Orlando, Fla. – The Orlando Economic Development Commission (EDC) is proud to announce its 2016-17 incoming officers on the Board of Directors.
Robert Utsey, Senior Vice President of Skanska USA Building Inc., will serve as the Orlando EDC’s new Chair; Ken Potrock, Senior Vice President & General Manager of Disney Vacation Club & Adventures by Disney will serve as Vice Chair; and Cecelia Bonifay, Partner and Chair of the Land Use and Sustainable Development Practice at Akerman LLP, will serve as Secretary/Treasurer. David Fuller, President of the SunTrust Foundation, is the Orlando EDC’s Past Chair.
Fuller thanked the EDC board and staff for their support throughout the year as he presided over the board meeting for the last time as chair. Fuller then handed Utsey a gavel, symbolically transferring the leadership role, and wished him well.
“The Orlando EDC is coming off of one of its most successful years ever, having worked with companies who are projected to created more than 5,000 jobs, and I look forward to another year filled with hard work and success,” said Utsey. “We are in a great position as we market Orlando as a top location for business and I’m very excited to work alongside all of the dedicated leaders on the EDC board as we make our region even stronger.”
Along with announcing new officers, the Orlando EDC also confirmed new Board of Directors members, including:
- Steve Belflower – Vice President, HuntonBrady Architects P.A.
- Dana Bledsoe – President, Nemours Children’s Hospital
- Carlos Carbonell – President, Orlando Tech Association
- Brian Curtin – President and CEO, BRPH Companies, Inc.
- Stephanie Darden – President and Creative Director, Prismatic
- Sean DeMartino – Division President, Balfour Beatty
- Arnold Evans – Chairman, President & CEO, SunTrust Bank, Central Florida Division
- Joe Haleski – Owner/CEO, Orlando Solar Bears
- Dr. Gaby Hawat – Senior Vice President of Operations and Global Initiatives, Florida Institute of Technology
- Chester Kennedy – CEO, International Consortium for Advanced Manufacturing Research (ICAMR)
- Donnie Mills – Park President, SeaWorld Orlando
- Lourdes Mola – Chair, Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Metro Orlando
- Pamela Nabors – President, CareerSource Central Florida
- Karl Nebel – Managing Director, Midtown Consulting Group, LLC
- Robert Newland – CEO, Career Partners International
- Dan O’Keefe – Managing Shareholder, Moore Stephens Lovelace, P.A.
- Jerry Ross – President, National Entrepreneur Center
- Rick Singh – Orange County Property Appraiser
- Tony Stiffler – Executive Vice President, Central Florida Area President, Regions Bank
- Kannan Srinivasan – Chair, Asian American Chamber of Commerce
The EDC has a number of key committees for investors to get involved with to further the EDC’s mission to aggressively attract, retain and grow jobs in the region while engaging our partners. For a list of EDC board members, click here. All terms begin Oct. 1, 2016.
About the Orlando Economic Development Commission (EDC)
The Orlando Economic Development Commission (EDC) is a not-for-profit, public-private partnership on a mission to aggressively attract, retain and grow jobs for the Orlando region while advocating, championing, and educating in support of efforts to improve its national and global competitive position. The EDC serves Orange, Seminole, Lake and Osceola counties and the City of Orlando – a region of about 4,000 square miles and 2.3 million people. Since its start in 1977, the EDC, with the support of its community partners, has assisted thousands of companies locate and expand in the Orlando/Central Florida region.
