USF World Advisory Council
Membership Directory
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advisory council membership, 2022-2025
Mitchel Allen
SVP, Economic Development
Tampa Bay Economic Development Council
mallen@tampabayedc.com
Mitchel Allen is the Senior Vice President of Economic Development for the Tampa Bay
Economic Development Council where he drives the strategic plan for the organization
to attract more business to the region. He specializes in market analysis and site-selection
for international and domestic companies expanding or relocating to Tampa. Over the
course of his decades-long career in economic development, Mitchel has successfully
recruited over 70 companies creating more than 12,500 jobs and accounting for $5.6
billion in economic impact.
Mitchel has earned many accomplishments and honors, including:
North America鈥檚 Top 50 Economic Developers, 2020 and 2017
Development Counsellors International (DCI) 鈥�40 Under 40鈥� Award, 2019
Economic Developer of the Year by the Arizona Association of Economic Development
(AAED), 2017
Before Tampa, Mitchel was the Executive Vice President of Business Development at
the Greater Richmond Partnership (GRP), where he managed the business development
team and its programs.. Prior to GRP, he was the Senior Vice President of Business
Development for the Greater Phoenix Economic Council (GPEC), where he led the business
development team and collaborated with local and state agencies. Before GPEC, Mitchel
worked as an Economic Development Specialist for the City of Chandler where he focused
on business attraction, retention, and expansion. He also managed the 60,000-square-foot
Innovations Science and Technology Incubator in Chandler, which opened in 2011.
Mitchel was born and raised in Tempe, Ariz., where he earned his bachelor鈥檚 degree
from Arizona State University and his Master of Business Administration (MBA) at the
University of Denver.
John Astrab
Managing Director 鈥� West Florida
BMO Harris Bank, N.A.
john.astrab@bmo.com
John Astrab is the West Florida Managing Director for BMO鈥檚 Middle Market and Corporate
Banking Group. John has been with BMO since October 2021. Prior to BMO Mr. Astrab
was a Senior Vice President of Corporate Banking at PNC Bank where he spent 8 years
covering West Florida. John started his career in Tampa with M&I Bank, which was
acquired by BMO in 2010, in their Corporate Bank Training Program. John is a graduate
of Fordham University where he majored in Finance and Economics and was a four-year
letterman in Cross Country and Track and Field. He is a Tampa Bay native and currently
resides in Apollo Beach with his wife and four Children.
Vickie Chachere
Executive Editor
Florida Trend
vchachere@floridatrend.com
Vickie Chachere was recently named the Executive Editor of Florida Trend, an award-winning
magazine that is one of the nation鈥檚 largest regional business publications.
Vickie had spent the previous 13 years as a member of the 麻豆视频
communications team, serving as a speechwriter in the Office of the President and
later as the director of strategic communications for USF Research & Innovation.
A veteran Florida journalist, over two decades Vickie worked as a reporter and editorial writer for The Tampa Tribune and served as the supervisory correspondent for the Associated Press in Tampa. She is a graduate of the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State University and is a native of southern Oregon.
Ashley Gairing
Educational Consultant
Ashleygairing@gmail.com
Ashley Gairing started volunteering at age eight, accompanying her grandmother to
help at the Red Cross Blood Bank. Later, when her three children were small, she served
on the boards of the Suncoast Dream Fund, Center Against Spouse Abuse (CASA), Brookwood,
and Community Preschool, and chaired fundraising events for a variety of local non-profits.
Ashley served at Shorecrest Preparatory School as Assistant Director of Advancement, Assistant Director of Admissions, and Director of Communications, Marketing and Alumni Affairs. Simultaneously, she earned a master鈥檚 degree in Educational Leadership from National Louis University, where she was chosen to be the student commencement speaker.
She moved to Independent Day School as a doctoral intern while she attended Nova Southeastern University鈥檚 doctoral program in Educational Leadership. After finishing with an Outstanding Dissertation Award, Ashley worked at Canterbury School of Florida as Director of Advancement and Admissions.
Her volunteer activities included two terms as Junior League Sustainer President and Centre College Parent Committee Chair plus several years on the Centre College Career Services Advisory Board. Most recently, she was Executive Vice President of Suncoasters. Today she is retired and focuses on her second year as president of USF St. Petersburg鈥檚 Town and Gown. Ashley also serves on a drug task force in Boyle County, Kentucky, and helps develop workshops with Greenwood Associates that focus on people 50+ who are planning their next chapter.
Alex Heiter
Director, Research and Air Service Development
Tampa International Airport
AHeiter@TampaAirport.com
Alex Heiter, a 25-year veteran of the aviation industry, joined Tampa International
Airport as Director of Research and Air Service Development in August of 2021. In
this role, Alex leads TPA's efforts to attract new air service in addition to providing
insightful analysis of passenger research.
Prior to joining TPA, Alex worked at Boeing Commercial Airplanes for 15 years, half of which as an executive in the Marketing organization. Most recently Alex served as Managing Director of Marketing for Europe, overseeing the market strategies and analysis in support of sales and product strategy for airlines in the region.
Previously, as Director of Network & Fleet Planning, Alex led a team of consultants responsible for analyzing and planning route networks and developing fleet plans. Alex鈥檚 first Boeing role was as a long-range product forecasting focal for the Commercial Market Outlook (CMO), a 20-year view of the worldwide demand for commercial airplanes. Alex鈥檚 ongoing duties also included providing consultative services to senior management on various issues regarding the global airline marketplace.
Prior to joining Boeing, Alex worked at Continental Airlines, serving as Senior Manager of Network Planning. Other positions held at Continental included Strategic Planning, International Route Planning, Pricing and Revenue Management. Alex has also worked for Sabre Airline Solutions as a principal in their airline consulting practice. Alex holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Aviation Management from Purdue University and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Texas at Austin. He resides in Pasco County with his wife and two school-aged children.
Richard A. Jacobson
Shareholder and Director
Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney - Law Firm (Shareholder, International Tax) and
Tampa Bay Area Committee on Foreign Relations
Richard.Jacobson@bipc.com
Richard Jacobson is a shareholder in the Tax Section of Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney.
He is a Certified Public Accountant and Board Certified by The Florida Bar in International
Law. Richard is the firm's lead representative to the TerraLex global legal network
of 150 firms located in 100 countries. In this capacity, he has developed relationships
with his counterparts throughout the TerraLex network, providing clients and attorneys
immediate access to cross-border expertise. With his immigration team, he offers 鈥渦nique
and coordinated one-stop immigration and international tax services.鈥�
Richard鈥檚 practice includes:
- Assisting foreign clients with pre-residency tax planning
- Coordinating U.S. tax and immigration planning
- Helping foreign investors in U.S. real estate (FIRPTA) and other business ventures
- Representing U.S. companies exporting products or services or conducting business internationally
- Assisting U.S. clients with their foreign manufacturing activities
- Helping U.S. business executives plan extended tours of duty overseas
- Managing IRS Voluntary Disclosure, Streamline, FATCA and FBAR/FinCen reporting
- Handling inquiries from foreign attorneys, trust companies, and accountants
- Providing international estate planning services
Karl Kaliebe
Executive Director
World Trade Center Tampa Bay
kkaliebe@wtctampa.org
Karl Kaliebe is the Executive Director of the World Trade Center Tampa Bay and an
entrepreneur assisting business development of advanced biomedical and environmental
technologies. Karl has comprehensive experience managing both client relationships
and technology commercialization projects. Additionally, with almost 15 years living
in Taiwan, he is skilled at building productive working relationships in both English
and Mandarin Chinese.
Karl attended Berkeley Preparatory School in Tampa and was awarded a B.A. in Economics from Lawrence University, a liberal arts college in Appleton, Wisconsin, where he played Division III football and was president of the Wisconsin Beta chapter of Phi Delta Theta fraternity. His professional career started in Taiwan with a US-based corporate identity systems consulting firm. Karl worked his way to group account director responsible for development of key corporate accounts including campaign execution and related business processes. He supervised client activities for key accounts for several multi-national corporations such as Scott Paper, Heineken, Nestle and Chrysler Motors.
In 2000 he co-founded E2Joy - a market leader in Taiwan for state-of-the-art biotechnology facility and equipment solutions. Karl acted as the senior business contributor to establish and foster quality relationships with government, academic and private research organizations. He continues to consult on BSL 2/3/4 projects in Taiwan and works closely with US equipment and design/construction firms. Karl returned to Florida in 2007 to be closer to his family and accepted a position at Source Interlink in Bonita Springs, Fl as a Senior Director with oversight of the operational and fiscal responsibility for engineering, prototype departments and manufacturing facilities.
By 2010 Karl was back in Tampa working for US-based clients on technology sourcing and manufacturing projects in Asia. He works on domestic and international projects with a diverse group of companies applying advanced technologies in the medical, environmental and educational fields. Since 2015 Karl has acted as the managing partner in the World Trade Center of Tampa Bay 鈥� part of the World Trade Center Association (WTCA, which includes 326 organizations located throughout the world). The WTCA serves as an 鈥渋nternational ecosystem鈥� of global connections with iconic properties, integrated trade services and business networking in more than 90 countries, connect 15,000 professional staff members and represent over 750,000 business members worldwide. WTC Tampa Bay鈥檚 mandate is to bring together business experts and government agencies involved in international trade, provide education, consultation and connections to expand the economy of the region
WTCTB, business sponsors and its members are dedicated to:
- Encouraging the expansion of world trade
- Promoting international business relationships
- Fostering mutual assistance and cooperation among stakeholders and members.
Charles E. Klug
General Counsel
Port Tampa Bay
cklug@tampaport.com
Charles E. Klug is the General Counsel of Port Tampa Bay, having served as the general
counsel since 2004. Mr. Klug was a shareholder with the law firm of Gray Robinson,
P.A., before his appointment as General Counsel. In 2012, Mr. Klug served as the Interim
Port Director of Port Tampa Bay. He was admitted to the Florida Bar in 1986 and has
been certified by the Florida Bar as specialist in Real Estate Law since 1993 and
as a specialist in City, County and Local Government Law since 1998. From 2016 through
2021, he served on the Florida Bar鈥檚 Real Estate Certification Committee. Mr. Klug
was recognized as the "Top Corporate Counsel for Government" by the Tampa Bay Business
Journal in 2014 based on leadership, ethical standards, and exemplary professional
skills. He currently is a member of numerous committees, boards and councils including
Bay Area Youth Services, Urban League of Hillsborough County, Hillsborough Commission
on Human Trafficking, Tampa Bay Harbor Safety and Security Committee, USF World Advisory
Council, and Tampa Bay Area Committee on Foreign Relations.
Miriam Kramer
President
Sister Cities Association of Sarasota
mrkramer@sarasotasistercities.com
Miriam Kramer serves as President of Sister Cities Association of Sarasota, FL (SCAS),
a nonprofit that promotes peacebuilding exchanges between its global partners. SCAS
comprises six Sister Cities: M茅rida, Mexico; Dunfermline, Scotland; Perpignan, France;
Tel Mond, Israel; Xiamen (Siming District), China; and two Friendship Cities: Busseto,
Italy; and Rapperswil-Jona, Switzerland. In this position she works with City leaders
and representatives from government, firms, nonprofits, and academia to decide the
best ways to enhance the City of Sarasota with SCAS鈥檚 international projects.
After being elected President in 2021, Miriam took a hiatus after she won the Kathryn Davis Peacebuilding Fellowship and attended the Russian Immersion Program at Middlebury College that summer. Before ascending to the presidency, she started off at SCAS as City Director for Vladimir, Russia, winning a grant in October 2019 to attend the Fifth Municipal Conference in Moscow and visit her Sister City for two weeks.
As the daughter of an Air Force attach茅, Miriam Kramer grew up living in England, Nigeria, and Germany. She is a dual citizen in the US and the UK. The year after her college graduation she attended Middlebury鈥檚 intense Summer Russian Language School for the first time.
Miriam worked in the Washington, DC area for many years. She served as Production Editor of The Journal of Democracy, an international affairs quarterly discussing the problems and prospects of democracy as a publication of the International Forum for Democratic Studies at the National Endowment for Democracy. Having studied in Russia right after the fall of the Soviet Union through Georgetown University, she moved to Russia in the late 1990s, finding a job writing and editing at Internews, whose Russian branch featured a nascent journalism school for journalists from the former USSR. It was shut down by Vladimir Putin in the 2000s.
As a contractor for EEI Communications in Northern Virginia she worked at National Geographic, the Humane Society, the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, and other such entities in the DC area. Primarily she worked as Head Research Reports Editor and Writer at InterMedia Survey Institute, formerly the research arm of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. There she edited audience and market research reports for foreign radios such as the BBC, RFE/RL, Voice of America, Radio Mart铆, and Radio Free Asia, along with other international organizations.
She eventually accepted the position of Director of Communications and Development for the Alliance for Peacebuilding in Washington, DC, a hub for American and overseas commercial, nonprofit, and governmental organizations that promote conflict prevention and resolution. Before moving to Sarasota, she worked at the Hospitality and Information Service at Meridian House, welcoming diplomats to the United States and arranging educational and artistic programs for them such as seminars on the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution as well as plays and ballets.
For sixteen years Miriam has written book reviews on diverse topics for the Old Town Crier, a lifestyle magazine with a circulation of 75,000, in the Washington, DC metropolitan area.
Miriam graduated summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, from the College of William & Mary in Virginia with a degree in English Literature and Russian Area Studies. She earned an MA, magna cum laude, in International Studies and Diplomacy from the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London.
Her outside interests include reading, throwing pottery, photography, and figure sculpture.
Madison Lawson - Ex-Officio
Regional Manager of International Trade and Development
Enterprise Florida
mlawson@enterpriseflorida.com
Joining Enterprise Florida in August of 2021, Madison Lawson is the international
trade and development manager for the Tampa Bay region. In her role at Enterprise
Florida, Lawson provides export counseling to companies in 10 Florida counties. Her
responsibilities include managing trade grants, promoting international trade shows
and missions, and coordinating educational programs and events for Florida businesses
interested or engaged in international trade.
Lawson鈥檚 background in international economic development began at the Tampa Bay EDC as the international business manager for the local organization as well as the manager for the regional trade and investment promotion partnership known as Global Tampa Bay. In this role she executed several trade missions to Latin America and foreign investment missions to France and the Netherlands. She was also responsible for marketing and social media for the partnership as well as managing international project leads.
With a master鈥檚 degree in International Development and Emerging Economies from King鈥檚 College London and a bachelor鈥檚 degree from the University of Tampa, Lawson has a depth of knowledge in international business and a personal connection to the Gulf Coast of Florida. While receiving her graduate degree, Lawson worked at Catholic Relief Services to promote the use of innovative technology in international development projects. At the University of Tampa, Lawson spent time conducting research on the informal economy in Cusco, Peru in addition to founding a social enterprise project in northern Ghana.
Javier Marin, MBA-IB, CEcD, CGBP
Director of Economic Opportunity
City of Tampa
avier.marin@tampagov.net
Serving within the Development and Economic Opportunity portfolio of the City of Tampa,
Javier is the Director of Economic Opportunity and responsible for ensuring all stakeholders
benefit from projects initiated by, or in partnership with, the City of Tampa. The
department includes small business navigation and small business resources. Additionally,
he acts as the City's liaison to economic development, tourism, Foreign Trade Zone
and Trade & Protocol. He sees his role as 鈥渟upporting firms and communities to foster
a 鈥楪local鈥� Economy.鈥�
Javier has earned hands-on, in-depth expertise in business growth, trade finance, business lending, mortgages, strategic planning, and business reorganization and relocation. Prior to joining the City of Tampa, Javier was Vice President of Business Development for the Central Florida Development Council, where he led initiatives to attract foreign direct investment, international trade, and supported the expansion and retention of existing companies.
Prior to this, he was an Assistant Director with the Florida Small Business Development Centers at the 麻豆视频, where he was responsible for international trade, finance, and growth acceleration services. Prior to the SBDC, he invested a combined 22 years in the banking industry, and he considers himself a 鈥渞ecovering banker.鈥� Additionally, his extensive experience with non-profit organizations enabled him to gain a good insight of the synergies among the private, public, and non-profit sectors. Javier has been a guest speaker, panelist, and workshop facilitator at national and international events.
Javier holds an MBA in International Business from Webber International University and a BAS in Public Administration from Polk State College. He has also earned credentials as a Certified Business Analyst (CBA), Certified Global Business Professional (CGBP), and Certified Economic Developer (CEcD).
Javier was a two-term elected member of the Dover, NJ Board of Education and Mayor of the Town of Dover, NJ for one term (2004-2005). He has lived in Colombia and Sweden and is also fluent in Spanish and Swedish.
Lawrence M. Martin
Major General
U.S. Air Force (Ret.)
martinherky@gmail.com
Major General (retired) Lawrence M. Martin, Jr served his country on active duty for
over 32 years before returning to Tampa with his wife, Julia, in 2017. His family
first came to Tampa in 2008 when he served as the wing commander at MacDill Air Force
Base. He is a command pilot with over 3,700 hours in several aircraft, served in Southwest
Asia, taught history at the United States Air Force Academy, and held leadership assignments
at Air Mobility Command, U.S. Pacific Command, U.S. Transportation Command and Headquarters,
United States Air Force, Washington, D.C. Prior to his military retirement, he served
as the Assistant Deputy Under Secretary of the Air Force, where he oversaw 226 Washington,
DC based employees managing Air Force international matters with U.S. government,
industry partners and over 100 worldwide air forces.
General Martin is a Senior Consultant for Two Blue Aces Consulting, specializing in assisting organizations with strategic planning, process improvement, leadership development, building alliances, international relations, and crisis management. General Martin serves as a Tampa Bay Defense Alliance board member and as an Advisory Council member for Mission United鈥擴nited Way Suncoast and was the volunteer President and Chief Executive Officer, Medal of Honor Convention Tampa Bay 2019.
A native of Minnesota, General Martin was a distinguished graduate of the United States Air Force Academy, the U.S. Air Force Squadron Officer School, the U.S. Marine Corps Command and Staff College, graduated from the U.S. Air War College with highest academic distinction and earned a Master of Arts from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
Natalie L. McEwan
Attorney at Law
Ogletree Deakins
natalie.mcewan@ogletree.com
Natalie L. McEwan concentrates her practice in the area of immigration. She handles
all aspects of immigration law, including applications for non-immigrant visas, immigrant
visa consular processing, employment-based and family-based immigrant petitions, PERM,
applications for change of status and extension of stay and applications for adjustment
of status and U.S. Citizenship. Natalie also provides I-9 compliance/E-Verify counseling
and training for employers.
Prior to joining the firm, Natalie worked in the immigration field in both Tampa, Florida and Washington, D.C.
A dual citizen of the United States and the United Kingdom, Natalie has resided in Europe, South America, and Asia. Natalie speaks Spanish and understands basic Italian and Portuguese.
Andrew L. McIntosh
Attorney at Law
Shumaker, Loop & Kendrick, LLP
amcintosh@shumaker.com
Working with clients in a broad range of industries, both nationally and internationally,
Andrew is a business and transactions lawyer and partner at the law firm of Shumaker,
Loop & Kendrick, LLP at Tampa with more than 30 years鈥� experience advising individuals
and business entities. His collaborative approach enables him to effectively and efficiently
counsel clients in various areas, including business organizations, mergers and acquisition,
distribution, commercial contracts, cross-border and international business expansion.
As a member of the firm鈥檚 international practice group, Andrew provides representation to clients involved in cross-border and global business, both inbound and outbound. In doing so, he draws on his experience and relationships developed as a member of both the Ontario Bar and the Florida Bar. Maintaining a solutions-oriented mindset, he co-founded a project management and consulting business designed to lift businesses seeking to expand their platforms through exports or direct investment. He also is a co-founder of Estabrook International, a consulting firm to the shipbuilding industry primarily in Canada. That experience from the business owner鈥檚 side has uniquely equipped Andrew to provide comprehensive guidance and support to his clients鈥� efforts.
From 2005 to 2012, Andrew served as Honorary Consul of Canada for Florida, pursuant to the Government of Canada's "Enhanced Representation Initiative." He continues to provide services to facilitate trade and investment activities through the Canadian Consulate General at Miami and as founder of the Canada-Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce. In recognition of his efforts on behalf of Canada, Andrew was awarded the Governor General's Visit Medallion as well as the Maple Leaf Award.
Andrew earned his J.D. (with Honors) from Florida State University. A native of Canada, Andrew earned a Bachelor of Laws degree from Queen鈥檚 University and a B.A. from Wilfrid Laurier University.
Manish Mohan
Chief Global Talent Officer
Kforce
MMohan@kforce.com
Manish Mohan joined Kforce in 2000 and serves as its Chief Global Talent Solutions
Officer. He is also a member of the Firm鈥檚 Executive Committee.
Mr. Mohan has over 25 years of experience in strategy, sales, and operations at Kforce, PricewaterhouseCoopers, and Bank of America. Since joining Kforce, he has led many initiatives including the inception of the Global Talent Solutions team in 2009. While at Kforce, his team has been recognized multiple times with Team of the Year awards.
A graduate of BITS Pilani with a bachelor鈥檚 and master鈥檚 degrees in Engineering, he received an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. He is also an adjunct faculty at 麻豆视频鈥檚 Muma College of Business and teaches People Analytics to graduating seniors.
Bernardo Piccolo
Realtor
Charles Runtenberg Realty, Inc.
brealtor@tampabay.rr.com
Bernardo Piccolo P.A. CRS,CIPS,GRI,ABR,SFR is the leader of a residential and commercial
real estate practice with 15 years of market experience in the Tampa Bay and surrounding
area. With over 800 transactional parties assisted and $100+ millions in real estate
sales, Bernardo Piccolo PA is within the top 1% in sales volume and units sold in
the Tampa Bay region. Bernardo and his team specializes in domestic and international
relocation, investment real estate, residential and commercial sales. Bernardo is
serving on the Advisory Council at the request of Council Member Suelie Bonaparte.
Lynne Platt - Ex-Officio
Senior U.S. Foreign Service Officer (Retired)
U.S. Department of State
plattlynne@gmail.com
A senior Foreign Service Officer retired in 2018 with the rank of Minister-Counselor,
Lynne Platt鈥檚 career spans 31 years and three U.S. Government agencies. She entered
public service as an auditor in the General Accounting Office and became a policy
analyst in the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy.
Lynne joined the State Department Foreign Service in 1994 and was assigned to U.S. Embassy Cairo (1995-1997) and U.S. Consulate Casablanca (1995-1997). Lynne worked as Press Officer/Spokesperson at the U.S. NATO Mission (2001-2004), and U.S. Embassies in Paris (2004-2008), and London (2011-2014). She managed large foreign assistance programs 鈥� as Deputy Director of the Iraq Office of Provincial Affairs at Embassy Baghdad (2008-2009), and as head of the Office of Law Enforcement and Narcotics Affairs at Embassy Port-au-Prince (2009-2011). Lynne served as U.S. Consul General in Vancouver, British Columbia (2014-2017). Domestically, she worked in the State Department鈥檚 Near East Asia Bureau and as a 2017-2018 Fellow at the non-partisan Woodrow Wilson Center鈥檚 Canada Institute.
Lynne and her husband relocated to Saint Petersburg, Florida in 2020. A Board Member of the St. Petersburg Conference on World Affairs, she helped organize the February 2022 Conference. She is an elected Governor and Trustee of DACOR, a DC-based organization of foreign affairs professionals. She also serves on the Board of the Foreign Service Retirees Association of Florida. Lynne received a B.A. (Phi Beta Kappa), M.A., and ABD in Political Science from the University of Washington in Seattle.
David W. Springsteen
CPA
CliftonLarsonAllen LLP
david.springsteen@CLAconnect.com
Dave is a tax principal leading CLA鈥檚 International Services group which is a cross-functional
team representing industry and service focused on international clients. The international
team is focused on bringing all of CLA to international clients in a bespoke manner
along with collaborating with CLA Global member firms.
Individually, Dave focuses on assisting foreign based businesses expanding into the United States, providing business strategy, consulting, and compliance assistance to start-up through publicly traded companies. Dave also has extensive experience advising on cross-border restructuring and tax-efficient holding company structures. Throughout his career Dave has worked with all size companies, whether it's the small growth oriented company going global for the first time or a well-established multinational company across multiple industries.
Bethany Valente, Ph.D.
Founder and Managing Partner
Tempo 7, LLC
bethany.valente@tempo7llc.com
Dr. Bethany Valente is the Founder and Managing Partner of Tempo7, LLC. Dr. Valente
works with business leaders and professionals to assist them in uncovering growth
opportunities and developing strategic initiatives in today's dynamic marketplace.
Dr. Valente developed her Open Innovation Opportunity framework from her global academic
research in Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States within a $484M Japanese
biopharmaceutical firm. Her Open Innovation Opportunity Program framework has been
featured in Forbes.
Dr. Valente has been recognized as top 30 global sales professional and top 85 global sales professional in two Fortune 100 firms. Dr. Valente has been a featured speaker at the Small Business Development Center in Tampa, Florida, and the Small Business Development Conference in Orlando, Florida, for her international business expertise. Dr. Valente is a guest contributor in CEOWorld Magazine, Pharmaceutical Executive, PharmaLive and Innovation Management.
Dr. Valente holds a Doctorate in Business Administration from Capella University,
a master鈥檚 degree in Global Business Administration from the University of Houston-Victoria,
and her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Ohio Northern University.
Her research interests include open innovation, dynamic capabilities, national innovation
systems, and national culture. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with family,
friends, her four pets, and traveling.
Deborah Wilkinson
Executive Director
Tampa Bay Trade and Protocol Council
deborah@wilkinsonglobalconnections.com
Deborah Wilkinson is the Executive Director of the Tampa Bay Trade and Protocol Council.
The Council was created to work closely with the Consular Corps and business community
to promote and develop the Tampa Bay area as an international hub. Ms. Wilkinson coordinates
with other international organizations to leverage the strength of Tampa in cultivating
education, business, and culture.
Ms. Wilkinson also is the Founder/President of Wilkinson Global Connections, LLC that houses Tampa Bay Trade & Protocol. WGC鈥檚 purpose is to strengthen Diplomatic Corps globally; collaborate with American Chambers of Commerce; execute strategic plans with regions and states going global; and conduct inbound and unbound missions. Clients range from private firms, city governments and other international organizations.
Prior to joining the Council, Ms. Wilkinson was the Chief Development Officer for Broward County鈥檚 Office of Economic and Small Business Development. Ms. Wilkinson is also an international trade specialist and has an extensive international trade policy background. Ms. Wilkinson coordinated and developed an international trade strategy for Broward County that resulted in the first International Trade/Protocol Desk in the county. Ms. Wilkinson has served on numerous International Trade Advisory Boards and was the Chair of Florida Economic Development Council for FY 2010-2011.
Prior to her move to Florida, Ms. Wilkinson was the Deputy Trade Representative for the State of Washington where she successfully created a coalition of 40 State Governors in support of granting China 鈥淢ost Favored Nation鈥� status and coordinated and facilitated the historic Gore-Chernomyrdin, US West Coast/Russian Far East Conference in 1995.
In 2021 she was recognized among 鈥淚nfluential Women鈥� in Tampa Bay Edge Magazine and is the 2012 recipient of the United National Women鈥檚 Day Award by the World Trade Center of Miami. She obtained her master鈥檚 Certification in International Management through the Executive Program at Thunderbird.
usf world directory
Dr. Kiki Caruson
Interim Vice President
kcaruson@usf.edu
Marcia Taylor
Director, International Student and Scholar Immigration Services
taylorm@usf.edu
Sean Gilmore
Director, International Pathway Programs and Global Academic Partnerships
Gilmore@usf.edu
Wendy Baker
Director, USF World St. Petersburg Campus
wbaker@usf.edu
Brandon McLeod
Director, USF World, Sarasota-Manatee Campus
brandonmcleod@usf.edu
Kathy Weber
Executive Administrative Specialist to the Vice President
kweber08@usf.edu