Community Leaders Archives

Julie Townsend
Executive director, Downtown Lakeland Partnership

Q: How did you come to live/work in Lakeland?

A: We moved to Lakeland because of a job opportunity for my husband Billy at The Ledger. He was a reporter for a sister paper in Palatka, FL and applied for a position at The Ledger in 1999.

Q: If you could have any talent in the world, what would it be and why?

A: That's a hard one. I would probably want to be able to play a musical instrument. I attended the Harrison School for the Arts Orchestra concert a while back and it was fantastic. I am just amazed by anyone who can play. The music was so powerful it brought me to tears. I would love to be able to experience it from the creative side.

Q: What would you change/add regarding EMERGE to enhance your experience?

A: It is difficult to say, since I am so new to the organization. We are all so busy, I think it is hard to take advantage of the great activities already offered.

Q: Name one pet peeve.

A: Mediocrity. I always try to beat expectations and not just do the minimum required. I get peeved by others who do not give 110 percent.

Q: How has your EMERGE Lakeland membership been beneficial to you?

A: Already I have met some great people. It keeps me connected with the community in a way that is different from my job.

Q: If you could serve on any organization's board in Lakeland, which would it be and why?

A: Another hard one! I work for an organization with a board so I understand board dynamics well. With that said, the one I chose would have to be an organization I had a passion for and one that I had time to give 110 percent. All my passion for now is tied up in Downtown, so perhaps the Historic Lakeland board.

Q: If you could ask one question of an EMERGE Spotlight member, what would it be?

A: I would selfishly ask, "How much time and money do you think you spend in Downtown Lakeland?"

Q: What is the worst job you've ever had?

A: I have worked since I was 15, so you can imagine I've had lots of random retail jobs. But really all of them were great. Why a job is bad depends on your perspective. I am the kind of person who needs flexibility in schedule, constant changes and new stimuli. I thought I wanted to be a teacher early on, but soon learned that I was not cut out for the rigidity of the schedule and confinement of the workplace. I lasted only 2 years. I have a huge amount of respect for teachers after walking in their shoes. It takes a very special person.

Q: What upcoming Lakeland event are you looking forward to attending?

A: I am really excited about the upcoming Brewz Crewz Craft Beer Festival. Of course I am a bit biased, since I am organizing the event for the DLP, but I think it will be a fabulous event. We do not have a craft beer event in Lakeland that is to the caliber that we are planning, so I am excited to see how the public reacts to it.

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Posted by Emerge Lakeland

Jared Burton Weggeland
Director, sales and marketing for Southern Homes

Q: How did you come to live/work in Lakeland?

A: I was recruited by Southern Homes

Q: What is the worst job you've ever had?

A: I worked in my cousin’s plastic factory for a summer and hated every minute of it (as I stared at the clock wishing the time went by faster!)

Q: What are your hobbies and interests?

A: My work is my hobby. I love working in new homes in Lakeland. I love it so much, it's not like working at all. When I am outside of the office I like spending time with my family. I have three children, ages 12, 11 and 7 and will be celebrating my 14th anniversary in December. I also like to travel, play golf and try different types of foods.

Q: What upcoming Lakeland event are you looking forward to attending?A: I am going to see "The Christmas Carol" at the Lakeland Center in December. That should be very good.

Q: What would you change/add regarding EMERGE to enhance your experience?

A: I like meeting and talking to new people, but I know that not everyone is the same. Maybe we could create some kind of forum within each event to help others meet new people. Maybe there could be an "ambassador" or two at each event that everyone is required to meet and greet so at least the more shy amongst us will know one or two new people each month. Just a thought.

Q: What is the oddest talent that you possess?
A: No, I cannot whistle the national anthem with my tummy button. I do speak fluent French, write poetry and draw, however.

Q: If you ever ran for public office, what would it be and why?
A: Minister of self-reliance. If we could all learn this skill, the world would be a better place.

Q: What is the dumbest thing you've ever overheard someone say?
A: I like to eat liver. Seriously. Liver. I may be missing something, but no matter how I've tried it, it just doesn't do it for me.

Q: If you could have grown up during a different decade, which would it be and why?
A: I would have liked to have grown up in the 1920's. If that were the case today I would be able to say that in my life time I had witnessed some of the most brilliant advances in human history. I would have been a part of it. I wouldn't be reading it in a history book, I would have been part of the action. The question I now have is, "How can I make the next 50 years the best history has ever seen?"

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Posted by Emerge Lakeland

Antwan Key
Communications specialist/video producer for the City of Lakeland

Q: How did you come to live/work in Lakeland?

A: Great job opportunity with the City of Lakeland.

Q: What do you find most rewarding about your job?
A: The independence, creative freedom, making people comfortable with being on camera.

Q: If you could have grown up during a different decade, which would it be and why?

A: The Roaring 20s: The Harlem Renaissance, Jazz Age. I would have liked to be in the midst of those who began to contribute to the rise of African American expression through art, literature and music like William H. Johnson, Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston, W.E.B. DuBois, Marcus Garvey, Louis Armstrong, Billie Holiday, etc.

Q: How has your EMERGE Lakeland membership been beneficial to you?
A: I’m most efficient when I have a task to do as opposed to just being a member who attends social/networking events. Serving on the Membership Committee and now the Steering Committee of EMERGE allows me to lend a hand in developing Lakeland into an environment that welcomes and supports young professionals and those who are a part of the “creative class” that Richard Florida speaks of.

Q: What upcoming Lakeland event are you looking forward to attending?A: The election (mayor’s seat and city commission seats), the Lakeland Christmas Parade (which I’ll be helping to broadcast live on the city’s government access channel, LGN Channel 615).

Q: If you could serve on any organization's board in Lakeland, which would it be and why?

A: I’d have to do research to determine which boards are out there that focus on mentoring young people. If anyone knows, please share.

Q: If you could ask one question of an EMERGE Spotlight member, what would it be?

A: What professional development exercise or event would you find beneficial?

Q: What is the worst job you've ever had?
A: I’ve never had a bad job experience. However, I often question whether I was stressing myself out or not when I started working part-time with the morning news show at WTXL-TV in Tallahassee beginning at 3 a.m.-7:30 a.m., then went directly to my full-time job for 8 hours. That went on for nearly two years. The long days were tough, but I got the experience I wanted from the news station.

Q: Name one guilty pleasure.

A: This is a tough one: sweet potato pie (others include coffee, JC Penney, Express).

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Posted by Emerge Lakeland

When: Thursday, March 5, 2009 from 4:45 - 5:50 p.m.

Where: USF Polytechnic, LTB Auditorium- 3433 Winter Lake Road, Lakeland, FL 33803

What: To kickoff Women’s History Month in March, USF Polytechnic has another phenomenal group of outstanding women to share their stories of success. The panel will include our very own Punam Saxena. Please share with your students, friends, and family members. This is a FREE event.

Hosted by Diane Boczkowski, USF Poly's Students

For more information, please call 863.667.7812

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Posted by Emerge Lakeland

Next up in our 'Guest Blogger' series is Terry Worthington, President of the United Way of Central Florida.

Where have all the leaders gone?

The yellowed pages of the scrapbooks revealed many of the same faces that sit at the heads of the boardroom tables around Polk County a quarter of a century later. They were the faces of the people that chaired the Girls Cub wreath sale, Big Brother Big Sisters Gourmet Dinner or the Rotary Auction. They were young, and frankly, most were not as good looking in 1980 as they became in their forties, fifties and sixties.

Even the group of "senior" community leaders that created the United Way of Central Florida from the independent United Ways of Greater Lakeland, Greater Bartow and the Lake Region were mostly familiar faces. While the first chair of this newly formed organization, John McKnight, passed away several years ago, he was central to the recent creation of Lakeland Volunteers In Medicine. Bob Madden, another founding Board member serves on the Salvation Army Advisory Board and is a frequent advisor to the United Way. The American Cancer Society and United Way consider Jack Pines, who celebrates his 80th birthday this month, an individual uniquely capable of pulling together disparate county interests.

Just weeks ago the Publisher of the Winter Haven News Chief, Wayne Ezell, announced his acceptance of a position with a newspaper in Jacksonville. Wayne currently serves as Co-Chair of Polk Vision and was scheduled to be the United Way Campaign Chair in 2007. He serves on the Boards of The Polk Museum of Art, Winter Haven Chamber, United Way, Winter Haven Vision and in various other volunteer capacities, including key fundraising roles with Polk Community College. Who will assume Wayne's volunteer responsibilities?

Community Leadership requires no special talent. The prerequisites include caring about the quality of life for those who follow us.

Over 2000 nonprofit organizations have tax exempt status in Polk County. All require volunteer leadership in order to serve the community. Opportunities to lead are plentiful.

Might we find you in the "2005 scrapbook" as we prepare for anniversaries in 2030?

About Terry Worthington
Terry Worthington has served as President of the United Way of Central Florida since April of 1996. After working as a case manager with the Epilepsy Foundation, he began his United Way career in 1987 as a Campaign Associate with this United Way. In 1991, he moved to the United Way of the Virginia Peninsula as Associate Executive Director and then to the United Way of Middle Tennessee (Nashville) where he was Vice President of Resource Development. Terry graduated from Ohio University with both a Bachelors degree in Communications and a Masters degree in Education.

Terry currently serves as a board member of Polk Works and chairs the Resources Committee. He is also a board member of Polk Citizens for World Class Schools, the Community Foundation of Greater Lakeland, United Way of Florida and chairs the Board Development Committee for the Polk Community College Corporate College. He has also served as a Commissioner with Volunteer Florida, the Governor's Commission on Community Service, since 1999.

Terry and his wife Marilyn are the parents of 21-year-old triplets, Chelsea and Katie are recent graduates from the University of Central Florida in Orlando and Ryan attends the University of Florida in Gainesville.

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Posted by Josh Hallett

Next up in our 'Guest Blogger' series is Daniel Stetson, executive director of the Polk Museum of Art.

When asked by Josh to write this "column" I had many thoughts about what to say or write about from advice about art collecting art to a discussion of the value of art as a tool for diverse cultural understanding and just good old fashion "fun". I wondered what you, the members of emerge, wanted to know, think about or discuss. When I was your age (not so very long ago) I was so very curious about the world but I was also concerned about career and family. My thoughts turned to the question of a quality of life and what that meant to me. I knew that a quality of life, of experience and friendships mattered to me. I've always liked crowds, fireworks, challenging architecture, beautiful things and the great outdoors. With all that in mind I want to tell you about a very interesting new report that I only yesterday began looking at.

Recently RAND Corporation published a monograph research finding entitled "Gifts of the Muse: Reframing the Debate About the Benefit of the Arts" (available at www.rand.org ). What has struck me most about this report is their emphasis on what they term "The Missing Link." After we consider the empirical data about economic benefits from the arts (Richard Florida has covered this very well in his book "The Rise of the Creative Class") and the cognitive benefits (increased SAT scores etc.) we might want to consider the "Aesthetic Experience and Its Intrinsic Benefits." Wow, a research institute saying art for arts sake is an important topic. If you've ever been moved by some form of art through making or experience - music, theater, dance, visual art - you know what this means. Remember when you made something you were proud of? Don't let age or "maturity" prevent you from seeking out an enjoying these private moments of growth and maybe even "epiphanies".

Putting this all together it is my suggestions to you that you find good friends through Emerge and without the all too easy excuses experience the arts in our community. You will grow from the experience of these intrinsic benefits - beauty and civilization are wonderful things - and you will have fun. If you care about education, economic development and quality of life you own it to yourself and no on else to enjoy, grow and experience the visual and artistic world in new ways. Consider the big picture. Keep curiosity and an openness to experiences alive inside you. Please stop by the Museum of Art, you might like it.

Maybe I'll write about some of the other topics another time. Have a great day - check out the RAND report - and I'll see you around town.

About Daniel Stetson
Daniel E. Stetson joined the Polk Museum of Art in Lakeland, FL as Executive Director, the Museum's CEO and Chief Curator, in 1996 with an extensive curatorial and museum operations background. His career has included working at Colgate University (1980-1981) and then the University of Northern Iowa Gallery of Art (1981-1987), where he oversaw the construction of a new art gallery and a substantial increase in the permanent collection holdings. As Director of the Davenport Museum of Art (1987-1991) in Iowa, Daniel curated numerous exhibitions and increased the Museum's permanent endowment fund by more than one-half million dollars.

In 1991, he was named the Executive Director of Laguna Gloria Art Museum (1991-1996) in Texas, where he oversaw the renaming of the institution as the Austin Museum of Art and the development of a five-year strategic plan through an NEA Advancement Grant. He facilitated the opening of a major downtown gallery space for the Museum, a preservation study of the historic Laguna Gloria site, the rewriting of the vision and mission of the Museum to be based on the tenet of "intellectual and cultural diversity" and he increased the Museum's operational budget by 50 percent.

Daniel has evidenced strong community leadership involvement since arriving in Lakeland in 1996. He has served on the board of the Florida Art Museum Director's Association and is currently Secretary and is a founding member of the Cultural Arts Board (CAB) of Polk County and was President (2001 & 2002), and served as President of the Friends of the Lakeland Public Library. Today he serves as a founding member and as an Executive Committee member of the Polk Arts Alliance. He is currently Treasurer for the Florida Association of Museums. He is a member of the steering committees for Lakeland Vision and Polk Vision (25 year community-wide long-range vision plans). He serves on the Harrison Arts Center School Advisory Council and has served on the USF Community Advisory Board and the former Motion Pictures and Television Advisory Committee for Polk County. Currently he serves on the Marketing Committee of the Tourism & Sports Marketing Department of the Tourist Development Board.

Representing CAB, and armed with a grant and partnership from USF, he is one of the principal managers for the first economic impact of the arts study for Polk County (resulting in a measured impact exceeding $35 million). He is involved in a second study which is underway (2005). Daniel is active as an accreditation site reviewer for the American Association of Museums Accreditation Commission and has served on grant review panels for the States of Florida, Texas, Iowa and North Dakota.

The Polk Museum of Art has grown substantially under his direction with total operating expenses now exceeding $1.6 million yearly (up from less than $1 million when he started). Under his direction the Museum undertook its largest ever private fund raising drive for $3.7 million and surpassed that goal. Additionally, Daniel established the Museum's first planned giving program, the Cornerstone Society. Major, year long, downtown sculpture projects are now a part of our community landscape in cooperation with the City of Lakeland.

Daniel has a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in Art History from SUNY College at Potsdam and a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degree in Museology (Museum Studies) from Syracuse University. He is a 2003 recipient of the USF Lakeland Distinguished Service Award. He is married to Catherine, an artist and photographer, with whom they have three children

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Posted by Josh Hallett

We are looking forward to seeing you tonight at the Polk Museum event. We are very excited about this one in terms of location, activities, and the music and food. It will be a great time, so please join us even if you have not RSVP'd!

Our next event, Cocktails with the Commodore, at the Lakeland Yacht and Country Club is free for members to attend, so we hope you can come to this one, too, on Tuesday April 26th at 5:30 p.m.

If you have any questions about any of our events, please e-mail anyone on the steering committee or post a comment. Thanks!

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Posted by Angie Register

In our continuing 'Guest Blogger' series, EMERGE Lakeland is fortunate to have Clayton Hollis from Publix provide a message for our members.

What an exciting time in the Lakeland community! Having EMERGE begin to mature (in time, not attitude!) has been a joy to see. I think the possibilities for involvement are endless. I just wish I was young enough to be included in this great group!

When one mentions Lakeland, many things come to mind: Florida Southern College, Florida Citrus Mutual, Orange Cup Regatta, Mayfaire, Sun 'n Fun, Detroit Tigers and, oh yes, Publix Super Markets! While most people know about us, and probably have some sort of relationship with us, I thought I'd take a minute to update the group on where we are as a company.

Having started this great company with one little store in downtown Winter Haven in September of 1930, we set up shop in downtown Lakeland in 1945 after purchasing 19 small stores called All American. There was a warehouse across from Munn Park, so Lakeland became our home. In the past 75 years, we've grown to 851 stores (as of March 31), in five southern states (Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama and Tennessee), with over 128,000 associates and 2004 sales of $18.6 billion. While this might seem like a very big company, we still see ourselves as this small, family-owned business based in Lakeland. We continue to follow the mantra set by our founder, George W. Jenkins, to operate a better store, make shopping a pleasure and be involved in our communities.

You'll find the Publix name on a thousands of donation lists, but more importantly is that you'll find thousands of Publix associates actively involved in their communities. From serving on boards of non-profit organizations to serving meals at homeless shelters, our associates are most satisfied when "doing". They feel a great deal of satisfaction by helping others. And isn't that what it's all about? I think we've shown that you can be a great, even superior, operator and still keep that personal touch of involvement in your community.

I challenge each of you to find that passion, both in your work world, and your community involvement. Get involved and make a difference!

About Clayton Hollis
Born and raised in Lakeland. Graduated from Santa Fe High School and Florida Southern College. Worked at Publix since the day he turned 16, 32 years ago! Began his career by bagging groceries at Grove Park. Worked in a variety of areas of the company, including construction, but spent most of his time in the store, including managing a store in New Port Richey. As Vice President of Public Affairs, he manages the Government Relations, Corporate Communications, Consumer Relations, as well as Media and Community Relations areas.

Spent a year in a Rotary vocational exchange program with a Swiss supermarket. He has been active on federal industry boards, both the state and Lakeland Chamber boards, as well as various community boards including Florida Southern College. He is a past Chairman of the Florida Retail Federation. Clayton has been honored with various awards for his service both in the industry and the community, including the Glen Woodward Award and the Jere Annis Award.

Married to Beverly, they have two children: Clay and Jill. Active, involved member at First United Methodist Church, he enjoys snow skiing, boating, playing golf, traveling and reading. But mostly, he enjoys spending time with his family!

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Posted by Josh Hallett

On a monthly basis (and perhaps more frequently) the EMERGE Lakeland Blog will feature a Lakeland community leader as a 'Guest Blogger'. Our first guest post was written by Ron Clark, one of the initial leaders in establishing EMERGE Lakeland. The following is his message to our members:

I was asked to write a column for the Emerge Website. As I am an ardent fan of what Emerge does and will do in our community, I am happy to do so.

Emerge began as a joint effort of the Lakeland Chamber of Commerce and United Way of Central Florida. Both organizations recognized that the future of our community totally depends on the emergence of new leaders who are not only focused on making their way in the business world but in providing leadership in making our community a better place to live and work. From helping those less fortunate to increasing our cultural opportunities, members of Emerge must lead the way. Emerge members will be the vanguard of the new leadership in our community.

The great byproduct of Emerge involvement is that you will connect with future leaders and create relationships and connections that will benefit you immensely as your business grows. I would urge you not to be satisfied with simply being a member of Emerge, seek civic involvement and leadership in everything you do. I can assure you that myself and many others in our community want you and Emerge to succeed. The future of our community depends on it.

About Ron Clark
Mr. Clark is a senior partner of one of Lakeland's leading law firms and is actively involved in civic and charitable organizations. He currently serves as co-chair of Polk County Vision and chairman of Lakeland Metro Vision. He is past chairman of the Lakeland Area Chamber of Commerce as well as numerous other boards. He is a recipient of the Jere Annis Lakeland Leadership Award for outstanding civic accomplishments. He is a Board Certified Real Estate Lawyer and practices in the areas of Business Law, Land Use and Real Estate Development.

EMERGE Lakeland would like to thank Ron Clark for all that he has contributed to the Lakeland community and EMERGE Lakeland.

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Posted by Josh Hallett