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Tampa Downtown Partnership Announces New Leadership, Vows to Keep up the Momentum

Tampa Downtown Partnership celebrated another monumental year of growth and change by reflecting on accomplishments, welcoming new leadership, and setting the stage for future opportunities at the 33rd Annual Meeting and Luncheon on Wednesday, June 19, in the Hilton Tampa Downtown hotel.

“I am especially proud and honored to lead the remarkable staff at the Partnership. Together, we’ve made great progress in our 33rd year and I’m excited to carry that momentum forward,” said Lynda Remund, President and CEO of the Tampa Downtown Partnership. “Everyday the Partnership staff works tirelessly to go above and beyond the standard for excellence in urban place management, and today we celebrate all of the progress made throughout this year.”

2018-2019 Highlights

  • Clean and Safe fleet grew to 4 vehicles
  • Over 1.2k workers and residents participated in the Sixth Biennial Survey
  • Recipients of the International Downtown Association’s 2018 Downtown Achievement Award of Excellence for the Downtowner program
  • Began research and analysis for Downtown Tampa’s first comprehensive parking plan and released preliminary findings
  • Hosted over 150 attendees for a Downtown Mayoral Forum
  • Growing digital footprint with over 16.5k Instagram followers
  • Hosted Downtown’s largest holiday light display in Winter Village at Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park
  • Downtown’s Clean Team collected over 247 tons of trash manually
  • Downtown Guides helped 730 stranded motorists

This year, Head of School for Tampa Preparatory School, Kevin Plummer, becomes the Chairman for Tampa Downtown Partnership. He replaces Mickey Jacob, Principal at BDG Architects after completing two terms as Chairman.

During his first address as the Partnership’s Chair, Plummer presented the room of over 500 stakeholders, members, and elected officials with two challenges. “The first challenge is to fully embrace the genius of the ‘and,'” said Plummer. “I want you to think just for a moment what it would mean if the metric of success was defined by what was best for you and your company and Tampa.”

Plummer continued, “My second challenge. At the end of our lunch, find one person in this room you don’t know, exchange contact information and on July 4th, contact one another and wish each other well and happy Independence Day and perhaps share some time at Boom on the Bay. Our passion for Tampa and continuing to build relationships and understanding will fuel the future of our city.”

Mayor Jane Castor also spoke at the luncheon, commenting on the key accolades the city has recently acquired as one of the safest cities and one of the best places to do business. Both show that Downtown is a place poised for greatness.

Keynote speaker for the event, Tim Tompkins, CEO of the Times Square Alliance, closed out the luncheon by encouraging the audience to have authentic and local conversations, be ready for change, and to learn how to nurture and tap into our differences to make Tampa a better place. Often Tompkins compared the work his team at the Times Square Alliance was doing in New York to the work the Tampa Downtown Partnership is doing in Tampa. “You have the momentum,” said Tompkins, “you just need to decide where to take it.”

2019 – 2020 Officers

  • Chairman: Kevin Plummer, Tampa Preparatory School
  • Vice Chair: Andrea E. Zelman, Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney PC
  • Treasurer: Jim Themides, Wells Fargo Bank
  • Secretary: Melanie Lenz, Tampa Bay Rays
  • Immediate Past Chairman: Mickey Jacob, FAIA, BDG Architects
  • President and CEO: Lynda Remund, Tampa Downtown Partnership

2019 – 2020 Executive Committee

  • Abbey Dohring Ahern, The Dohring Group
  • John Avalon/John LaRocca, Hillsborough River Realty / The Jeffries Companies
  • Jason Collins, PhD, PE, AICP, Adeas-Q
  • Laura Crouch, Tampa Electric Company
  • Michael English, AICP, The Dikman Company
  • Tyler Hudson, Gardner Brewer Martinez-Monofort
  • David M. Mechanik, Mechanik Nuccio Hearne & Wester, PA
  • Ronald L. Vaughn, Ph.D., The University of Tampa

2019 – 2020 Board of Directors

  • Paul Anderson, Port of Tampa Bay
  • Christine M. Burdick, Emeritus Board Member
  • Josh Christensen, Suffolk Construction
  • Randy Cohen, Coen & Company
  • Santiago Corrada, Visit Tampa Bay
  • Robin DeLeVergne, Tampa General Hospital
  • Joseph DeLuca, Tampa Bay Times
  • Brian Fender, GrayRobinson
  • Keith G. Greminger, AIA, Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc.
  • Thomas N. Henderson III, Hill, Ward & Henderson, PA
  • Dianne Jacob, PNC Bank
  • Gregory Kadet, UBS Financial Services, Inc.
  • Michael Kilgore, Columbia Restaurant Group
  • Lindsey Kimball, Hillsborough County
  • Tim Koletic, Fifth Third Bank
  • Owen LaFave, Bank of Tampa
  • Ben Limmer, Hillsborough Area Transit Authority
  • Judith Lisi, David A. Straz Jr. Center for the Performing Arts
  • Jin Liu, Carlton Fields
  • Dr. Charles Lockwood, USF Health
  • Kimberly Madison, Strategic Property Partners, LLC
  • Robert McDonaugh, City of Tampa
  • Leroy Moore, Tampa Housing Authority
  • Julius Nasso, Related Group
  • Barry Oaks, Cushman & Wakefield
  • Stephen Panzarino, AIA, NCARB, AECOM
  • Kevin Preast, Amalie Arena
  • Marshall Rainey, Burr & Forman LLP
  • Craig J. Richard, Tampa Hillsborough Economic Development Corporation
  • Bob Rohrlack, CCE, Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce
  • Neale Stralow, VHB
  • Robert G. Stern, Trenam Law
  • Christine Turner, ChappellRoberts
  • Bryan Wilson, The Beck Group
  • Kendall Wilson, Holland & Knight
  • Andy Wood, The Florida Aquarium