Impact
Leadership St. Pete announces Class of 2026
Forty business and civic leaders will spend the next six months examining the issues shaping St. Petersburg, and working together on a hands-on community project.
Leadership St. Pete has announced the members of its Class of 2026, continuing a more than five-decade tradition of cultivating local leadership in St. Petersburg.
The new class was unveiled Dec. 4 during an orientation dinner at The Vinoy St. Petersburg Resort & Golf Club. The program will officially begin with an opening retreat Jan. 9–10 at Saddlebrook Golf Resort and run for six months.
Founded in 1970, Leadership St. Pete is among the oldest leadership programs in the country. The initiative is designed as an intensive and interactive experience that exposes participants to the social, economic, business and political forces shaping the city. More than 1,600 people have graduated from the program, many of whom have gone on to serve in prominent civic, nonprofit and business roles throughout the region.
The Class of 2026 includes 40 participants drawn from a wide cross section of St. Petersburg institutions, companies and community organizations. Together, they represent government, healthcare, finance, construction, higher education, energy, nonprofit services, hospitality and the arts.
“As the chair of this year’s class and on behalf of the 37-member planning committee, I am honored to introduce the Leadership St. Pete Class of 2026,” said Debbie Viveiros, a 2020 LSP graduate and vice president at The Bank of Tampa. “This year’s class comprises 40 distinguished business and community leaders representing the diversity and strength of St. Petersburg.”
Viveiros said the group is united by a shared commitment to the city’s future and to addressing local challenges through collaboration and civic engagement. She added that the class is focused on fostering equitable relationships that can lead to lasting change.
Participants will take part in eight full-day educational seminars and two additional leadership retreats over the course of the program. In addition to classroom-style sessions and site visits, the class will work collectively on a community project. Each year, that project centers on a civic-engagement effort that includes a physical facility improvement intended to leave a tangible benefit for the city.
Leadership St. Pete officials said the program’s strength lies in bringing together people who might not otherwise work alongside one another and giving them a deeper understanding of how the city functions.
The program is supported this year by patron sponsors BayCare St. Anthony’s Hospital, Duke Energy, Eckerd College Leadership Development Institute, Orlando Health Bayfront Hospital, Power Design, Raymond James, Suncoast Credit Union and The Bank of Tampa.
With the opening retreat in January, the Class of 2026 will begin a process that past participants often describe as both demanding and transformative. Organizers say the goal remains the same as it was in 1970: to prepare informed, connected leaders who are ready to contribute to St. Petersburg’s civic life long after the program ends.
Leadership St. Pete Class of 2026
Alyssa Elsner, City of St. Petersburg
Annica Keeler, Times Publishing Company
Brayana Pettit, Benefits Plus Financial
Brennan DiChiara, Tampa Bay Rays
Brett Ciskoski, St. Petersburg Fire Rescue
Brian Rothey, Parc Center for Disabilities
Brianna Ray, Juvenile Welfare Board of Pinellas County
Casey Hall, HallmarkUX
Damia Kelly, Boley Centers
David Flanagan, Kimley Horn
Dominic Howarth, Book + Bottle
Gabriella Schmid, Clay Co-op
Heather Cook, Made Possible Personal Training
Jeffrey Clarke, Clarke Realty
Jessica Bodkin, 3 Daughters Brewing
John Saye Jr, Stale Chips
Mirna Pehar Bowen, Providence Engineering
Jonathan Caudill, City of St. Petersburg
Justin Lucci, The Global Love Project
Kathleen Collins, SitusAMC
Kent Nemeth Roberts, Suncoast Center Inc
Laura Spencer, Miss Crit LLC
Leah Biery, Tampa Bay Watch
Lee Bowles, Engie Impact
Lindsay Runk, Suncoast Credit Union
Marlene Alvarez Brewer, St. Anthony’s Hospital
Matthew Letellier, Suffolk Construction
Michelene Everett, Girl Scouts of West Central Florida
Nicole Morgan, Raymond James
Quanette Feazell, USF Credit Union
Quinn Lyons, Barcelona Equipment Inc
Rahim Samji, Boley Centers Inc
Robin Rupp-Mondak, Pinellas County Housing Authority
Shannon Wilson, Duke Energy
Shaun Drinkard, St. Petersburg Downtown Partnership
Shelby Swygert, Orlando Health
Sophia Moe, Eckerd College
Susan Mertz, Keller Williams
Tori Smith, The Welcome Standard
Whisper Wiseman, Power Design Inc.
