About the Board of Directors
The Heartland Workforce Investment Board, Inc. d/b/a CareerSource Heartland, Board of Directors provide policy and guidance along with the general direction of CareerSource Florida, Inc. the state's chief policy organization for all CareerSource Heartland's activities affecting DeSoto, Hardee, and Highlands counties.
The Board is mandated legislatively to have representatives from the following categories: private sector, education, labor, community-based organizations, economic development, veterans, and non-public post-secondary educational institutions.
Board Members
Local Elected Officials – the Executive Board
The Honorable Jack Richie – Chair / Chief Elected Official
Highlands County Board of County Commissioners
The Honorable Mike Thompson – Vice Chair
Hardee County Board of County Commissioners
The Honorable Terry Hill
DeSoto County Board of County Commissioners
The Honorable Kelly Owens
Okeechobee County Board of County Commissioners
Board Officers: 2017-18
Chair David Royal
The Nature Conservancy, Altamonte Springs
Chair-Elect
William (“Bill”) J. Nielander
Nielander Law Firm P.A.
Secretary/Treasurer
Lois Hilton, Human Resources Director
DeSoto Memorial Hospital
Board Members
Rhonda Beckman, CEO
The Arc (formerly Ridge Area Arc)
Russell Brown, Provost
Dixon Hendry Campus – Indian River State College
Mary Kay Burns, Owner
Burns Citrus
Kevin Cundiff
Operations General Manager, Florikan
Mary Dow, President
Dow Realty, Inc.
Meredith Durastanti, Asst. Director AVID, Career, Technical and Adult Education
Hardee County School District
Dan Graham, President/CEO
DeSoto Home Health Care, Inc.
Joshua Exendine, Union Treasurer, Executive Board
Hardee County Professional Firefighters Union, Local 3471
John Gurney, Economic Development Director
Okeechobee County and City of Okeechobee
Jessica Hart-Howard, Financial Advisor
Edward Jones
Vanessa Hernandez, SVP II South Regional Mgr., Retail Dely.
MidFlorida South/MidFlorida Credit Union
Yessenia “Jessy” Irizarry, Staffing Manager
Sunshine Staffing of Highlands County, Inc.
Dr. Thomas C. Leitzel, President
South Florida State College
Michelle Myers, Director of Human Resources
Florida Hospital Heartland Division
Wayne Olson, Area Director
Florida DOE/Vocational Rehabilitation Services
Victoria M. Provau, Accounting Supervisor/HR Mgr.
First State Bank of Arcadia
Gary Ritter, Assist. Director of Govt. & Community Affairs
Florida Farm Bureau Federation
Raymond D. Royce, Executive Director
Highlands County Citrus Growers Assn.
Donald Samuels
American Legion Post 2
Representing Military Veterans
Sherry Sapp, Director of Admissions
NBI Truck Driver Training
Sandra Swanson, Project Director
AARP Foundation, SCSEP
Mike Taber, Economic & Tourism Development Specialist
DeSoto County Administration
Amanda Wilson, Community Development Administrator, Circuit 10
Dept. of Children & Families