Conservation Florida's Executive Team Chosen for Prestigious Leadership Programs

Our executive director, Traci Deen, was recently selected as a member of Leadership Florida Connect Class IX. Deen joins 43 other young leaders from across the state to participate in the 9-month program, which was created to educate, engage, and inspire Florida’s top young professionals. Leadership Florida Connect is a leadership program that spans industry boundaries and focuses solely on developing Florida's existing and emerging leaders.

“Leadership Florida Connect is blazing a trail for the future of Florida. Connect will give the next generation of leaders the tools they need to act now to facilitate change for years to come and make Florida a better place.”- Jon Levinson, Past Chairman, Leadership Florida

Cyndi Fernandez, our assistant director, is a current Natural Resources Leadership Institute (NRLI) fellow. NRLI is a specialized leadership training program for natural resource professionals. Over the course of eight months, fellows learn about contentious issues such as endangered species, land use, marine resources, and water use. The program brings together professionals from many sectors and provides them with training to find inclusive solutions to Florida's dire natural resource problems. The curriculum offers on-the-ground tours to experience issues firsthand, expert briefings, experiential training in collaborative decision making, and engagement with stakeholders.

Participation in these programs puts Conservation Florida’s leadership team at the forefront of Florida’s emerging trends and natural resource solutions. This means Conservation Florida will be better prepared to serve you in protecting Florida’s natural and agricultural landscapes for future generations.