About the Board of Directors
The Heartland Workforce Investment Board, Inc. d/b/a CareerSource Heartland, Board of Directors provide policy and guidance along with the general direction of CareerSource Florida, Inc. the state's chief policy organization for all CareerSource Heartland's activities affecting DeSoto, Hardee, Highlands and Okeechobee counties. The Board is mandated legislatively to have representatives from the following categories: private sector, education, labor, community-based organizations, economic development, veterans, and non-public post-secondary educational institutions.
All CareerSource Heartland Board Members, as well as the organization’s President/Chief Executive Officer, file Financial Disclosure Information Forms with the Florida Commission on Ethics. Verification of filing may be found at http://public.ethics.state.fl.us/search.cfm.
Board Members
Local Elected Officials – the Executive Board
The Honorable Kevin Roberts – Chair / Chief Elected Official
Highlands County Board of County Commissioners
The Honorable Jerod Gross – Vice Chair
DeSoto County Board of County Commissioners
The Honorable Kenny Miller
Hardee County Board of County Commissioners
The Honorable Michael Sumner
Okeechobee County Board of County Commissioners
Board Officers: 2023-2025
Chair
David Royal, Nutrient Stewardship Director
The Nature Conservancy, Altamonte Springs
Officer Term: 7/1/2025 – 6/30/2027
Membership Term: 7/01/2021 – 6/30/2028
Chair-Elect
Grimsley Groves, Economic Development Director
The Development Group
Officer Term: 7/1/2025-6/30/2027
Membership Term: 7/5/2022-7/4/2030
Secretary/Treasurer
William Allbritton, Highlands Market President
Seacoast Bank
Officer Term: 7/1/2023 – 6/30/2025
Membership Term: 6/15/2022 – 6/14/2030
Board Members
Leigh Ann Bellamy, District Administrator
Division of Blind Services
Membership Term: 6/15/2022 – N/A
Sonja Bennett, Superintendent of Schools
Hardee County School District
Membership Term: 7/1/2025-6/30/2026
Andrea Broomfield, Senior HR Business Partner (HRBP)
HCA Florida Raulerson Hospital
Membership Term: 1/26/2022 – 12/31/2029
Billie Jo Decker, Owner/Manager
Decker Plumbing & Drains, LLC
Membership Term: 06/18/2025-06/17/2033
Stephanie Etter, Dean
School of Continuing and Adult Education, Indian River State College
Membership Term: 6/19/2023 – N/A
Joshua Exendine, Union Treasurer, Executive Board
Hardee County Professional Firefighters Union, Local 3471
Membership Term: 7/1/2021 – 6/30/2028
Sondra Guffey, Economic Development Director
DeSoto County BOCC- Economic Development
Membership Term: 7/1/2025-6/30/2026
Fred Hawkins, President
South Florida State College
Membership Term: 7/3/2023 – 6/30/2031
Rick Herndon
Herndon Landscape Group LLC
Membership Term: 4/23/2025-4/22/2033
Dawn Hoover, HR Director
Gilbert Family of Companies
Membership Term: 10/25/2023 – 10/25/2031
Yessenia Irizarry, Staffing Manager
Sunshine Staffing of Highlands County
Membership Term: 7/1/2021 – 6/30/2027
Christen Johnson, Executive Director
AdventHealth Wauchula
Membership Term: 6/15/2022 – 6/14/2030
Deborah Mancini, Vice President
Mancini Foods
Membership Term: 10/25/2023 – 10/25/2031
Katherine McAuley
SW Florida Mobile Notary
Membership Term: 4/23/2025-4/22/2033
Emily Roesner, President/ Program Director
Miller Dynamics, Inc
Membership Terms: 7/1/2025-06/30/2033
Gary Ritter, Assist. Director of Govt. & Community Affairs
Okeechobee City Administrator
Membership Term: 7/1/2021 – N/A
Efran Schraeder, President/CEO
Kraus Services
Membership Term 1/22/2025 – 1/21/2033
Alex Tijerina, Economic Development Director
Okeechobee County Economic Development Corporation
Membership Terms: 7/1/2025-6/30/2026
Glenn West, Representing Military Veterans
Veterans Council of Highlands County
Membership Term: 7/1/2023 – 6/30/2031
Amanda Wilson, Community Development Administrator, Circuit 10
Dept. of Children & Families
Membership Term: 7/1/2021 – N/A
- As defined in Florida’s Reimagining Education and Career Help Act (REACH) and as adopted in CareerSource Heartland’s (CSH) by-laws, “Members of a local workforce development board shall serve staggered terms and may not serve for more than 8 consecutive years, unless such member is a representative of a governmental entity. Service in a term of office which commenced before July 1, 2021, does not count toward the 8-year limitation.” Therefore:
– Start dates for members whose service began prior to July 1, 2021 are indicated as July 1, 2021.
– End dates for members representing governmental entities are indicated as N/A.
– Per CSH Board policy, to ensure that each county’s workforce priorities remain a strong focus of the CSH Board, certain economic development and education members rotate annually.
