Graduates of the Political Leadership Institute

Click on the dropdowns below to see PLI graduating class lists and photos.

2024

PLI Graduation 2024 2

Jerry Breckenridge
Truist

Arian L. Bryant
University of Central Florida

Kait Doulou
Build Ventures

Christopher Durant
Dueling Dragons of Orlando

Daniel Elliott
Florida House of Representatives

Daila Espeut-Jones
ZelTech, LLC

Johnmichael Fernandez
Florida Apartment Association

Quibulah Graham
Orlando Health

Hugh Gravitt
AdventHealth

Abraham Hanze
Sedgwick

Charlene Hotaling
Seacoast Bank

Amanda Kalantzis
Sustainability Advisory Board of Maitland

Kevin Kendrick
The Kendrick Team at EXP Realty

Barron Mills
Florida Photonics Cluster

Holton Mills
Addition Financial

Maria “Rocki” Sanchez
JPAR Coast to Coast

Kaley Slattery
The Southern Group

Rodney Thompson
Fastsigns North-Orlando

Kimberly Walker
Seminole County Property Appraiser

Michael Weinbaum
Martin Aquatic Design and Engineering

Ryleigh Wogoman-Sackos
United States Senate

2023

2023 PLIGraduation 4

Puja Aggarwal
Orlando Health

Austin Arthur
Stars and Stripes Management Systems

Vanessa Bershad
AdventHealth

Samuel Gaslin
4Acre Commercial Real Estate

Deidre Graybill
Graybill Realty & Associates, LLC

Dr. John Gyllin
Seminole State College

Erin Huntley
Independent Contractor

Joel Kaiman
TJM Communications

Danny Kavanaugh
Holland & Knight LLP

Alexis Miranda Lok
Compass

Thomas Melton
AdventHealth

Steven Miller
State Attorney’s Office 5th Judicial Circuit

Karen Monteleone
Community Leader

Frances Nevill
Teach For America

Rajal Patel
Lariyen Investments

La-Zondra C. Randolph
LCR Legal

Arnold Sánchez
Goodwill Industries of Central Florida

Andrea Small
African American Chamber of Commerce of Central Florida

Daniel Vanegas
Heart of Florida United Way

Dawnn Williams
Allstate Insurance Company

2022

PLI2022Graduation 6

Bethanie Barber
Legal Aid Society of the Orange County Bar Association, Inc.

Emily Brown
Veracity Strategies

Kelly Flaherty Clark
SeaWorld Orlando

Anthony DePina
New Level Digital

Trey Dyer
Orlando Economic Partnership

Christina Hollerbach
Hollerbach’s German Restaurant

Daniel Jesus Lopez
Kissimmee/Osceola County Chamber of Commerce

Sean McDermott
Windward Consulting Group, Inc.

LaVell D. Monger
RTW Photography

Sarah Nemes
Embrace Families

Elijah Noel
Orange Avenue Concepts

Giorgina Pinedo-Rolón
Gio Communications

Donovan Pyle
Health Compass Consulting

Raman P. Rama
Premier Management Services

Pamela L. Saffran
Pamela L. Saffran, Mental Health Counselor

Ralph Seegobin, Jr.
Office of the State Attorney, Ninth Judicial Circuit

Kevin Sutton
True Change Staffing

Ilia Torres
Orange County Government

Anthony D. Watts, Sr.
Orange County Government

Cortez Whatley
Orlando Health

 

2021

2021 PLIClassGraduation 8

Jennifer Adams
Florida Community Partnership

Stephanie Arguello
AdventHealth

Barry A.N. Bloom
Xenia Hotels & Resorts, Inc.

Christopher Dawson
GrayRobinson, P.A.

Lynn Moira Dictor
Former Radio Host iHeart Radio

Dr. Melody Duckins
Beacon College

Jim Forrester, Jr.
SeaWorld Parks and Entertainment

Curtis Gibson
Geico Insurance

Pairris Jones
Florida Polytechnic University

Justin Kinsey
REEF

Meranda Landes
Dan Newlin Injury Attorneys

Nita Martin
Orlando Regional REALTOR Association

Melissa Myers
Just Write, Inc.

Brent Tallman
Fairway Independent Mortgage Corp.

Sergio Urbina
Citigroup

Raul A. Vargas
Gallagher

Tim Veigle
Watson Realty Corp

Margie Viera
Be Global Marketing

Amanda White
Florida Apartment Association

Robert Wilson
Burges Property Company

2020

PLI Class 2020

Karen Climer
Demetree School of Real Estate

James Cooper
U.S. Air Force Agency for Modeling and Simulation

Ebo Entsuah
Montverde Academy

Arnaldo Oliveras Fernandez
180 Commercial Real Estate Solutions

Antoinette Giles
eXp Realty

Trey Gordon
Hope for North Brevard, Inc.

Mandie Jones
AdventHealth

Trinity Kutschinski
The Apartment Association of Greater Orlando

Danielle Levien
Embrace Families

Lawrence Lyman
Tactical Electronics Corporation and Gaboton Group

Kathryn Miller
Florida Polytechnic University

Thomas Moses
Emerson International, Inc.

Sean Osmond
Contec America

Maegen Pierce
Breakthrough Behavior

Leonard Spencer
Walt Disney Company

Stefanie Steele
Project Lead the Way, Inc.

Carlos Torres
Orange County Sheriff’s Office

Pamela Tuscany
Universal Studios Orlando

Sandi Vidal
Central Florida Foundation

Woody Walker
CCG

Renee Weeden
Orlando Skin Solutions

Christine Wydra
Lennar Industries

2019

2019 PLI Graduation


Yesenia Baron

National Criminal Justice Training Center

Daniel Bentancourt
Wyndham Destinations

Chan-Denise Budhoo
AmeriTeam Realty

Derrick Chacon
The Bid Coach

Christopher Chambers
Serious Simulations, LLC

James Evans
Century 21

Dan Lopez
Legends Realty

Katy McGinnis
Florida Department of
Business & Professional Regulations

Sean McQuade
CompuGroup Medical

Paul Norman
Wyndham Destinations

David Riccardi
Fifth Third Bank

Tiffany Sanders
JHT, Inc.

Steve Simpson
Central Florida Property Management

Derick Thompson
Walter P Moore

Lito Valdivia
Leidos Engineering

Franz Reiner Valencia
Enerzen, LLC

Josh Wyche
Downtown Orlando Partnership

Elizabeth Yawman
Enterprise Florida

2018

2018 PLI Graduation

Christopher Anderson
Seminole County Tax Collector

Jon Arguello
PBM Specialties

Rishi Bagga
Law Office of Rishi S. Bagga

Regine Bonneau
RB Advisory, LLC

Ross Burke
Blue Heron Beach Resort

Mary Downey
Community Hope Center

Jimmy Dunn
June Engineering Consultants, Inc.

Ana Luisa Esquivel
Care Plus Health Plans (Humana)

Keith Lowe
AdventHealth

Jim Mark
American In-Home Care, LLC

Joel A. Montilla, Esq.
Montilla Law Firm

Mark Politte
DoubleTree

Michael Scott
UCF Housing

Marni Stahlman
Shepherd’s Hope, Inc.

Michelle Tatom
Rhodes +Brito Architects, Inc.

Karl Theobald
Theobald Construction

2017

PLI 2017

Zane Beard
Florida Department of Financial Services

Melissa Byrd
Orange County Public Schools

Robert Campbell
CNL Financial Group

Lyndon Carter
Lowndes, Drosdick, Doster, Kantor & Reed, P.A.

Harry Ellis
Next Horizon

Wilfredo “Will” Fonseca
La Rosa Realty

Michael Gorritz
Avant Healthcare Professionals

Eric Gray
United Against Poverty Orlando

Lori Hagey
Feeding Children Everywhere

Brock Hankins
Allen, Dyer, Doppelt + Gilchrist P.A.

Amer Hatoum
ACR Solutions, LLC

Susan Makowski
Orange County Governement

Natalie Martinez
Align Public Strategies

Khalid Muneer
Jupiter Properties, Inc.

Amy Pennock
Pennock Consulting Group

Gonzalo Senior
IRM-Investments, Real Estate & Management

Raleigh “Lee” Steinhauer
Greater Orlando Builders Association

Heather Trick
Jordan Law FL P.A.

Matthew Weber
ROAR! Internet Marketing

Kari Whaley
St. Cloud Chamber of Commerce

2016

PLI 2016

Tim Adams
Urban University Seminary SM

Michael D. Armbruster, Ed.D.
Orange County Public Schools

Denise Beamer
Office of Attorney General, State of Florida

Gregory Eisenberg
Asset Campus Housing

Mahmoud ElAwadi
Merrill Lynch

Robyn Hattaway
Willson Hattaway Law PLLC

Robert P. Healy, Jr.
Funeraria San Juan

Brian Hodgers
Complete Choice Insurance

Joshua Lazar
Community Legal Services of Mid-Florida

Carl McPhail
The Law Office of Carl McPhail, PLLC

Yogesh Melwani
Align Commercial Real Estate

Lourdes M. Mola
Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Metro Orlando

Wes Naylor, CAPT, USN (Ret.)
Coe & Naylor LLC

Twinata “Demica” Paige
Power of Wellness, LLC

Stephon Pinkston

Danny Rivera
Orange County Government

Jennifer Spath
CBC of Central Florida

Derek Walls
Charles Schwab & Company, Inc.

Monica Wofford
Contagious Companies, Inc.

Michael A. Zaharios, III
The Corridor

2015

PLI 2015

Steven Alexander
PFM Asset Management, LLC

Roberto Baptiste
U.S. Customs and Border Protection

Robert Clements
Florida Office of Attorney General

Michelle Ertel
Florida Strategic Advisors, Inc.

David Gevorgyan
Rollins College Crummer Graduate School of Business

James P. Gleason
City of Mascotte

Susan Hammerling
Florida Dermatology Associates

Jerry Lee Hanbery
Invitation Homes

Shay Harold
SunTrust Bank, Central Florida

Wendy Hatton
Accelerated Learning Systems, Inc.

Ava Henderson
Parquet Public Affairs, LLC

Andria R. Herr
Hylant Group

Charles T. Keen, III
Rockwell Collins

Jared Maltbie
Incentive Properties, LLP

Yogesh Melwani
Align Commercial Real Estate

Rob Panepinto
Florentine Strategies

Bruno Portigliati
Florida Christian University

Latif Qadri
The Best Direct Marketing Group

Mauricio Reale
Amerex Capital LLC

Danny Rivera
Orange County Government

Jennifer Spath
CBC of Central Florida

John Williams
Rollins College Crummer Graduate School of Business

Codeye J. Woody
Orange County Public Schools

2013

PLI 2013

Robert Agrusa
Republican Party of Florida

Prince Brown
Seminole State College of Florida

Patrick Chapin
Winter Park Chamber of Commerce

Shannon Currie
All-N-One Media Group, LLC

Eric DuBois
DuBois Law Group

Brian Empric
Manhattan Construction

Robert Harvey
Aviation and Defense Consultant

Kyle Havill
Darden

Linda S. Howard, CPA
OUC – The Reliable One

Ross Johnston
Orange County Environmental

Penny Jones
Florida Hospital

Erin Melinda Koski, CPA
Averett Warmus Durkee

John C. Leonard, III
Wyndham Lake Buena Vista Resort

Benjamin W. Newman
GrayRobinson, P.A.

Terry Olson
Orange County Arts & Cultural Affairs

Jose A. Rivas, Jr.
Sol Time

Charles Roper
Roper Growers

Melissa Sarnelle
Oviedo-Winter Springs Regional Chamber of Commerce

Mark Schirmer
PNC Financial Services Group

Chris Sileo
Supervisor of Elections Seminole County

Elizabeth Starr
Office of the Attorney General, State of Florida

Phil Stump
Campus Crusade for Christ

David Taylor
WHOLESHEBANG

2012

PLI 2012

Robert Anderson
Bravo/Brio Restaurant Group

Kristen Arrington
TEAMFL

Yeoshua Bendayan
Push Button Productions

James Dubea
U.S. Coast Guard

Carey Gleason
Carey Gleason Consulting

Linda D. Ivell
Charles Rutenberg Realty

Gregory Jackson
Florida Office of Attorney General

Mike Liguori, CPA
Business Breakthroughs International

Gregory L. Moore
Mall at Millenia

Alan Morrison
Waste Management

Colin Myers
Rollins College

John Paré
John Paré, Attorney at Law

Andrew Pickett
Office of State Attorney – 18th Judical Circuit

Katrina Powell
Government Fleet Services

Julio L. Rocha, MBA
Rocha Financial Group

Shannon Rogner

Megan Sladek
Wolfshead Real Estate, LLC

Daniel Stephens
CATResearch.org

J. Scott Sturgill
Durable Safety Products

Davis Talmage
Talmage Financial Group

Nadya Vilá
Nadya Vilá, Attorney at Law

Sherrick T. Wassel
Florida Hospital

Virginia L. Whittington
MetroPlan Orlando

2011

PLI 2011

Vernice Atkins-Bradley
Votum Construction

Chevon Baccus
CRC/Baccus Communications

John Callan
SpaceHelpWanted.com

Alexander Castillo
Rollins College Crummer Graduate School of Business

Melanie Chase
Chase Freeman, P.A.

Vera Clark
Baldwin-Fairchild Cemeteries and Funeral Homes

Sarah Grafton DeVoe
Merrill Lynch Private Client Group

Rogue Gallart
Central Florida Disability Chamber

John R. Gill
Tews Company Staffing

Eric B. Jontz
Swann & Hadley, P.A.

Richard B. Lord
Upchurch, Watson, White & Max Mediation Group

Kathleen Gallagher
McIver RE/MAX Town & Country Realty

Adam H. McKinnon
Suburban Land Reserve

Robert Olszewski
Emerson Management and Consulting Group, Inc.

Bob O’Malley
CSX Transportation, Inc.

Orin Owen
G&T Conveyor Company, Inc./Five Star Airport Alliance

Jason Pirozzolo, D.O., C.A.Q., C.S.C.S.
Florida Hospital Centra Care

Andrew Ranck
Merrill Lynch

Greg Reynolds
Realty Capital Commercial Real Estate Services

Damien Richards
The Richards Law Group, PLLC

David E. Riley
PPI Construction Management

Rafael Sanchez, Jr.
Orange County Health Department

David Scherer
A+ Appraisals, Inc.

Teresa Seefeldt
Rogers Benefit Group

Colonel David A. Smith
United States Marine Corps

Kenneth P. Stackpoole, Ph.D., ATP
Florida Institute of Technology

2010

PLI 2010

Clayton H. Archey
ADM Alliance Nutrition, Inc.

Raymond S. Blankenship
Blankenship Consulting

Lucas D. Boyce
Orlando Magic

Colleen L. Burton
Polk Vision

Alan Byrd
Alan Byrd & Associates, LLC

Steven L. Corso
MedSynergies, Inc.

Earnest A. DeLoach, Jr.
DeLoach Law LLC

Carmen Dominguez
Carmen Dominguez Construction, LC

Stina D’Uva
West Orange Chamber of Commerce

Robert W. Gidel
Liberty Partners, LP, a Florida LLC

Kenneth P. Hazouri
deBeaubien, Knight, Simmons, Mantzaris & Neal, LLP

Justin M. Hollis
Keller Williams Realty

Alphonso Jefferson, Jr.
Orange County Clerk of Courts

Kasey C. Kesselring
Montverde Academy

George M. Kramer, AICP, LEED
Glatting Jackson Kercher Anglin, Inc.

Gregory D. Lee
Baker Hostetler

Michele C. Murrell
Maxwell C. King Center for the Performing Arts of Brevard Community College

Rosser L. Pace, II
Clancy & Theys Construction Company

James T. Poulos
Poulos Brown, LLC

Paul F. Pritchard
Synectic Strategy LLC

Nizam Razack, M.D., F.A.C.S.
Spine and Brain Neurosurgery Center

Anupam Saxena
ASC geosciences, inc.

Paul B. Sladek
Cloninger and Files

Lynetta Tipton Steed
Regions Bank

William M. Stinson
Holiday Professional Center S.S. LLC/ Real Estate Investment Depot LLC

Robert F. Stuart, Jr.
GrayRobinson, P.A.

Joshua H. Truitt
University of Central Florida

Yennie Tse
Rollins College Crummer Graduate School of Business

David Webb, Jr.
Fifth Third Bank

2009

Benny William Albritton, Jr.
Albritton Companies

Jason G. Albu
Albu & Associates, Inc.

Harry B. Antonio

Kristin Beall
Charlie Johnson Builder, Inc. 18650 Highway 441

Melony M. Bell
Department of Highway Safety & Motor Vehicles

Richard W. Bradley
Buena Vista Corporation

Jason W. Brown
One Source Financial

Christopher L. Carmody, Jr.
GrayRobinson, P.A.

Victoria K. Colangelo
Mitigation Marketing, LLC

Amanda S. Day
Day Communications, Inc.

Mary Ann Etzler
deBeaubien, Knight, Simmons, Mantzaris & Neal, LLP

Eduardo J. Fernández
Shutts & Bowen LLP

Kayla Florio

Thomas L. Fulmer, III
Success Essentials

Robert H. Gebaide
Baker Hostetler

Wendell B. Hays
Wendell Bruce Hays, P.A.

Charles A. Lacey
QTS Management Corporation

Christopher Martin
RBC Bank (USA)

Conor P. McFadden
Premier Beverage Company

John L. Parkinson, IV
Hilton Hotels, Embassy Suites

Sean M. Parks, AICP, QEP
Weaver Boos Consulting

Richard Porter
Cystic Fibrosis Foundation

Marc S. Reicher
RIDA Associates, LP

Jeanie L. Rowin

Peter A. Schoemann
Broad and Cassel

Edith Shelley
Legacy Estate Planners

Karl-Heinz Theobald

Yasmin Tirado-Chiodini
Tirado-Chiodini, PL Law Firm

Naomi J. Weiss
Daytona Beach Partnership

2008

The Honorable Kenneth W. Bradley

Aileen Cubillos

Christina Dixon
Dyer, Riddle, Mills & Precourt, Inc.

Susana Gibson
Clermont Automotive & Tire Center, Inc.

Dan Kirby, Jr., AIA, AICP
Boyken International, Inc.

Lawrence Kolin
Alvarez Sambol Winthrop & Madson, P.A.

Eric A. Lasso

Carl W. Lentz, IV
Adams Cameron & Company Realtors

Sarah E. Rumpf
Vose Law Firm, LLP

Domingo Sanchez
Canaan Development Company

Cory Skeates
Oviedo – Winter Springs Regional Chamber of Commerce

James D. Spaeth

Sarah Sprinkel
Sarah Sprinkel Consulting

Jennifer Thompson

Wade C. Vose
Vose Law Firm, LLP

James N. Wetherell

Duane D. Winjum
Royale Parc Suites

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About the Political Leadership Institute

A unique nonpartisan, regional initiative was designed to prepare and strengthen the next generation of public leaders before they formally choose to run for an office or seek an appointment to a government board or commission.

Chris Anderson 22
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Elected PLI Alumni

Since its inception in 2008, over 30 graduates from the Central Florida Political Leadership Institute have served in public office in our region.