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 Kelly Owens – Chair / Chief Elected Official
Okeechobee County Board of County Commissioners
The Honorable Kevin Roberts – Vice Chair
Highlands County Board of County Commissioners
The Honorable Judith George
Hardee County Board of County Commissioners
The Honorable Jerod Gross
DeSoto County Board of County Commissioners
Board Officers: 2021-2023
Chair
Raymond Royce, Executive Director
Highlands County Citrus Growers Association
Officer Term: 7/1/2021 – 6/30/2023
Membership Term: 7/1/2021 – 12/31/2026
Chair-Elect
David Royal, Nutrient Stewardship Director
The Nature Conservancy, Altamonte Springs
Officer Term: 7/1/2001 – 6/30/2023
Membership Term: 10/21/2017 – 6/30/2028
Secretary/Treasurer
Yessenia Irizarry, Staffing Manager
Sunshine Staffing of Highlands County, Inc
Officer Term: 7/1/2001 – 6/30/2023
Membership Term: 7/1/2021 – 6/30/2027
Board Members
William Allbritton, Highlands Market President
MIDFLORIDA Credit Union
Membership Term: 6/15/2022 – 6/14/2030
Leigh Ann Bellamy, District Administrator
Division of Blind Services
Membership Term: 6/15/2022 – N/A
Dr. Bobby Bennett, Superintendent of Schools
The School District of DeSoto County
Membership Term: 7/1/2022 – 6/30/2023
Andrea Broomfield, Senior HR Business Partner (HRBP)
HCA Florida Raulerson Hospital
Membership Term: 1/26/2022 – 12/31/2029
Russell Brown, Campus President-Dixon Hendry
Dixon Hendry Campus – Indian River State College
Membership Term: 7/1/2021 – 6/30/2025
Kevin Cundiff, Director of Production
Profile Products
Membership Term: 7/1/2021 – 6/30/2025
Elizabeth Densmore, Human Resources Director & HRBP
AdventHealth
Membership Term: 7/1/2021 – 12/31/2028
Mary Dow, President
Dow Realty, Inc.
Membership Term: 7/1/2021 – 6/30/2024
Joshua Exendine, Union Treasurer, Executive Board
Hardee County Professional Firefighters Union, Local 3471
Membership Term: 7/1/2021 – 6/30/2028
Denise Grimsley, Economic Development Director
Hardee County Economic Development Council
(Also Labor- Employee Association- Health Care Executives)
Membership Term: 7/5/2022 – 7/4/2030
Skylar Harrison, Project Director
The AARP Foundation
Membership Term: 4/27/2022 – 4/26/2030
Terri Hemings, Financial Advisor
South Beach Beauty Academy
Membership Term: 4/27/2022 – 6/30/2029
Lois Hilton, Human Resources Director
DeSoto Memorial Hospital
Membership Term: 7/1/2021 – 6/30/2025
Christen Johnson, Executive Director
AdventHealth Wauchula
Membership Term: 6/15/2022 – 6/30/2029
Jeff King, Economic Developer Manager
Office of Econ. Dev. Highlands County BOCC
Membership Term: 7/1/2022 – 6/30/2023
Dr. Thomas C. Leitzel, President
South Florida State College
Membership Term: 7/1/2021 – 6/30/2023
Jacquelyn Lockhart, Owner/Educational Director
UR Beauty & Barber Academy
Membership Term: 4/27/2022 – 4/26/2030
Allen Moore, Business Owner / Regional Sales Manager
Source-One Solutions
Membership Term: 1/26/2022 – 12/31/2029
Wayne Olson, Area Director
Florida DOE/Vocational Rehabilitation Services
Membership Term: 7/1/2022 – N/A
Gary Ritter, Assist. Director of Govt. & Community Affairs
Okeechobee City Administrator
Membership Term: 7/1/2021 – N/A
Donald Samuels
American Legion Post 2
Representing Military Veterans
Membership Term: 7/1/2021 – 6/30/2023
Angel Wiggins, Director of Marketing and Operations Manager
Royal Care of Avon Park
Membership Term: 7/1/2021 – 6/30/2029
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.
