SCBWA will host its September Luncheon on Tuesday, September 17th at Sanibel Community House from 11:30 am – 1:00 pm with Denise Vidal, LCEC CEO as the featured speaker. The luncheon will also include awarding the 2024 scholarship recipients.

Vidal’s topic will be, “The power of leadership: Learning to be an effective leader is not defined by gender. The possibilities are endless through vision, a willingness to grow, trust in the team, strong communication, and leading by example.”

Vidal is currently Executive Vice President and Chief Executive Officer for Lee County Electric Cooperative (LCEC).  She has overall leadership responsibility for the LCEC operations, including customer service, network infrastructure, and rates, along with all support functions.  As CEO, she has led the organization through various challenges including the global COVID pandemic and restoration after Hurricane Ian directly hit LCEC serving areas in 2022.  LCEC has been serving Southwest Florida communities for over 80 years – since 1940 – and currently has more than 250,000 customers and over 9,000 miles of energized line.  Vidal and the LCEC employees work effectively and efficiently every day to ensure customers receive reliable and competitive electric services and a quality customer experience.

Prior to serving as EVP & CEO, Vidal was the Director of Finance and Accounting / CFO at LCEC for over 10 years, including the years of the Great Recession. Vidal started with LCEC in April of 2003 and has had a variety of other responsibilities during her tenure including marketing, call center, customer service, office support services, fleet, and facilities management.

Prior to joining LCEC, Vidal worked for Sprint Central Telephone (formerly Centel and United Telephone) in Overland Park, KS and Las Vegas, NV, also in various increasingly responsible positions, including accounting, payroll, key accounts, network interconnection, product management and product development.

Vidal holds a Master’s Degree in Business Administration and Bachelor of Science Degree in Accounting, both from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV).  She is the chairperson of the Association of Large Distribution Cooperatives (ALDC) which has a vision to be THE forum for advancing the interests of the nation’s largest retail electric cooperatives.  Vidal serves on the board for the Foundation for Lee County Public Schools, is a Member at Large of the Horizon Council, serves on the General Advisory Board for the Florida Southwestern School of Business and Technology, and regularly mentors FGCU business school students.  She is a Certified Management Accountant (CMA) through the Institute of Management Accountants (IMA) in which she’s been a member since 1993 and served on the Board of the IMA Southwest Florida Chapter.  Vidal holds various Toastmasters International designations and is a member of the Electric Toasters Club at LCEC.

Thank you to our lunch sponsors, Sharon List of All Inclusive You, LLC and Colleen Zurcher-McGauran.

 

Sanibel Captiva Business Women’s Association is dedicated to empowering and supporting the women who work and live on the islands through networking, mentorship, continuing education and career advancement.

SCBWA aims to serve the community by offering an inclusive, supportive and diverse group of women supporting women. Our focus is the advancement of women’s career development targeted to workers, aspiring workers and the residents of Sanibel and Captiva. The group meets every third Tuesday of the month at various businesses and restaurants at noon.

Registration is required on Eventbrite.

For more information or to become a future lunch sponsor, please contact Taylor Osborne at [email protected].

Updates on upcoming events can be found on Eventbrite and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/SanCapBWA/.