HIGH SKILL, HIGH WAGE

Dr. Randy K. Avent is the founding president of Florida Polytechnic University. Dr. Avent brings a wealth of experience as an administrator, scientist, scholar, professor and researcher whose background includes serving in leadership roles at some of the nation’s top research universities and at the U.S. Department of Defense. Prior to coming to Florida Poly, he was the Associate Vice Chancellor of Research and a Professor of Computer Science at North Carolina State University. Dr. Avent is responsible for the development and operation of the university and is committed to strategically developing Florida Poly as a research and jobs university, an agent for growth, and a beacon for the economy.

Chris is experienced in government administration, nonprofits, politics, policy analysis, and strategic planning. He joined Charter in 2018 and is the Director of State Government Affairs for Florida.

Todd Baylis is President and a founder of Qgiv, a Lakeland-based company that enables organizations across the US and beyond to quickly, securely and easily receive donations and effectively manage event registrations. Todd is also President of Cipher Integrations, a network services, internet technology and software development provider in Lakeland. He holds a B.S. in Computer and Information Sciences from Florida State University and Masters in Information Technology from Carnegie Mellon University.

County Manager Bill Beasley began his career with Polk County in 2006 as the Deputy County Manager over the county’s Infrastructure Group. As County Manager, Beasley is responsible for the proper administration of all affairs of the county and executes the Board of County Commissioners policy directions, manages budget and staffing resources, engages in community relations, fosters economic development, confers in land use planning and ensures regulatory compliance.

Prior to Beasley’s tenure with Polk County, he served in various engineering and administrative capacities with the Virginia Department of Highways and Transportation, the U.S. Department of Navy, and local government in the Charlotte Metropolitan Region in North Carolina. He earned a bachelor of arts degree from Lycoming College in Williamsport, Penn., a bachelor of science in civil engineering from Pennsylvania State University, and a master’s degree in engineering administration from the George Washington University. He and his wife, Cynthia, have three children and three grandchildren.

Wesley Beck is President of Aspyre Properties and BecKryger Capital Partners LLLP,  private equity firms focused on investments in a variety of industries and industrial development. He also serves as CEO of Advanced Concept Innovations, a medical device company and was formerly a founding partner in Florida Flavors, a specialty manufacturer of flavors and fragrances. Wesley is currently serving as chair of the LEDC High Skill Committee.

Mike graduated from Georgia Tech in 1981 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical Engineering.  He has held Engineering and Management positions with Southern Company, Tennessee Valley Authority and First Energy prior to accepting the role of Assistant General Manager of Energy Production with Lakeland Electric in 2015.  He recently accepted the position of Interim General Manager of Lakeland Electric, effective April 14, 2022.  This May, he and his wife, Teresa, will celebrate their 30th wedding anniversary, and they have two daughters and two sons, the last of which will graduate from college this June. Email

Steven has thirty plus years of experience as a licensed professional architect, battle tested in the arena of tackling tough problems. Steven’s forte is taking on clients with tight budgets and conceptual barriers and providing them with the vision, clarity, and confidence to maximize their return on investment.  Steven is a registered architect in the state of Florida and California, and a member of the Tampa Bay American Institute of Architects. He is the principal of The Lunz Group.

Maggie Briggs serves as the Director of The Apiary, a new creative services company in Lakeland that specializes in animation, previsualization, and content creation. Overseeing the day-to-day operations of the company, she establishes direction, develops strategy, implements tactics, and oversees their execution as they align with business goals for the organization. Maggie brings ten years of experience in marketing for a wide variety of clients. While serving as a marketing coordinator for a local architecture firm, she found a passion for organizational process that led her to helping establish this new company.

Mark Cabrera is CEO of Saddle Creek Logistics Services, an omnichannel supply chain solutions company headquartered in Lakeland. Cabrera, who joined Saddle Creek in 2001, was named CEO in July 2019. Previously, he served as chief operating officer (COO) and chief financial officer (CFO) for the company. Prior to joining Saddle Creek, Cabrera spent 15 years in financial roles in a variety of industries for companies including Arthur Andersen LLP, GTE, National Insurance Services and Reeves Steel, Inc.

Cabrera holds a degree from Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Okla., and is a graduate of Leadership Lakeland Class XX. He is a member of the International Warehouse Logistics Association Insurance Company (IWLAIC) executive committee and serves on Lakeland Economic Development Council’s High Skill Investors Group.

Jay is the third generation to assume the role of President as he carries on the tradition of his grandfather Roy Chastain, who founded the firm 65 years ago. Like his father, Jim, Jay was a fixture around the office during his teen years and learned much about the firm’s operations and computer systems from an early age. Under Jay’s leadership the firm went through a complete rebranding and implementation of a state-of-the-art IT system. Jay received his Bachelors in Business Administration from the University of Florida and is a proud Gator. In addition to his involvement with the firm, Jay is an active in the Leadership Lakeland Alumni Association, United Way, Leadership Winter Haven.

Dr. Falconetti, a native Floridian, has extensive experience in all aspects of higher education administration. She holds a bachelor’s degree from New York University and master’s and doctorate degrees in Educational Leadership from the University of North Florida with specializations in Instructional Leadership and Postsecondary Education and Adult Learning.

Gregory Fancelli is owner of property management and development company Prestige Worldwide Group. Born and raised in Florence Italy, with a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Florence. For nearly fifteen years Gregory has focused his real estate efforts in Lakeland towards preservation and redevelopment of properties within Lakeland’s historic districts, placing particular effort on protecting the architectural character of Lakeland.

Preservation and re-development are crucial aspects of every city with high quality of life goals, for this reason Gregory and his company have teamed up with many local organizations such as Parker Street Ministries in order to repair and strengthen many of Lakeland’s inner city neighborhoods. Several redevelopment projects have been completed in the Dixieland area, bringing revitalization and infusing new life into the area.

After serving four years on the Polk Museum’s Board of trustees and Florida Polytechnic University’s Foundation Board, Gregory is presently active with Lakeland Regional Medical Center’s Foundation Board and Historic Lakeland Inc.

Additionally Gregory serves on the George Jenkins Foundation board dedicated towards programs in education, welfare, health and human services.

With a deep appreciation for early 20^th century architecture, Gregory enjoys traveling, photography, skiing and water sports.

David commenced the practice of law with the general practice department of a large firm in Miami, Florida. After practicing seven years in Miami, David moved to Lakeland, Florida, in 1997 to focus his practice in corporate business transactions. Presently, David is involved in corporate and business practice, including general corporate and business representation, mergers and acquisitions, real estate, tax, health care law, banking and wealth protection planning.

Jack Harrell Jr. is the Chairman & Chief Executive Officer of Harrell’s LLC based in Lakeland. Jack continues the tradition that his family began in 1941 of offering quality products and personal service.

A champion of innovative educational design, Dr. Kent Ingle serves as the president of Southeastern University, one of the fastest growing private universities in the nation. Under his leadership, the university has seen significant growth. Dr. Ingle has propelled the university’s enrollment from 2,546 students in 2011 to nearly 9,000 students currently, with more than 100 extension sites and 13 regional campuses nationwide. Additionally, multiple building projects have been completed during his tenure, including a 120,000-square-foot Live/Learn building, which houses students, classroom space and a food court. Dr. Ingle is also a founding member of the Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration. Before becoming SEU’s president in 2011, Dr. Ingle held leadership positions in higher education and the nonprofit sector in Los Angeles, Chicago, and Seattle.

Dr. Anne Kerr became the seventeenth president of Florida Southern College in June 2004. Prior to her presidency, Dr. Kerr held several distinguished positions in higher education administration, including vice president at the University of Richmond, vice president at Rollins College, and dean of the Crummer Graduate School of Business at Rollins. Dr. Kerr holds a Ph.D. and M.S. from The Florida State University and a B.A. from Mercer University. She is active in numerous arts and civic organizations and serves on the boards of SunTrust Bank, Mid-Florida; EarthLinked Technologies, Inc.; the Polk Museum of Art; and the Florida Chamber of Commerce.

Since his 2012 election to the commission, Lindsey has worked to attract new employers and remove barriers to the expansion of existing businesses in Polk County. He also is working to increase partnerships between the county and municipalities on matters such as planning, water supply and parks. He was elected chairman in 2014. Lindsey is also president and broker of Lindsey Realty & Development Corporation. He is an Honor Flight 15 guardian, University of Florida sports fan, and a Harley Davidson enthusiast.

Steve is Executive Vice President & President of MIDFLORIDA Financial Services. He oversees all branch retail operations, finance related functions, IT, mortgage operations, and realty services.  Steve obtained his undergraduate degree from Stetson University and his MBA from Florida Southern College.

Bill Mutz, a native of Indianapolis and an Indiana University graduate, moved to Lakeland in 1996 where he became President of the Lakeland Automall. In 2012, Bill left the Lakeland Automall and took on the role of Managing Partner for both Greenstar Panels & Greenovative Homes. Then, in 2014, Bill became a Senior Consultant for Claridge Associates, where he remains today. Mayor Mutz and his wife, Pam, have been married for over 40 years and are parents of 12 children and have 19 grandchildren.

Cory Petcoff, President of Baron Realty, is a seasoned commercial real estate professional with extensive background in investment analysis, property management and leasing. Petcoff is the recipient of the prestigious Top General Brokerage Producer Award in a seven county region offered by the Florida Gulf Coast Commercial Association of Realtors. He serves as the commercial real estate consultant and manager to multiple insurance companies who have diversified their investment portfolios through high quality investment grade commercial real estate. His background also includes forming and subsequently managing investor owned limited liability companies which seek to develop a high quality real estate portfolio. Petcoff is a licensed Property and Casualty Insurance Agent as well as a Licensed Real Estate Broker.

Nick Plott is the Regional Manager of External Affairs for TECO Energy in Polk County, representing the company in the areas of local government, community relations and economic development. He currently serves on the Boards of United Way of Central Florida, Polk State College Foundation, Polk Vision, the Greater Winter Haven Chamber of Commerce and JDRF- Tampa Bay. Nick received his Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and Law from Western Carolina University. Tampa Electric, an investor owned electric utility who started business in 1899, serves the eastern part of Polk with 85,000 customers.  Peoples Gas, a natural gas utility that started business in 1895, today has a Lakeland presence with 5800 customers.

Melody Rider has been in education administration for over 20 years and a college president for 15 of those years. She completed her undergraduate degree at California Lutheran University in Liberal Arts with a teaching credential. She continued her education accomplishing two masters’ degrees in Business and Compliance and Ethics. Ms. Rider is in the final stages of completing her doctoral degree in Education Leadership from Capella University. She is the mother of a very active thirteen year old daughter and loves giving back to her community.

Steve Scruggs is President of the Lakeland Economic Development Council (LEDC), a private, non-profit organization with approximately 140 member companies. He has been with the LEDC over 30 years. Steve received a Bachelor’s of Science Degree from Troy State University in Troy, Alabama and his Master’s Degree in Economic Development at the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. Steve is married to Tammy and they have three children. He is a member of Trinity Presbyterian Church.

Prior to this appointment as City Manager, he served as Deputy City Manager for 2 years and as Assistant City Manager for 2 years prior to that promotion. Shawn has an A.A. degree in Public Administration from Polk State College, a B.A. in Management from Warner University, and a Master of Public Administration from the University of South Florida. Shawn is a lifelong resident of Lakeland; he is a graduate of Leadership Lakeland Class XXXVII and Leadership Polk Class IV. He serves as Treasurer for Leadership Polk Alumni Association. He also serves on the Camp Fire Sunshine Youth Development Central Florida Board of Directors. He is a member of the International City/County Management Association (ICMA) and the Florida City/County Management Association (FCCMA), having served on the Board of Directors in 2018 – 2019.

Mike Smith oversees the efforts of Publix’s manufacturing businesses, facilities, distribution facilities, industrial maintenance, industrial operations purchasing, industrial operations business development & IT, corporate quality assurance and the flight department.

Karen Turner is the Senior Manager of Billing and Fixed Assets Accounting for Lockheed Martin. She oversees a team that bills more than 300,000 invoices (approximately $42 billion) annually. In her current position, she is also responsible for the asset capitalization, maintenance, retirements, transfers and standard tax reporting for approximately $12.6 billion in gross assets.  Karen has a diverse background in various staff and management positions and has held positions of progressive responsibilities in domestic and International Accounting and Finance. Karen began her career with IBM Federal Systems Division in Owego, N.Y. She was born and raised in Birmingham, Ala. and holds a bachelor’s degree in Accounting from Alabama A&M University as well as an MBA from The Johns Hopkins University.

Jason Witty is the Vice President of Operations for the State of Florida. Jason started with Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits of New Mexico in 2002, as the Information Technology Manager. In 2005, he and his family moved to Florida, to take the Director of Information Technology role. Jason has worked with both corporate supply chain leadership as well as the Florida Operations team to evolve the SGWS distribution network into an efficient, centralized service model. Jason has his undergraduate degree from Florida Southern College and his sons are pursuing their undergraduate degrees from the University of South Florida.