Amy Wiggins is a public relations and communications professional who recently learned the meaning of the word proscenium. After finishing her BA at Florida Southern College, Amy worked as the YMCA of West Central Florida’s first Teen Development Director before beginning a career in communications and economic development at the Lakeland Area Chamber of Commerce. […]

Beatrice Dela Pena is a Senior Director at Government Employees Insurance Company (GEICO) with responsibility for GEICO’s Product Program Management. Prior to assuming her current role, Dela Pena previously served in the positions of AVP of Spanish Operations, AVP of Underwriting for the state of Florida, and AVP of GEICO’s Local Office operations. She has […]

Carole has lived in Lakeland since 1996. She served for 15 years as a Vice President at Lakeland Regional Medical Center. During that time she  had executive responsibility for master planning and overseeing construction and opening of the laundry building, the Cancer Center and its first expansion and the B wing and the parking garage. […]

H. Alexander Rich, Ph.D., is Executive Director and Chief Curator of the Ashley Gibson Barnett Museum of Art (The AGB, formerly the Polk Museum of Art) and Chair of the Department of Art History and Museum Studies at Florida Southern College. At Florida Southern, he is also Associate Professor of Art History and holds the […]

Dr. Silviana Falcon has lived in Lakeland her entire adult life, making it truly her home. Before transitioning to academia, she served for over 12 years as a Healthcare Administrator at Lakeland Regional Medical Center, managing the daily operations, budgets, and resources of a 96-bed tertiary hospital and an outpatient mental health clinic. Her leadership […]

Ileana Kniss was born in Arecibo, Puerto Rico, and moved to Lakeland, FL at the age of 7. As a long-time resident, she graduated from Lakeland High School before earning her BA in Communications from the University of Central Florida. With over 18 years of experience in fundraising, development, and community relations, Ileana joined the […]

Jason Willey is the Business Development and Special Projects Manager for the City of Lakeland. He is responsible for the City’s internal economic and business development activities. Working closely with developers, contractors, engineers, architects and realtors, much of Jason’s time is spent navigating processes and solving problems. He has a Bachelor of Science in Public […]

Kari Ann Gomez has been the owner of Home Instead Lakeland since June of 2018. Home Instead is a non-medical home health agency that is committed to ensure our seniors can age wherever they call home. Prior to owning Home Instead, she has worked with multiple senior care agencies ensuring our seniors have the ability […]

Mike Musick is the owner of Musick Construction & Roofing and has lived in Lakeland for more than 40 years. He is a 1991 graduate of Lakeland Christian School (LCS), where he won multiple state championships as a member of the track team. For the past 12 years, Mike has coached cross country and track […]

Pat Steed is the Executive Director of the Central Florida Regional Planning Council which covers the counties of Polk, DeSoto, Hardee, Highlands, and Okeechobee and the twenty-five cities located within them. She has lived in Lakeland since 1982. Pat has 35 years of management and professional planning experience including serving as Planning Director for Polk […]

Rick Maxey has more than 30 years of experience working in Florida government. He is currently the Assistant Vice President Office of Diversity and Inclusion at Florida Polytechnic University in Lakeland, Florida. At Florida Poly he has also held positions as Assistant Vice President Economic Development and Board Management and Director Government Relations. Prior to […]

Dr. Sallie Stone is a consummate professional with over twenty years of experience in educational leadership and management. She is the founder of Compass Smart Solutions educational consulting providing training, professional development, business coaching and motivational speaking for diverse groups around customized themes. As the owner of Well-done Events! multi-media services Dr. Stone has established […]

Tiffany Van Wieren leads the Arts in Medicine initiative at the Watson Clinic Foundation, based in the Watson Clinic Cancer Center. Through this program, she orchestrates activities within the center and extends its impacts throughout the community. As a musician, public speaker, consultant, and mother of four, Tiffany, a Florida Southern College graduate, brings over […]

Originally from Tampa, Trinity is a first-generation college graduate with a BA in electronic media from the George Washington University in Washington, D.C. Her thirst for obscure and esoteric knowledge led her to work on documentary series about such varied topics as the Russian space program and 19th-Century explorers in Egypt. Her devotion to media […]