment, development, and retention.
For more than 15 years, Pierre has served in public and private higher education organizations, including in student and academic affairs, affirmative action, and equity, diversity, and inclusion. Before coming to SPC, she worked in the Office of Diversity, Inclusion and Equal Opportunity at the University of South Florida, where she focused on faculty diversity initiatives and Affirmative Action.
23. Marlene Spalten
President & CEO, Community Foundation Tampa Bay
Marlene Spalten is the President and CEO of the Community Foundation Tampa Bay. During her nine-year tenure, donor advised, and permanent assets have more than tripled to $460 million while annual CFTB grants to the Tampa Bay community have grown to $60 million. In 2022, Marlene was named to the Tampa Bay Business Journal Power 100 list of influential community leaders. She is a graduate of Cornell College and held leadership roles with Baptist Health Foundation and The Bolles School in Jacksonville, and Forman School in Connecticut. She has more than 30 years of philanthropy experience.
As a community leader, Marlene has served on the boards of Florida Philanthropic Network, Community Foundations of Florida, and Florida College Access Network. She is secretary to the board of the International Women’s Forum (IWF Suncoast) and serves on the community advisory boards for the Junior League of Tampa and Junior Achievement. She is a member of the Athena Society, several area Chambers and Economic Development Corps, and the Tampa Bay Partnership.
Under her leadership, the Community Foundation serves as the backbone organization for the LEAP Tampa Bay College Access Network and Thrive by Five and has successfully launched major initiatives including Mental Health First Aid training, and, in collaboration with the Tampa Bay Partnership, USF, and United Way, produces the annual Tampa Bay Regional Competitiveness Report.
24. Stacy Warren
Chief Sales & Customer Experience Officer, Vault
Stacy Warren a Co-Founder and Chief Sales & Customer Experience Officer at Vault, a service provider of insurance and risk management solutions for the unique needs of the affluent. Vault launched in 2017 with a mission to be a disruptor and create a modern insurance concept that surpasses the confines of traditional providers – upending archaic industry practices, leveraging cutting-edge technology and only working with the best, brightest and most innovative talent.
Stacy is passionate about cultivating a culture that creates an exceptional experience for Vault’s partners, customers and employees. She believes that simplicity, flexibility, transparency and a willingness to go the extra mile are the keys to building successful, long-term relationships.
Stacy brings more than 30 years of insurance industry experience in sales, process optimization, operations and customer experience. Prior to joining Vault, Stacy held a variety of leadership roles with AIG where she has a demonstrated track record of driving cost efficiencies, sales and shifting culture to rally around the customer experience. She also successfully led and ensured the cohesion of her teams throughout both the financial crisis and internal merger.
25. Kristin Horne
Chief Operating Officer, Flagship Title
Kristin Horne was born and raised in the Tampa Bay Area. She has an undergraduate degree in biology from the University of South Florida and a MBA from Saint Leo University. Horne has been with Flagship Title since she could reach the copier buttons; working during the summer learning the business from the ground up. Since graduating in 2011, she has been working full time at Flagship Title; working in every position of the operation. Her problem solving abilities are unmatched, thus making sure that transactions gets to the closing table.
26. Jeanie Poley
Chief Administrative Officer, Hill Ward Henderson
Jeanie Poley joined Hill Ward Henderson in 2000. She previously served as recruiting and HR manager, director and then senior director before taking on the role of Chief Administrative Officer in 2016. As CAO, Jeanie oversees the efforts of the firm in the areas of business development and marketing, professional development, recruiting, human resources and operations. She works with the firm’s management committee, administrative leadership team and other firm committees to execute initiatives in line with firm strategy and philosophy.
Prior to joining Hill Ward Henderson, Jeanie practiced law for five years at a full-service law firm in the Midwest. She focused her practice in the areas of employment law and litigation. Jeanie has served as president, VP and treasurer of the Tampa Bay Legal Recruiters Association. She has spoken at national conferences and at law schools on various topics related to employment law and recruiting, and has been published in the National Association for Law Placement’s monthly professional publication.
Over the years Jeanie has been active in various charitable and civic organizations. Currently she serves on the board of trustees of her child's school, where she chaired the strategic planning committee and served on the head of school search committee.
27. Andrea Sugden
Chief Global Sales Officer, Workforce Logiq
Andrea Sugden is the Global Chief Sales Officer at Workforce Logiq. She is an industry expert, transforming how organizations win talent across the globe. A proven performer and an executive that brings over 20 years of industry experience and expertise, she has led large operations, sales, account management, and supplier management teams supporting both US and global client relationships. Andrea's staffing industry leadership has been recognized by a multitude of awards for sales growth and client retention. She began as a recruiter and worked her way through several roles in the industry to include branch management, account management, business development and regional and divisional management.
Prior to joining Workforce Logiq, Sugden was EVP for Adecco Group and began in 2008 as a SVP of the Adecco USA Southern Division, which included 85 branches and 350 colleagues in 18 states, generating $450 million in annual revenue and went on to lead a portfolio of large, enterprise clients exceeding $1 billion in annual revenues. Sugden is a graduate of the University of Tampa.
28. Debbie Sweet
Managing Director of Applied Intelligence in Health & Life Sciences, Accenture AI
Debbie Sweet is an experienced data and analytics executive who has spent 25+ years effecting change and better business insights across the healthcare and life sciences industries. Her passion for improving the future for patients, providers, payers, and life sciences organizations is evident through strategy development and disciplined execution of data-driven enterprise transformations focused on innovations around people, process, and technology. At heart, Debbie is a problem-solver who is drawn to ideation, analysis, and realization of business value from projects.
Debbie's leadership on recent projects crosses clinical research, pharmaceutical and biotech, and health industry convergence, involving data and analytics strategy, modern data architecture, cloud data migration, portfolio and program management, analytics and AI modernization, data integration, data literacy and culture, and data and analytics governance. As a lifelong learner, she strives to learn something new every day and help "connect the dots" for a better world and future. She actively participates in sustainability initiatives through coral reef restoration, beach and ocean cleanups, and research in the areas of biomimicry, rare diseases, pharmacogenomics, artificial intelligence, and environmental conservation education.
29. Ruthmary Estabrook
Chief Executive Officer, MBAN Wear
Ruthmary Estabrook has a dedicated customer service personality. She has over 25 years in critical care nursing answering the call to help all of those in healthcare. Ruthmary and a colleague have incorporated to start MBAN Wear Inc. They design and manufacture medical and surgical wear for professional nurses and related professions. Ruthmary is a respected builder and leader of customer-focused teams; able to instill a shared, enthusiastic commitment to customer service as a key driver of company goal attainment. She leads by example and ensures the execution of all safety, security, quality and hospital operations policies.
30. Anita Gonzalez-Scott
President, Partner & Co-Founder, CTR FACTOR
Chief Client Engagement Officer, Diversity Learning Solutions
Anita Gonzalez-Scott is President and Partner at CTR Factor, as well as Chief Client Engagement Officer at Diversity Learning Solutions (DLS). In this capacity, she is responsible for leading day to day operations and client engagements and partnerships. She is a performance results-driven management executive with over 21 years of experience and advanced strategic leadership skills in managing sales, marketing, and client relationship teams.
Prior to CTR, Anita served as CMO and managing partner at EZ Language Services, a nationwide interpretation, translation and transportation company where she continues to serve on the board of directors. She has also served as head of sales and marketing reporting to the president of the southeast region for Verizon, with responsibility for delivering $321 million in revenue and for managing all marketing and sales channels. She has previously partnered with and worked for are Long & Foster, Bertucci’s Corporate, National Amusements, Tac Temps Corporate, Arthur Murray Studios, Noble Construction, First Centrum, Hilton Hotels, Starwood Hotel & Resorts, One Point Communications, Bloomingdales Corporate, First Centrum, The TJX Companies, Dermalogica Worldwide, Aerotek, Teligent Communications, Coca-Cola and Interamerica Bank. Anita graduated from George Mason University with an undergraduate degree and from Georgetown University with an MBA.
31. Linda Aines
CEO & Principal Recruiter, Aines International
Linda Aines provides rapid recruitment for the humanitarian/development sector projects in worldwide countries, as well as staffing for headquarters personnel. Her clients have included many international development organizations for more than 16 years. She currently serves as the CEO and Principal Recruiter for Aines International.
Linda serves both as a provider of recruitment services and as a field business consultant for international development projects. In this capacity, she has gained previous experience in Nicaragua, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Kenya, Russia, Afghanistan, Honduras, Jamaica, Kenya, Armenia and the Caucasus, Ukraine, Bosnia and more. As HR and recruiting consultant, she has worked at all levels of donor agencies and local government as well as supervised local staff and visiting expatriate experts. As a business consultant, she has worked in multiple field projects and developed solutions in business planning, marketing, agribusiness, exporting and SME job creation. Linda graduated from The Ohio State University with an MBA and from the University of Hartford with an undergraduate degree in business administration and management.
32. Shannon Eichberg
VP, Deputy General Counsel of Global Litigation & Chief Global Litigation Counsel, Jabil
Shannon Eichberg is Jabil's Chief Litigation Counsel, and leads the Global Litigation team. She takes a strategic approach to complex commercial litigation, and has a strong track record of securing cost-efficient results in litigation. With clear and creative advice, Eichberg is a proven go-to litigator. For high-stakes commercial litigation and arbitration, she uses a pragmatic approach. She assesses cases early and efficiently, and collaborates with the business to form the right strategy and ultimately support business goals.
In 2021, the Tampa Bay Business Journal named Eichberg one of its Top Corporate Counsel honorees. The leadership award is for outstanding in-house counsel, attorneys, and general counsel. Eichberg’s colleagues outside the company also praise her accomplishments and leadership skills. She graduated from Columbia College with an undergraduate degree and from the Stetson University College of Law with a JD.
33. Hellen Davis
Chief People Officer, Alvaria
For more than two decades, Hellen Davis has been a successful and innovative entrepreneur. She started in the computer science field, working for a large consulting and coding organization. As a result of an assignment, she was drawn to sales management in the financial services arena. Later, her salesmanship, consulting experience, entrepreneurial skills, and computer science skills resulted in the creation of Indaba Global. As her book of business grew, her clients asked her to turn her educational, coaching, and consulting materials into eLearning courses focused on executive development, sales training, and personal development.
Hellen is also currently the Chief People Officer of Alvaria, the world leader in enterprise-scale customer experience (CX) and workforce engagement management (WEM). Alvaria is technology innovators in call center software, cloud contact center solutions, workforce optimization and customer service experience. It helps companies create better experiences for their customers and the employees who serve them. From product development to customer and technical support, everything at Alvaria affects an entire ecosystem of customer experience. Hellen has also written many books including the bestseller, 21 Laws of Influence.
34. Amanda Granit
Chief Communications Officer, Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office
Amanda Granit joined Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office in March of 2019 as a public relations coordinator. In 2022, she became the Chief Communications Officer. The mission of the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office is to serve, protect, and defend the community while preserving the rights and dignity of all. Its duty is to make Hillsborough County, Florida a safer place.
Before joining the agency, she worked for nearly a decade as an award-winning journalist. During that time, Amanda reported on the capture of Osama bin Laden, from NYC in May of 2011. She worked on an investigative team that uncovered government mismanagement and abuse of taxpayer dollars in New York State. For those efforts, Amanda received a NYS Emmy and National Edward R, Murrow for Best Evening Newscast, as well as a National Edward R. Murrow for Excellence in Individual Reporting.
35. Kelly Lefferts
EVP, Chief Legal Officer and Secretary, Bloomin' Brands
Kelly Lefferts is a c-level executive, business partner and legal strategist. She is highly respected for her public company and industry expertise, and a specialist in corporate and board governance, mergers and acquisitions, securities, corporate structure and formalities, franchising, and contract negotiation. Her global perspective, financial acumen, and exceptional business judgment are hallmarks of her career.
Lefferts works directly with the board of directors in the execution of board decisions, and is responsible for all governance and compliance, committee charters, and agendas and materials. Based on her general counsel experience, she recognizes the breadth of issues requiring board level attention. She has directed acquisitions of multi-million-dollar restaurant companies and franchise groups, and played a critical role in the company’s merger with private equity firms that took the NYSE listed public company private. Then in 2012, she served as internal attorney on the IPO and multiple secondary offerings for Bloomin’ Brands listing on NASDAQ.
36. Christina Wojcik
Director Innovation, Citi Global Legal
Christina Wojcik, Esq.’s, career is focused on building innovative solutions to solve critical legal and business challenges. By consulting on and implementing best practices, leveraging technology, outsourcing and rethinking status-quo processes she is successful at addressing complex problems. Through her career she has assisted organizations and clients in driving revenue, achieving cost savings and optimization, and reduced their risk exposure across the enterprise.
Christina is currently at Citi where she is responsible for driving technology and process innovation for the legal organization and at the intersection of legal and business. Prior to joining Citi, Christina led the Solutions and Enablement team, globally, at Seal Software (acquired by DocuSign). As VP of solutions and enablement, she managed a team of technical pre-sales solution consultants to demonstrate best-in-class solutions to meet the complex contractual needs of Fortune 1000 organizations. Christina also served as a practice executive for contract management at IBM, where she was responsible for contract management strategy & best practices.
37. Simi Ranajee
Managing Director, Johnson Controls
Simi Ranajee is a results driven c-level experienced executive with the ability to produce sustained revenue and EBITDA growth in dynamic and changing markets. She has over 25 years of experience in communications, selling and marketing complex products and services to various industries including pharmaceuticals/healthcare, education, retail, fitness, IT, subscription-based software, food and beverage, and more. She has led and managed sales teams, consistently meeting and exceeding multi-million-dollar sales goals.
In addition to corporate roles, Simi co-founded Mission Neem 5 and serves on the Women’s Board for American Cancer Society, American Patient Rights Association and volunteers for many others. She has also received numerous awards and was named one of Chicago’s ‘Rising Stars’ by Today’s Chicago Woman named 40 under 40. Simi was a former host of Bombay Broadcast Network, a responsibility of her Miss India Worldwide title. She has also authored a children’s book, The World of Wonder, part of the WOW series. Simi graduated from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign with an undergraduate degree in marketing and finance, from Loyola University Chicago with an MBA and from the Commonwealth University with a PhD in public health.
38. Melody Pressnell
Market Executive Director of West Central Florida Area, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
Melody Pressnell is an accomplished executive offering 20 years non-profit development experience identifying opportunities. She has led staff and volunteer teams in generating sustainable annual fund results including major giving, corporate and foundation development, distinguished event development and peer to peer fundraising. She currently serves as the Market Executive Director of the West Central Florida Area for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
Melody is a multifaceted leader with broad background in long-range strategic planning, constituent relationship management, community engagement, campaign development and project management. Prior to joining St. Jude, she was a regional director of Florida and Texas for JDRF, and before that, a VP of field operations for the American Cancer Society. Melody graduated from Eckerd College with an undergraduate degree and from Harvard Extension School with an MBA.
39. Michelle Sulzer
Founder & Chief Creative Officer, Sulzer
Michelle Sulzer is the Founder and Chief Creative Officer of Sulzer. Sulzer is a strategic, innovative, high capability brand communications firm. It believes that a well thought-out and well-executed marketing platform can truly make or break an organization in today’s hyper competitive and ever-changing world. The firm was founded on the belief that it would set out every day to accomplish three primary objectives; build brands, grow business, and as a result satisfy its client partners.
Prior to founding Sulzer, Michelle began her tenure at Parag + Company as a junior art director, learning the business from the ground up. Eventually she was appointed senior art director and oversaw the creative department as acting department head, with full responsibility for her division. Michelle believed strongly in each client's brand and corporate identity and always pushed her team to create the most dramatic campaign and brand. Her creative direction lead to award winning advertising campaigns and branding communication projects for clients such as Post Apartment Homes, Tech Data, Arthur Rutenberg Homes, Tampa Metropolitan Area YMCA, Trammel Crow Properties, FCP Investors, Underground Atlanta and many other regional organizations. Michelle earned an undergraduate degree in design and advertising from Ringling College of Art and Design.
40. Desiree Ellison
General Manager, Dunedin Blue Jays
Desiree Ellison is the General Manager of Dunedin Blue Jays. She first joined the company in 2022. The Dunedin Blue Jays are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and are the Single-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays Major League Baseball club. Since their inception they have won five division championships, in 1999, 2000, 2003, 2006, and 2017. In 2017 they were named co-champions of the FSL.
Previously, Ellison was an executive director at USA Patriots and before that a development officer at Old Dominion University. Earlier in her career she worked with Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce as a program development coordinator. Ellison earned a PhD in educational leadership and an MS in educational leadership & administration from Old Dominion University, and an undergraduate degree in social science from Virginia Wesleyan University.
41. Peggy Vo
Director of Global Marketing in Retail and Commercial, iFIT Health and Fitness
A global marketing leader, whose energy, tenacity, and commitment to innovation have earned Peggy a renowned reputation worldwide. Her hard work has resulted in the growth and success of major global fitness organizations, through effective strategic marketing and brand expansion. Peggy spent 20+ years leading global programs including territory launches and scale-ups, first-to-market strategies, integrated marketing campaigns, and enhanced customer experiences.
Not content with shaping and redefining the world of health and fitness, Peggy is passionate about making a difference. She dedicates a considerable amount of free time to volunteering and supporting charities and not-for-profit organizations. A couple that are particularly close to Peggy’s heart are “Building Beds” and “Sleep in Heavenly Peace”, created to ensure that every child in her community in Florida has their own bed to sleep in at night. She has been instrumental in helping to deliver almost 500 beds to families and children who need them.
42. Kristine Contemplacion
Director of Accounting, Evolve
Kristine Contemplacion has over 20 years of public and corporate accounting experience. She is currently the Director of Accounting of Evolve, a hospitality company that is changing the online rental marketplace experience for its guests and owners.
Prior to Evolve, Kristine was the accounting director of AAMP Global, an automotive aftermarket maker. She also worked at Refresco, the world's largest independent bottling company, as a cost accounting manager and technical accounting manager. For almost fourteen years, she worked at Grant Thornton, one of the largest global public accounting firms where she started as an audit associate and worked her way to becoming an audit director. Kristine has been married for 21 years to her high school sweetheart and they have two daughters who share their love for travel. Kristine and her husband, Paul, were both born and raised in the Philippines and moved to the US in 2006.
43. Laura Kelly
Executive Director, YMCA of Greater St. Petersburg
As Executive Director of Bardmoor YMCA, Laura Kelly leads the branch in operations, supporting the strategic direction of the YMCA of Greater St. Petersburg. She oversees the management and development of the branch’s staff, member experience, programs and events, as well as the volunteer Bardmoor YMCA Branch Council.
Laura began her Y career in 2010 as a part-time staff member in before-and-after school care at the YMCA of Greater Brandywine. Two years later, she became their director of healthy living, where she oversaw revenue-based fitness programming. In 2015, Laura moved to Florida and joined the YMCA of the Suncoast as their director of healthy living. She was promoted to senior director of branch operations in 2016 and led her branch’s $80,000 Community Support Campaign. Laura earned an undergraduate degree from West Chester University of Pennsylvania and an MBA in organizational leadership from Walden University.
44. Cherie Tedesco-Gamble
Managing Director, KW Commercial
Cherie Tedesco-Gamble is the Managing Director of KW Commercial based out of the Channelside - Tampa Central office. She grew up in Germany, but is originally from Amarillo, Texas, and became a Florida resident in 1994. Cherie attended Texas Tech University for studies in restaurant/hotel institutional management and international law. She bridged directly into commercial real estate after a 15-year career in IT working for Fortune 100 & 1000 technology companies as a VCIO and technology advisor.
As a top-producing agent of KW Commercial nationwide, Cherie attributes her tenacity and deep market knowledge to her success with brokering over $21.9MM in deals in 2021. Her focus is on commercial real estate in Tampa Bay and surrounding markets, as well as in the southeastern USA and in the U. Virgin Islands. She specializes in STNL, retail strip-centers, retail redevelopment, boutique beach hotels with retail, and landlord and tenant leasing.
In addition to her expertise in commercial real estate advising and strategic planning, she has extensive experience in market data trend evaluation, market and financial analysis, business development, organizational restructuring, and operational management which provide her with a clear understanding of her clients’ specific needs and business goals so that she may offer solutions to uniquely fulfill their goals.
45. Lynn Smith
Director & Research Compliance Officer, Tampa General Hospital
Lynn Smith is a Director and Research Compliance Officer for Tampa General Hospital. Tampa General is a private not-for-profit hospital and one of the most comprehensive medical facilities in West Central Florida serving a dozen counties with a population in excess of 4 million. As one of the largest hospitals in Florida, Tampa General is licensed for 1,040 beds, and with over 8,000 employees, is one of the region’s largest employers.
Prior to joining Tampa General, Smith served as a director for Huron Consulting Group and before that a director for the University of Miami. She earned an undergraduate degree in psychology and sociology and a JD in law from the University of Akron.
46. Maria Jameson
Chief Development Officer, Federal Retirement Experts
Maria Jameson’s “servant’s heart” shows in how focused she is on helping federal employees work toward their retirement dreams with a customized strategy for retirement income while protecting their nest eggs. She currently serves as the Chief Development Officer of Federal Retirement Experts. Federal Retirement Experts are nationwide specialists in how federal employee benefits work. Their mission is to make sure federal employees understand their benefits in order to make educated decisions about their financial future and plan for their retirement accordingly while maximizing retirement dollars.
Maria got her start in the industry in 1995 and has also worked in the healthcare and technology fields. She holds life and health licenses in all 50 states and has an undergraduate degree in business administration from Saint Leo University. For over 15 years, Maria has enjoyed volunteering for organizations like Make-A-Wish Foundation and GiGi’s Playhouse in her free time. She loves spending time on the water boating, traveling the globe, Argentine tango/salsa dancing, attending concerts, and cheering on the Tampa Bay Lightning, Rays, and Buccaneers. Maria lives in Tampa Bay with her husband and endlessly dotes on her four rescue dogs, Koby, Mykonos, Mimi, and Magic.
47. Lori Medeiros
Director of Global Project Management, Jabil
Lori Medeiros is the Director of Global Project Management for Jabil. Jabil is a $30 billion-dollar high-tech industry provider of design, production, and product management services. Prior to her current role, Lori was the director of the global IT business office for Avery Dennison Label and Packaging Materials. She previously served as the director of IT for Textron Inc. Lori graduated from the University of Massachusetts Amherst with an undergraduate degree in business administration.
48. Deborah Kelly
Founder & Chief Executive Officer, MyCare Finance
Deborah Kelly is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of MyCare Finance. MyCare Finance provides health care organizations with an alternative approach to managing patient responsibility. Their consumer finance model gives patients a flexible and economical payment option that preserves their dignity while increasing their loyalty to organizations. They offer customizable programs that accelerate cash recoveries while helping maintain an excellent patient experience.
Kelly has more than 28 years in the medical revenue cycle, primarily in self-pay, along with patient and client satisfaction. Prior to founding MyCare Finance, she spent 24 years working for BayCare Health System, and the last 17 of those years as the executive director of a successful health system-owned collection agency and, in 2009, she developed the MyCare concept of servicing patient payment plans with BayCare.
49. Amber Rogers
Owner & Chief Executive Officer, Escape Thrill
Amber Rogers is the Owner and Chief Executive Officer of Escape Thrill, the next generation of escape rooms with innovative technology and thrills. Amber's diverse qualifications of managing, marketing, nonprofit, fundraising, real estate and business fundamentals, combined with over seventeen years of business management experience has given her a unique perspective that has proven valuable in all her endeavors. She prides herself on her uniqueness and her ability to quickly adapt to new situations successfully. She has a firm grasp on the intricate workings of the business and real estate industry. She is driven, versatile and has the ability to think quickly and decisively. Amber graduated from the University of Central Florida.
50. Anna Casino
President, General International Holdings
As a New York native transplanted to Florida, Anna Casino has developed paramount insight and expertise in the sales and customer service industry. She has a strong medical background of 18 years, a profound competence of client services, and a stark record of establishing new business relationships. Anna founded General International Holdings (GIN), in collaboration with a team of experts in marketing, sales, project management, and technical and business analysis, to assist in making the American dream. GIH is currently a holding company for four separate sub-corporations with related, yet distinct services, markets, products, and opportunities.
In addition to her roles with GIN, Anna serves as the COO for General Technology Partners and as the director of business operations for G2 Human Capital Management.