John Lai, president and chief executive officer of the Sanibel & Captiva Islands Chamber of Commerce, recently took the seat of chair for the Florida Association of Chamber Professionals (FACP). The statewide chamber agency installed its 2021-2022 board of directors from throughout the state at its annual conference held Sep. 22-24 in Jupiter, Fla.
The board of directors is the governing body responsible for overseeing the operations of FACP, whose mission is to advance excellence in chamber management in the state of Florida. Lai took the position of chair-elect last year. He succeeds Corydon “Cory” Skeates, JD, FCCP, IOM, president and CEO of the Lakeland Chamber of Commerce. As chair, Lai will lead the board in the coming year and oversee its direction in providing development skills for professionals within the chamber of commerce industry.
“I am highly honored and humbled to be taking this position with an organization of such import to our state and the chamber of commerce movement,” said Lai. “I look forward to strengthening the islands’ standing with this front-row connection.”
Lai has served at the Sanibel & Captiva Chamber’s helm since his appointment in 2017. He has led members through toxic water quality issues and pandemic upheaval during that time by rallying local businesses at the state and federal government levels. Lai was instrumental in bringing together the Southwest Florida Alliance of Chambers and in seeing the chamber’s visitor center modernized and named by Visit Florida as one of 13 official Florida Certified Tourism Information Centers.
The 2021-2022 FACP board of directors includes:
CHAIR: John Lai, Sanibel & Captiva Islands Chamber of Commerce
CHAIR-ELECT: Tamara Fleischhaker, IOM, FCCP, Ocala Metro Chamber & Economic Partnership
TREASURER: Dan Lindblade, CAE, Greater Fort Lauderdale Chamber of Commerce
PAST CHAIR: Corydon “Cory” Skeates, JD, FCCP, IOM, Lakeland Chamber of Commerce
PRESIDENT/CEO: Tammy C. Bracewell, IOM, FCCP
Cindy Brief, IOM, FCCP, Coral Springs Coconut Creek Regional Chamber of Commerce
Steve Cannon, IOM, Greater Gainesville Chamber of Commerce
Krista Compton Carter, IOM, West Orange Chamber of Commerce
Debbie Connors, IOM, FCCP, Port Orange-South Daytona Chamber of Commerce
Michael Dalby, IOM, Greater Naples Chamber of Commerce
Kim Dalglish, IOM, Manatee Chamber of Commerce
Colleen DePasquale, IOM, Greater Fort Myers Chamber of Commerce
Kelly Flannery, FCCP, South Tampa Chamber of Commerce
Tiffany Garling, FCCP, Jackson County Chamber of Commerce
Megan Harrison, Walton Area Chamber of Commerce
Jean Hungiville, Tarpon Springs Chamber of Commerce
Janet Kersey, CFEE, CDME, Daytona Regional Chamber of Commerce
Kristopher McLane, Panama City Beach Chamber of Commerce
Noel Martinez, Palm Beach North Chamber of Commerce
Christine Miller, FCCP, Greater Plant City Chamber of Commerce
Melonie Monson, FCCP, Zephyrhills Chamber of Commerce
Shane Moody, CCE, FCCP, Destin Chamber of Commerce
John Newstreet, IOM, FCCP, Kissimmee-Osceola County Chamber of Commerce
Gaby Ortigoni, Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Metro Orlando
Amanda Patch, JAX Chamber
Sarah Pearson, IOM, Boca Raton Chamber of Commerce
Sam Ruiz, IOM, Putnam County Chamber of Commerce
John Solomon, Apalachicola Bay Chamber of Commerce
Mark Wilson, CCE, Florida Chamber of Commerce
For more information, visit facponline.com, or contact Tammy Bracewell at
800-226-3269.
ABOUT SANIBEL & CAPTIVA ISLANDS CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
The Sanibel & Captiva Islands Chamber of Commerce is dedicated to promoting the prosperity of its members and preserving the quality of life of our community. With over 560 active Chamber members from both islands including businesses from Lee and Collier counties, the Chamber plays a key role in facilitating communication and cooperation between business, residents and government to enhance the economic health of the islands. The Francis P. Bailey, Jr. Chamber Visitor Center is located at the entrance to Sanibel Island and welcomes over 160,000 visitors each year. VISIT FLORIDA named the Visitor Center one of thirteen official Florida Certified Tourism Information Centers. The Visitor Center is open 365 days a year and provides visitors with comprehensive information about things to do, places to visit, where to stay, shop and dine. The Chamber website http://sanibel-captiva.org receives over 1.3 million website visits per year.
