Nine individuals representing communities from across the state of Florida have been selected to the inaugural cohort of the Florida Health Policy Leadership Academy, a joint professional development initiative of the Bob Graham Center and UF Health.
The members of the Spring 2021 class are:
Alyssa Brown
Alyssa Brown is a public relations and government relations executive with more than 17 years of experience in public and nonprofit settings. As Vice President of Public Policy at the Greater Gainesville Chamber of Commerce, she serves as a registered lobbyist at the federal, state and local levels, and leads the Public Policy team in being a proactive, collaborative and regional partner that advances research, policies and initiatives that support economic opportunity, business success and community progress. Key focal areas in her career include state- and local-level advocacy, government relations and public affairs in the areas of business, energy, talent/workforce and dental health. Prior to joining the Chamber team in 2014, Brown lived and worked in Tallahassee, serving most recently as the Communications Manager for CareerSource Florida, the state’s business-led workforce policy board. She also served the Florida Legislature as the Communications Director for the Florida Energy Commission in 2007 and 2008. Brown currently serves as a member of the U.S. Chamber’s Transportation Committee and the Advisory Committee of the Alachua County Metropolitan Transportation Planning Committee. Brown is a graduate of Florida State University.
Atticus Steinmetz
Atticus Steinmetz is the Economic Development Manager for the Greater Gainesville Chamber of Commerce. “During my time at the Chamber, I have had the pleasure of working with many regional organizations, companies, and government agencies in bolstering the quality of life in our region,” he said. “I’m proud to have assisted in assisting the development of businesses in our area. Witnessing the growth of companies like Feathr firsthand, or facilitating regional industry councils makes me feel like a central part of this community,” Steinmetz said. “Notable examples include working with StartGNV to fund talent attraction projects; aiding in getting the Children’s Trust initiative on our local ballot, and campaigning for its passing; assisting the growth of local startups such as EtectRX and Orchard Tech; and assisting large employers in moving to our region such as Amazon.
Gigi Simmons
Gigi Simmons represents District 1 on the Gainesville City Commission. She is currently working with UF Health to bring additional healthcare services to East Gainesville. She is an advocate for Gainesville’s District 1, which covers most of East Gainesville, serving from 2011-14 as president of the Porters Community Neighborhood Association. She is a successful small business owner and entrepreneur. She holds a bachelor’s degree in sociology from the University of South Florida.
Tonnette Graham
Tonette Graham is associate director of public policy for the Florida Association of Counties. As a lead healthcare, public safety, and economic development lobbyist, Graham provides thorough context of legislative issues to Florida’s 67 counties. Graham maintains a desire to pursue higher education administration and lends her time to numerous community service projects in the Tallahassee and Big Bend area. She also holds a bachelor’s degree in healthcare management and a master’s of public administration degree from Florida A&M University.
Ian Fletcher
Ian Fletcher is the Vice President of Education and Talent Alignment for the Greater Gainesville Chamber. He has more than 25 years of experience and is well-versed in leadership, business management and engagement, talent/workforce development, and client relations. Fletcher has worked for the Chamber for the past 13 years. He led the Business Services team, consisting of six business professionals who provided workforce development services in partnership with CareerSource North Central Florida to the Gainesville business community. Fletcher currently oversees the Alachua County Education Compact’s work, a commitment from community leaders to work on a common agenda to solve a complex social problem in education, and manages the Chamber’s Foundation. He serves as a board member on various boards: The Association of Chamber of Commerce Foundation (ACCEF), Florida College Access Network (FCAN) Advocacy Committee, The Education Foundation of Alachua County, GACTA Aces in Motion, United Way of North Central Florida, Junior Achievement of Alachua County, Dream on Purpose, Finer Foundation, Inc., and the Alachua County Public School Pandemic Response Committee. He is a member of the Rotary Club of Gainesville and Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Inc.
Mary Alford P.E.
Mary Alford was elected to the Alachua County Commissioner as District 1 commissioner in 2020, and has taken a particular interest in healthcare issues. Alford owned an architecture and engineering firm specializing in sustainability for the last 14 years. She has also served on the board of several local non-profit organizations, including Florida Defenders of the Environment, the Cultural Arts Coalition, and the United Way of North Central Florida. She holds an undergraduate degree in environmental engineering and a master’s of engineering from the University of Florida.
Eric Poole
Eric Poole serves as the Executive Director of the Institute for County Government (ICG) at the Florida Association of Counties, which provides advance policy and leadership training for county’s 300+ county commissioners. On the legislative side, he works with state officials on their COVID response and the allocation of CARES to counties. “We will also be showcasing this issue during our summer annual conference in Orlando,” he said.
Douglas Ray
Doug Ray is executive editor of the Gainesville Sun, the Ocala Star-Banner, and the Daily Commercial in Leesburg. He leads a team of reporters from Gannett newsrooms across Florida (Palm Beach Post, Sarasota Herald Tribune, Jacksonville Times-Union, Gainesville, more) on issues related to health and aging. Ray has been a newsroom leader since 1988, and led a team that won a Pulitzer Prize for breaking news reporting in 2012. “I initiated the Gainesville Sun’s Gainesville For All initiative in 2016 that has public health as a key area of focus,” he said.
Nkwanda Jah
Nkwanda Jah is executive director for the Cultural Arts Coalition and chair of the Alachua County NAACP Environmental and Climate Justice Committee, which focuses on community issues affecting the quality of life and economic equity for all citizens in Gainesville and Alachua County. “I want to be able to reach other cities counties, states and countries to teach conservation and preservation of our environment as a way of life,” she said. Jah is proud to report that the Cultural Arts Coalition has been providing science activities for elementary aged students for almost a decade; these educational activities make learning about science fun.
Learn more about the Florida Health Policy Leadership Academy