Nicholas Abrahams serves as Senior Vice President, Partnerships & Regional Investment for the Orlando Economic Partnership. The Orlando Economic Partnership unifies the Orlando community’s strategies to create a more prosperous economy for all. Through the power of partnerships, they strengthen regional assets and businesses, advocate for regional priorities and write the next chapter of Orlando’s story.

David Adelson, the Orlando Economic Partnership’s Chief Innovation Officer, is focused on organizing and aligning Orlando's tech resources toward an innovation-based economy. A proven entrepreneur and experienced C-level tech business leader and investor with a background in branding, strategic and customer acquisition and relationship management for global companies. David has specific goals of growing jobs in tech, innovation and scaling companies. With a plan in place, David seeks to establish synergy between the region’s tech associations, create a brand identity of the Orlando ecosystem and shift hospitality-centric perceptions of Orlando toward an emerging tech hub.

Joe Battista joined Valencia College in January 2004 and currently serves as the Vice President for Workforce, Career & Professional Education. His responsibilities include the management and oversight of all degrees, technical/career certificates related to workforce, International Student Recruiting and Services, Continuing Education language programs, and the Centers for Accelerated Skills Training. With over 40 years of experience as a senior level executive in private and public organizations, Joe was an instrumental leader and SVP at Collegis, whose business was in Higher Education IT services and outsourcing. He was also a CFO at three private and public companies. He holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting and a master’s in business administration, both from St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia and is a Certified Professional Accountant (non-practicing).

Joe is an avid Philadelphia sports fan, has volunteered as a youth basketball and soccer coach, and was president of a youth soccer club. He enjoys golf, music and plays the guitar for fun. Joe is married for 43 years and has two children.

Kathy DeVault serves as Director of Strategic Partnerships for Mayor Buddy Dyer and the City of Orlando. Kathy oversees the conception and execution of special projects under the guidance of the Mayor and Chief of Staff and manages strategic alliances with some of Orlando's largest employers and higher education institutions, including the University of Central Florida and Valencia College.

Kathy serves on the city’s leadership team for Creative Village, a visionary $2 billion public-private partnership to redevelop 68 acres of underutilized city-owned property, transforming it into Orlando's newest Innovation District. Kathy assists in shaping policy initiatives, with a special emphasis on bolstering economic vitality, fostering workforce development and championing the growth of technology-driven startups.

As part of the Mayor's communication and outreach team, Kathy crafts engagement strategies to better connect businesses and residents with local government and helps tell the story of Orlando's transformation into a thriving hub of innovation and opportunity.

Kathy is known for convening communities, connecting people and forging mutually beneficial partnerships that advance the economy and enhance quality of life for residents and businesses in Orlando.

Kathy holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communication and a Master of Public Administration both from the University of Central Florida in Orlando.

Cameron Ford is a noteworthy scholar and educator with over 35 years of higher education experience. His research and teaching interests focus on how individuals develop novel ideas that create value in organizational and professional settings characterized by myriad constraints on novelty and varied perspectives on value.

These interests motivated a strong program of research that has generated over 6000 citations and spawned several doctoral students pursuing related research agendas. He has also invested in institution building at UCF.

He founded the Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership, established the Blackstone LaunchPad at UCF, and conceived and implemented almost all of UCF’s academic entrepreneurship offerings. These initiatives engage thousands of UCF students annually across campus to learn entrepreneurial skills, explore the power of their ideas, and increase their professional impact. His latest undertaking is expanding and improving entrepreneurship education opportunities throughout Florida and across the nation by contributing to the Blackstone LaunchPad program.

John Fremstad is the Director of Innovation for Duke Energy Florida Economic Development. Driving revenue, job creation and capital investment to the state of Florida - his team serves as trusted advisors and provides consultative services such as real estate product development, site selection, capital identification, trends and policy analysis, creative strategies, competitive enhancement, and marketing & promotion to its clients and partners.

Previously, John spent 25+ years as a successful entrepreneur and executive. He’s been instrumental in the launch of several companies with multiple appearances on the Inc. 500/5000 list. John has held C-suite positions with Fortune 250 companies in sales/business development, marketing, mission critical, management and government relations. He has extensive economic and community development experience. John began his career as a guitarist and consultant, working with such artists as the Rolling Stones, Madonna, Janet Jackson, Van Halen, Double Duty, Scandal, Frank Sinatra and Bruce Springsteen.

John holds B.S. and M.A. degrees from the University of Wisconsin and the University of Nebraska systems, and attended the executive program in Science, Technology and Innovation Policy at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government.

A consummate business professional and accomplished attorney, Tanisha Nunn Gary is the President and CEO of the African American Chamber of Commerce of Central Florida – a leading advocate for business development and economic empowerment.

As head of the established nonprofit, she is responsible for cultivating strong relationships with key community leaders and corporate entities in an effort to enhance opportunities for members and engage partners on initiatives. Tanisha oversees all outreach efforts for the Chamber (AACCCF), which encompasses six counties, and she executes strategic planning to ensure the Chamber's voice is included in economic, education and community conversations that impact the region. The AACCCF boasts a varied membership and revolves around four pillars: Advocacy, Access to Capital, Contracts, and Entrepreneur Training and Development. As a former business owner, Tanisha is intimately familiar with what it takes to thrive as an entrepreneur and is uniquely qualified to lead the AACCCF into its next chapter of growth. Prior to being named President and CEO of AACCCF, she was principal of a private law firm focused on all aspects of litigation for wrongful death cases and medical negligence. Her solo practice and earlier work as a Senior Associate with Gary, Williams, Parenti, Watson & Gary, landed multi-million-dollar settlements. In addition to her legal prowess, Tanisha served as the Executive Director of The Gary Foundation, where she identified major donor prospects to help provide scholarships to Florida youth. Tanisha is an active member with several civic and professional associations, including Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Initiative, Truist Advisory Board, Orlando Economic Partnership Board and United Arts Board.

Tanisha was named as one of the 2021 Orlando Business Journal’s CEOs of the year and 50 Central Florida Power Players. Additionally, the Orlando Magic recognized Tanisha as a Hometown Hero and Social Justice Game Changer. Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity recognized Tanisha as a recipient of the inaugural “Getting in Good Trouble Awards” for Business Development.

Prior to joining OEP, her early accomplishments include opening two new elementary schools before joining technology startup, Outstart, as a Learning Consultant. She rapidly moved to leading enterprise implementations and served as Executive Sponsor for all enterprise clients. OutStart was acquired by Kenexa and then later that year by IBM.

Her experience at IBM includes Talent Management Advisory Services with the Smarter Workforce team, providing transformational talent management consulting services to both external and internal clients. Designing and developing offerings utilizing AI for early childhood as part of the Watson Education and Sesame Workshop Partnership; launching the Learning Credential Network (LCN), an IBM Blockchain project. Finally, as part of the Talent Transformation Team, where she supported skills-based transformation, technology, innovation, and garage.

Trent Goodin serves as Creative Director for the Orlando Economic Partnership (the Partnership), leading the creative development of its marketing efforts including the recent launch of Orlando’s regional brand, Orlando. Unbelievably Real® and tech and innovation identity of The MetaCenter™. Under his creative direction, the Partnership has won an FDI Strategy Award for best campaign slogan, and a PRSA Silver Anvil Award for #DoYourPartORL Safer Stronger Together.

Trent grew up in southern Missouri with a passion for art and storytelling. Graduating with a certification in Graphic Design from Waynesville Technical Academy in 2005, he relocated to Orlando in 2007 to pursue his goals. For over a decade, Trent led creative teams across the Walt Disney Company and contributed to the launch of major innovative projects like MyMagic+ and Star Wars land. Trent joined the Economic Partnership in 2019.

In 2021, Trent was selected to lead the development and launch of the Orlando Regional Digital Twin. Leveraging his deep background of immersive storytelling, the digital twin project debuted in October 2022, and has been recognized in national media like Time, SmartCities, Bloomberg, VentureBeat, GlobeSt and XR Today, just to name a few.

As a lifelong learner, Trent stays active in the arts community and is a current member of the Central Florida chapter of the AIGA. He lives in Winter Garden, Florida, with his wife and son, and enjoys taking his Australian Cattle Dog Rosie on the West Orange Trail.

Dr. Humphrey has more than 30 years of experience in the areas of education, corporate learning, and business transformation. Throughout her career, roles such as Product Manager, Customer Success Manager, Strategic Consultant, and Delivery Services Manager have provided many opportunities to be innovative, work with diverse stakeholders, become a trusted advisor, and lead enterprise transformations. She is the Senior Director for Talent Development at the Orlando Economic Partnership (OEP) where she leads the strategy for skills-based hiring and upskilling.

Prior to joining OEP, her early accomplishments include opening two new elementary schools before joining technology startup, Outstart, as a Learning Consultant. She rapidly moved to leading enterprise implementations and served as Executive Sponsor for all enterprise clients. OutStart was acquired by Kenexa and then later that year by IBM.

Her experience at IBM includes Talent Management Advisory Services with the Smarter Workforce team, providing transformational talent management consulting services to both external and internal clients. Designing and developing offerings utilizing AI for early childhood as part of the Watson Education and Sesame Workshop Partnership; launching the Learning Credential Network (LCN), an IBM Blockchain project. Finally, as part of the Talent Transformation Team, where she supported skills-based transformation, technology, innovation, and garage.

Carol Ann Dykes Logue serves as Director of Programs & Operations for the University of Central Florida’s Innovation Districts and Business Incubation Program. The current Districts are anchored in Downtown Orlando, Lake Nona and the Central Florida Research Park/Space Coast areas around UCF campuses, UCF incubators, and growing or emerging clusters of technology and industry that are key drivers of Metro Orlando’s economy. Partnerships, programming and support services are all focused on increasing the success of the innovative, entrepreneurial companies in the Districts that are creating jobs and economic value in the community. In addition to four technology cluster-focused incubators in the Innovation Districts, UCF operates four mixed-use incubators in Volusia County, Winter Springs, East Orlando and Kissimmee.

Carol Ann currently serves as Chair of the Board of Directors of the Central Florida STEM Education Council. She represents UCF on the Orlando Tech Council and serves on the boards of the National Defense Industrial Alliance Central Florida chapter, VRAR Association of Central Florida, Florida Photonics Cluster, Athena Orlando Powerlink, and i4 Business magazine.

She is a graduate of the University of Arkansas Fayetteville and Louisiana State University.

As Vice President of Marketing and Branding, Laureen is responsible for the Orlando Economic Partnership’s overall strategy that positions the region as a national leader in advancing Broad-based Prosperity. She also manages the regional business brand, Orlando. Unbelievably Real, a new initiative, in partnership with Visit Orlando, aimed at building Orlando’s reputation as a premier destination from a quality of life, business and leisure perspective. Laureen has more than 20 years of experience in journalism and communications and holds her accreditation in public relations (APR), which signifies a high level of professional experience, competence and ethical standards. Prior to joining the Partnership, she helped develop and implement strategic internal and external communications campaigns for Orange County Government as the Assistant Manager of Communications. While there, she oversaw media relations, social media engagement, led the County’s emergency communications team and supervised the production of internal and external publications including the award-winning Orange County website. Laureen has also worked as the Chief Public Relations Officer for the American Red Cross Mid-Florida Region. She served as the main spokesperson of four chapters within Central Florida and covered a territory of 13 counties. Laureen managed government and community outreach, oversaw the creation of the Spanish language website, and introduced social media planning as part of the overall communications strategy for the region. In 2009, Laureen was selected to be a member of the American Red Cross Advanced Public Affairs Team, which deploys to disasters across the country. In 2011, she earned recognition for her work in crisis communication during the relief effort that brought thousands of survivors of the Haiti earthquake to Orlando and Sanford when she was awarded the Florida Public Relations Association Image Award by the Orlando Area Chapter of FPRA. Laureen began her career as a television reporter and covered stories such as the Beltway Sniper shootings in the Greater Washington, D.C. area, the attacks of 9/11, the aftermath of the Virginia Tech massacre, and she has interviewed personalities of note including President Jimmy Carter. She’s been recognized with top honors for her coverage of breaking news by the Virginia Associated Press and was part of a team that received an Edward R. Murrow Award for Excellence.

Shannon serves as the Vice President of Government Affairs for the OEP where she is responsible for coordinating all government outreach and strategic policy direction for the Partnership. She helps to identify ways to best represent the mission of the organization and align with investors’ policy goals. She is responsible for creating a strategy that ties together the multiple government entities at the local, state and federal levels.

Shannon is a long-time government affairs and public policy expert. Serving in such roles as Senior Vice President of Public Affairs at Walt Disney World, where she led a team of over one hundred public affairs professionals including Government, Community, Media Relations, Internal and External Communications and Minority Business Development.

Prior to that, she worked as the Director for Government & Community Relations for Darden Restaurants where she created the legislative strategy federally and in the forty-eight states the restaurant company did business. She also served as the Managing Director of the Darden Foundation. During her time at Darden, she served as the President of the Statewide Florida Restaurant Association.

She began her career as a Legislative Aide in the Florida House of Representatives upon moving to Orlando.

As a thirty-year resident of Orlando, she has been involved in many local government and community boards.

She holds a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Arts in Political Science from the University of Florida.

Brooke Myers is a visionary development partner focusing on strategic real estate opportunities in Downtown Orlando. Recognizing the potential for robust growth in the region, Brooke founded VelocityRED in 2010 to identify and implement mixed-use projects and transit-oriented developments in urban environments. Brooke leverages collaborative partnerships to deliver extraordinary results.

With three decades of experience leading multi-disciplinary teams, she developed an expertise in complex real estate transactions managing feasibility analysis, business and master planning, design, development, financing, structuring, marketing and delivery. She uses a holistic perspective grounded in sound industry practices. Brooke has been involved with over $400 million in development projects and more than $1 billion in real estate investment.

Brooke is an owner, investor, advisor and development partner on several high-profile projects in Downtown Orlando and has delivered multiple successful projects in collaboration with the Ustler Group of Companies. Current projects include:

• Creative Village master development – $2 billion, 68-acre redevelopment of the former Amway Arena, anchored by the UCF Downtown and Valencia College Downtown campus; Phase I completed in August 2022
• UnionWest at Creative Village – $105 million mixed-use project with 640 student housing beds, 105K SF of education space and 12K SF of ground floor commercial; opened in August 2019
• The Julian Apartments at Creative Village – $108 million, 409-unit market rate apartment project; opened in August 2020
• Electronic Arts Orlando Studio – $62 million, 176K SF professional office building at Creative Village leased to Electronic Arts; delivered in October 2021
• Alta at Health Village Apartments – $75 million, 285-unit market rate apartment project at AdventHealth Health Village; opened in January 2022

Brooke’s passion for the urban fabric started with the Atlanta Olympic Committee planning the 1996 Olympic Games, followed by a decade with the Walt Disney Company where she managed various largescale growth projects in the theme park and hospitality industry. Her notable accomplishments include:

• Co-creating the vision to monetize 2,000 acres of surplus Walt Disney World land by expanding the portfolio of third-party lodging and vacation ownership
• Spearheading negotiations on the land sale and co-branding relationship with Four Seasons Resort and securing entitlements for Disney's 900-acre resort residential community, Golden Oak
• Leading Disney Cruise Line's market research to justify a $1+ billion fleet expansion

Brooke is a graduate of Georgia Institute of Technology and Northwestern University's Kellogg Graduate School of Management. She is actively involved with several community organizations including Lake Highland Preparatory School Board of Trustees, Orlando City Foundation and the ULI Central Florida Advisory Board. Previously she served as Vice Chair of Project DTO, the Mayor’s task force charged with updating Downtown Orlando’s strategic plan.

Pamela Nabors is an integral force for introducing positive change and employment solutions at regional, state and federal levels in workforce development.

As president and CEO of CareerSource Central Florida, she currently leads the official workforce development board for the Central Florida region, overseeing a budget of more than $40 million and 250 employees to serve the 2.8 million residents that live in five counties (Orange, Osceola, Seminole, Lake and Sumter).

Pamela’s passion for this industry spans decades of experience. Her accomplishments span pivotal moments of change in the industry and include:

• Creating innovative programs to identify new sources for talent in high-growth sectors and addressing gaps including in advanced manufacturing and STEM initiatives;
• Boosting youth employment;
• Retraining and upskilling adult workers affected by the Great Recession;
• Scaling workforce support to unprecedented levels to support those impacted by mass layoffs during the COVID-19 pandemic;
• Most recently, helping employers to recruit and retain talent in the most challenging time in history due as they battle record-low unemployment rates, the impact of the Great Resignation, and a new post-pandemic employee mindset.

Through progressive and transparent leadership, Pamela has developed the team at CareerSource Central Florida into a high-performance workforce board with a reputation as a respected economic development leader and valued community partner.

Her leadership has helped modernize the region’s programs, increase value to regional business partners, and expand investments that address high-volume employment needs for professions such as healthcare, advanced manufacturing and construction.

The National Association of Workforce Development Board has recognized her with their top honor as a visionary leader who is making exceptional contributions to the industry. In 2022, she served as president of the United States Conference of Mayors’ Workforce Development Council, the national advisory board that represents workforce development issues to U.S. mayors, congressional leaders, and members of the Administration.

In the regional community, she was named “CEO of The Year” by Orlando Business Journal, received both the “Spirit of Progress” and “Spirit of Collaboration” awards from I-4 Business magazine, and the “Women of Distinction” Award for role model leadership from Girl Scouts of Citrus. She is active on numerous civic boards of directors including the Orlando Economic Partnership and Junior Achievement.

Ben Noel is the Executive Director of the Florida Interactive Entertainment Academy (FIEA), a globally recognized graduate program at the University of Central Florida. Ben also serves as the Director of Innovation & Partnership for the Nicholson School of Communication and Media at UCF Downtown. Ben has 22 years of industry experience in technology development in electro-magnetic compatibility and interactive software. Prior to UCF, he was Vice President and COO of Electronic Arts studios in Austin, Texas and Orlando, Florida – home to many of the world’s best-selling video game titles. In 2005, Ben became the Executive Director of FIEA at UCF in partnership with the State of Florida, City of Orlando and the video game industry. The M.S. in Interactive Entertainment graduate program has been ranked as the top graduate game development program globally for the past 3 years with over $100 million of annual economic impact to Florida. Ben was the co-chair of the Creative Village Task Force established by the City of Orlando to determine the best use of the Centroplex property which is now home to the Creative Village, the emerging UCF Downtown campus, Electronic Arts, Valencia and the ACE Community School. Ben has also been involved in education technology companies creating multi-awarding winning products, Burn Center, I/ITSEC Serious Game of the Year and Conspiracy Code, Mindbender and Language! Live, CODiE award recipients in education technology. His degrees include Bachelor of Science, Accounting (University of Florida, 1986) and Master of Business Administration (Rollins College, 1990); and he earned a CPA license (State of Florida, 1990). Ben has 3 children and is active in the community in youth education and sports.

Danielle Permenter serves as the Vice President of Talent & Community Development for the Orlando Economic Partnership. The Orlando Economic Partnership works to provide the region with quality jobs, economic growth, broad-based prosperity and a sustainable quality of life. In her role, Danielle drives the strategy for the Partnership's talent and community development portfolio of programming, including UpSkill Orlando, Leadership Orlando, The Black Boardroom Leadership Institute, and all annual events.

Danielle is a member of the Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives (ACCE) Education & Workforce Development Fellowship and a member of the U.S. Chamber Foundation’s Talent Pipeline Management National Learning Network.

In 2023, Danielle was recognized as one of the Orlando Business Journal’s 40 Under 40. She currently serves on the United Arts of Central Florida Board of Directors, the Florida Virtual School Foundation Board of Directors, and as a mentor for the Horizon Scholars program at Valencia College.

Danielle is a native of Orlando and a graduate of Florida State University and is proud mom of two boys, Shep & Avery.

Kathy Ramsberger is president & CEO of the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts. She is responsible for leading the effort to create one of the nation’s newest performing arts centers of the 21st century, a $613 million project in the heart of downtown Orlando. She has been part of the project since 2003.

Kathy has led the development of the business structure and corporate strategic plan for the Dr. Phillips Center which includes the design, construction and operation of the building, as well as programming and creative initiatives. To date, the team has successfully executed capital and annual campaigns in private gifts exceeding $209 million and negotiated nearly $420 million in public funding for construction of the venue. She spearheaded the creation of the vision, mission, and brand of the performing arts center.

Since opening in 2014, the Dr. Phillips Center has grown to a $65 million annual business, hosted more than 3,400 performances, and welcomed over 3.5 million guests. In addition, the organization maintains a strong commitment to community engagement -- through public arts education and training programs, as well as more than $18.8 million in value provided to support the community, education and community arts non-profit organizations.

More than 535,000 adults & children have experienced the performing arts through diverse performances, camps, programs, classes and more. Leading the industry in innovation, the arts center, under Kathy’s leadership, has created its own content and initiatives which includes: The Frontyard Festival™, The Jazz Orchestra at Dr. Phillips Center; 6th & Jazz musical exploration program for sixth graders; annual Applause Awards, celebrating excellence in high school musical theater; and Teen Ambassadors, a youth group program that offers behind-the-scenes experiences of a performing arts center. In addition, under Kathy’s management, the arts center was awarded the prestigious Venue Excellence Award from the International Association of Venue Managers.

Kathy is focused on developing programming content with regional, national and international artistic & educational organizations, enhancing corporate partnerships and philanthropy to advance the vision and mission of the arts center, and ensuring a level of excellence for every guest experience.

With the opening of Steinmetz Hall in early 2022, the Dr. Phillips Center continues to move forward with plans to complete its 9-acre campus, including an intimate event and performance space called Judson’s, the rooftop space and reimagining the outdoor front yard space it activated during the pandemic.

Crystal Sircy oversees the operations of the Orlando Economic Partnership as the organization works to aggressively attract, retain, and grow jobs in the region. She joined the Partnership in 2016 with more than twenty-five years of economic development experience. Since Crystal has been at the Partnership, she has overseen 161 projects which created 36,000 jobs and $3.4 billion in capital investment. As a result, over the last 6 years the average annual pay has currently been higher than the regional average, with an annual payroll of $4.8 billion and a business revenue of $22.1 billion.

Prior to the OEP, Crystal served as the Executive Vice President / Chief Operating Officer of Enterprise Florida, the statewide economic development organization. In her role, she oversaw operations for five divisions, managing a $25 million annual budget and leading over 90 employees across three offices located in Miami, Orlando, and Tallahassee.

In the last two decades, she led various economic development teams to establish more than 2,160 projects which projected to create 331,000 new Florida jobs and $34 billion in capital investment. Among several legacy projects, she helped recruit and grow projects for Embraer, Navy Federal Credit Union, Northrop Grumman and DTCC. Before Enterprise Florida, she held positions at the Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce, the Florida Department of Commerce and in private industry.

An active speaker and leader in numerous economic development organizations, Crystal serves on the Board of Directors for the National Center for Simulation and is a member of the Florida Economic Development Council (FEDC), the International Economic Development Council (IEDC), and the Industrial Asset Management Council (IAMC). She has been named an Orlando Economic Partnership Trendsetter by Florida Trend, the Eunice Sullivan Economic Development Professional, and the Orlando Business Journal’s Women Who Mean Business Executive of the Year.

Diana Teel serves as Director for Team Orlando and Central Florida Tech Grove. As the world’s largest cluster of modeling, simulation and training (MS&T) organizations, Team Orlando is a resource for partnership with organizations that have capabilities to bring ingenuity to the forefront of military training and simulation. The Naval Support Activity operates as “Base Commander” for Team Orlando’s physical location on the University of Central Florida campus in the Central Florida Research Park, Its military commands are housed in Government and Partnership buildings throughout the park.

Tech Grove is the nation’s only innovation center specifically created to foster collaboration and acceleration of novel, nontraditional Modeling, Simulation, and Training Human Performance solutions to the U.S. Department of Defense. Connecting innovations with national security customers to solve human performance challenges at the speed of innovation across multiple services.

Diana is an Experienced Program Manager skilled in U.S. Department of Defense, Operations Management, Configuration Management, Government, and Navy. She is a strong business development professional with a Bachelor's Degree focused in Business Administration and Management, from North Carolina Wesleyan College.

Pedro Turushina serves as the Vice President of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Metro Orlando (HCCMO), driving the Chamber's strategic vision across various domains, including membership, investor relations, operational excellence, and overall organizational advancement. With a keen focus on trustee recruitment, engagement, and retention, Mr. Turushina spearheads the development of proactive initiatives to enhance membership involvement. His leadership extends to creating strategic collaborations with the members, community, and government, fostering vital partnerships with key stakeholders.

In this capacity, Pedro Turushina fosters innovation, encourages collaborative endeavors, and positions the HCCMO as a pivotal force for catalyzing business ownership and fortifying the Hispanic community within Central Florida. Originally from Colombia, Pedro's deep connection to Orlando began at 13. His academic journey led him to the University of Central Florida, where he earned a Bachelor's Degree in Fine Arts with a track in Graphic Arts.

Pedro is a dedicated community advocate who enjoys working with diverse groups, fostering a collaborative ethos that bridges consumers and local enterprises. This transformative approach propels economic growth while nurturing a thriving business landscape. Before his pivotal role at HCCMO, Pedro founded and served as the Creative Director of a well-known marketing agency in Central Florida. In this entrepreneurial capacity, he strategically sought out avenues to engage with programs that provided:

• Tangible business prospects.
• Direct access to procurement decision-makers.
• Invaluable support to the fast-growing entrepreneurial community of Central Florida.

As part of his commitment to strengthening the business community, Pedro is committed to assisting the HCCMO with cultivating strategic partnerships, implementing innovative outreach strategies, and developing robust, targeted communications, all anchored in his high value in exercising authenticity. He is lending his expertise as a creative marketing resource. His involvement encompassed the entire spectrum from conceptualization to execution. His dedication extends to cultivating strategic partnerships, devising innovative outreach strategies, and forging robust, targeted communications for HCCMO.

Pedro Turushina is resolute in his mission to empower HCCMO, fostering growth through purposeful collaborations and championing the values that underlie the Hispanic business community.

Charlotte M. Ustler is the Vice President of Ustler Development, Inc., a real estate development company focused on Downtown Orlando. She manages and coordinates various aspects of real estate development, investment and ownership including leasing, marketing, administration, property management and due diligence.

Ustler Development, Inc. is involved in a diverse array of transformative urban infill developments in Downtown Orlando, including leading the master development team for Creative Village. Notable projects include UnionWest, The Julian Apartments and Electronic Arts Orlando Studio at Creative Village, and Alta at Health Village Apartments. Collectively, the company’s real estate projects represent more than $500 million in development activity.

EXPERIENCE

Charlotte is a CCIM Candidate and a Licensed Real Estate Associate.

In 2008, she joined Kimco Realty Corporation as Director of Real Estate, overseeing the leasing and asset management of a multi-million-square-foot retail portfolio. In 2021, as Senior Director of Real Estate at Kimco, Charlotte oversaw leasing for one of the largest redevelopment projects in the Southeastern United States. After over 13 years at Kimco, Charlotte transitioned to the real estate development and marketing side of the business.

Charlotte has completed transactions with a wide variety of commercial tenants such as Publix, Sprouts, Homegoods, Burlington, Old Navy, Five Below, Ulta, Advent Health, Dry Bar, Yoga Six, Chipotle, Starbucks and Bath & Body Works, among others. She has completed over 500 transactions comprising more than 3.5 million square feet of commercial space and over $1 billion in lease value.

Charlotte launched her real estate career in 2004 with Falcon Development, where she oversaw the leasing and property management of their Florida and Colorado retail portfolio.

COMMUNITY

Growing up with a father in urban planning and a mother who led a successful career dedicated to improving all aspects of Central Florida’s non-profit sector, Charlotte has valued community, social and economic development for as long as she can remember.

Charlotte currently serves on the Downtown Orlando Partnership Board of Directors, is past-President of the NAIOP of Central Florida Board and a former Orlando Business Journal “Women Who Mean Business” and “40 under 40” nominee. She has served as Chair of the Downtown South Neighborhood Improvement District, ICSC Next Generation Central Florida committee, ULI Young Leaders Central Florida and the SODO Main Street board. Charlotte is a member of the DOP, NAIOP, ICSC and the Congress for the New Urbanism.

Cassi Willard is an advocate, attorney and educator for entrepreneurs and creatives. She currently serves as an Instructor in the Management Department in the College of Business and the Program Director at the Blackstone LaunchPad at the University of Central Florida. The Blackstone LaunchPad offers coaching, programming, pitch competitions and additional opportunities to make entrepreneurship skills available for all college students. Prior to joining UCF’s faculty, she was a Course Director at Full Sail University for nearly 20 years, where she taught undergraduate and graduate business courses.

Willard has been counseling and advocating for entrepreneurs, creatives and entertainers for more than 20 years. Through her practice, she negotiates contracts, optimizes opportunities, safeguards intellectual property rights and limits potential risks and liabilities. She is the first female to Chair the Entertainment, Art & Sports Law section of The Florida Bar twice. In addition, she is the first in her family to earn a doctoral degree and the first attorney. She presented a TEDx Orlando talk on “An Attorney’s Perspective on Creativity.”