CommHIT24

New Date Announced! Tuesday December 17 9am-5pm. Register by Dec 5
CommHIT HQ at the Kennedy Space Center

About the Event

New event date! Tues Dec 17 from 9am-5pm. Register by Dec 5 to secure your entry.

C.S. Lewis rightly said that “Hardships often prepare ordinary people for an extraordinary destiny.”

Overcoming hardships, whatever the hardships may be, is no simple task. Yet, we can boil it down to one word: Resilience. Resilience is usually accomplished by teams that are prepared for challenges and, in a coordinated way, shift with the chaos of the unavoidable crisis. Leaders who understand that all teammates play important roles and help teammates explicitly understand their purposes are better prepared for adversity.

For all of us, life is full of difficulties. Our futures promise more challenges—challenges that will test the resilience of your company, your family and friends, and you.

Come to CommHIT24 at the Kennedy Space Center. When you face challenges, we want your story to be one of resilience. New event date! Tues Dec 17 from 9am-5pm. Register by Dec 5 to secure your entry.

Attendees

We welcome leaders from all business sectors that are critical to a thriving and prosperous Florida. These sectors include space, aerospace, transportation, logistics, health, tech, education, manufacturing, construction, and government.

Event Purpose

CommHIT24 will showcase the latest and greatest presentations and activities to instill resilience into your business. This year’s CommHIT24 is dedicated to sharing what businesses and individuals need to know to recover, stabilize, and continue with purpose and mission when they face volatility, adversity, struggles, or disasters.

Event Co-Hosts

New event date! Tues Dec 17 from 9am-5pm. Register by Dec 5 to secure your entry. Thank you to our esteemed co-hosts that work with CommHIT, its partners, and the communities we serve. These entities are pivotal in leading education, strengthening healthcare delivery, fostering workforce development, and nurturing the personal and professional advancement of our youth—​paving the way for a more prosperous and healthy tomorrow. Familiarize yourself with these outstanding organizations that are shaping Florida’s future! 

CommHIT24’s co-hosts are:

  • Florida Department of Education (FDOE)
  • Florida Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA)
  • CareerSource Brevard Flagler Volusia 
  • Kids in Positive Places 
  • The Astronauts Memorial Foundation (AMF)
Event Chef

Chef Govind Armstrong

Govind Armstrong has emerged as one of the nation’s brightest culinary stars—a chef who continually cultivates his deeply rooted, passionate commitment to sustainability and locality. Born in Inglewood, CA and raised on the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica, Armstrong is as unique a personality as he is a culinary talent. Armstrong has been a firsthand participant in L.A.’s culinary history for over two decades. He began his career training and working with Wolfgang Puck in the trend-setting kitchen of the original Spago. Armstrong then went on to hone his craft internationally in highly regarded European kitchens, including Arzak, the Michelin three-star restaurant in San Sebastian, Spain. Media highlights include feature in print—People magazine’s “50 Most Beautiful” issue, Bon Appétit, Gourmet, O—and on television —The Oprah Winfrey Show, Iron Chef America, Today, Top Chef Masters, Extra, Style Network, OWN, Fine Living, and WE. Armstrong is the author of Small Bites, Big Nights: Seductive Little Plates for Intimate Occasions and Lavish Parties.

Event Speakers

Kathy Ireland
Founder of kathy ireland Worldwide®
Keynote

Kathy Ireland is an American actress, author, entrepreneur, fashion designer, philanthropist, and former fashion model. Ireland is the founder of kathy ireland Worldwide® (kiWW®)—one of the most powerful brands in the world according to License Global magazine, Forbes, ABC, CBS, NBC and other media reports. Ireland has graced the cover of Forbes Magazine more times than Sports Illustrated. Ireland is ranked #1 in Lifestyle in Forbes magazine’s most recent 50 Over 50 special issues, one of the 19 most influential women in licensing by License Global magazine, according to Fairchild Publications, one of the 50 most influential people in fashion and one of the most influential leaders in the furniture industry. Ireland and kiWW® support multiple philanthropic efforts including women and children’s health, HIV/AIDS, Education, human freedom, human rights, wars against religious persecution and violence of every kind. Ireland is the first female Board Member of the NFLPI, WNBPA Board of Advocates, an Ambassador and donor for the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation, and International Youth Chair for the National Pediatric Cancer Foundation.

CommHIT24

John Spence
Leadership Development Expert
Headliner

For 30+ years, John Spence has helped people and businesses, including large corporations, worldwide harness success. John is the author of five books and co-author of several more, a business consultant, workshop facilitator, keynote speaker and executive coach with a client list that includes numerous Fortune 500 firms (including Coca-Cola, Apple, and Microsoft) to small businesses, professional associations and other organizations. John’s areas of expertise include: leadership, high-performance teams, managing change, organizational culture, consultative selling, strategic planning, strategy execution and the future of business.

Rep. Thad Altman
CEO, The Astronauts Memorial Foundation
Space Center Education Speaker

Representative Thad Altman oversees all operations of The Astronauts Memorial Foundation (AMF) and the Center for Space Education, as well as AMF’s Use Agreement and Space Act Agreement with NASA. He currently serves as a member of the Florida House of Representatives, representing parts of the Melbourne area in central Brevard County since 2016. Previously, he represented a similar area in the House from 2003 to 2008 and served in the Florida Senate from 2008 to 2016. Rep. Altman has lived in east Central Florida for more than fifty years. He played baseball at the University of Houston and later completed his undergraduate studies with a Bachelor of Science from Rollins College in 1987. 

E. Stanley Richardson
Founder and Director
ARTSPEAKSgnv Inc.

E. Stanley Richardson is an American poet, actor, author, playwright, producer, educator, workshop facilitator, and an advocate for the transformative power of poetry and the arts. Richardson is the founder and director of ARTSPEAKSgnv Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting literacy, wellbeing, and creating healthier communities by providing access to creative arts and cultural programs in historically underserved areas of North Central Florida. Richardson serves as the inaugural Poet Laureate of Alachua County, Florida (2020 -2025) and is a Community Scientist at the University of Florida (UF) Health Outcomes and Biomedical Informatics. He is an active member of the UF Health Cancer Center Community Advisory Board and the External Advisory Board for Community Outreach and Engagement.

Meghan Michael, D. ODC
Co-founder
Collective Resilience Institute

Dr. Michael is the co-founder of the Collective Resilience Institute which facilitates leader development training on team and organizational resilience. A graduate of United States Naval Academy, she has 30+ years of leadership experience as a career Naval Officer that includes Command ashore, overseas deployments, and Director of Personnel, Operations and Training. She financially managed the Navy’s multimillion-dollar Active Duty for Operational Support program. She has taught adult learners for several years, both in the Navy classroom and as an adjunct professor. Dr. Michael earned her Doctorate in Organization Development and Change from Bowling Green State University. She researches team resilience both in the sports context and the workplace. She is a certified Professional in Human Resources and Society for Human Resources Management Certified Professional, a Resilience Building Leader Program-Trainer, a certified practitioner in EQ-I 2.0/EQ 360, and a World Rugby Level 1 certified coach and referee.

Tamiko Fletcher
Chief Information Security Officer (CISO)
NASA/Kennedy Space Center

Tamiko Fletcher is Kennedy Space Center’s CISO. Fletcher is a graduate of the University of South Carolina, where she received a BS in computer engineering, and the University of Miami, where she received her master’s in industrial engineering. As CISO, she is responsible for minimizing Kennedy’s IT security risk, obtaining visibility into IT security operations, and providing guidance for compliance with NASA’s IT security standards and federal regulations.

Jeff Orrange
Lieutenant Paramedic
City of Orlando Fire Department

With a career spanning almost 30 years in the Fire Service, Orrange is recognized as a trailblazer and advocate for mental wellness in the fire service.  He ensures that first responders have the resources and mechanisms to care for each other, cultivating a culture of resilience and empathy within the fire service and beyond. Orrange serves as the Statewide Peer Team Coordinator for the Florida Firefighters Safety and Health Collaborative, where he orchestrates efforts to propagate mental wellness practices throughout the state. He also works with the 2nd Alarm Project and has a pivotal role in developing the Behavioral Health Access Program Toolkit.

Zach Eichholz
Chief Resilience Manager
City of Cape Canaveral

Eichholz is the Chief Resilience Manager and Emergency Operations Coordinator for the City of Cape Canaveral, Florida. He received a Bachelor of Science in Sustainability Studies (2016) and a Master of Science in Interdisciplinary Sciences (2019) from the Florida Institute of Technology before being hired in by the City of Cape Canaveral to help write the City’s first-ever Resiliency Action Plan. Five years later, with this action plan in place, Eichholz is in charge of Cape Canaveral’s Resilience Division – set within the Community and Economic Development Department – where he oversees the implementation of a variety of sustainability and resilience-based initiatives that include but are not limited to renewable energy deployment, flood mitigation and adaption projects, disaster preparation and relief, fleet electrification, and decarbonization efforts. Before this position, Eichholz worked as a project assistant through his time as a master’s student researching and writing the City of Satellite Beach 2017 Sustainability Action Plan; developing a series of actionable targets designed to reduce the City’s environmental footprint and mitigate future climate change impacts.

Kimberly Smoak
Deputy Secretary
Agency for Health Care Administration

Ms. Smoak has been with the Agency for Health Care Administration since August 1995. She is the Deputy Secretary of the Health Care Policy and Oversight Division. The Division licenses and/or certifies and regulates 30 providers, including hospitals, nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and home health agencies. The Division licenses certify, regulate, or provide exemptions for more than 50,000 providers. Deputy Secretary Smoak is also the State Survey Agency Director for the State of Florida and holds a Master of Science in Health with a program emphasis in Aging Studies. She is also a Qualified Intellectual Disability Professional (QIDP). In 2009 and 2017, she received Survey & Certification Achievement Awards, presented by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).

Joy Jamerson, MBA
Program Manager of Outreach, H-CAP
Workforce Development Moderator

Jamerson has 18 years of experience in workforce training and development. She understands that both traditional and non-traditional students face academic challenges and the importance of increasing career knowledge in today’s competitive workforce. She strongly advocates making sure higher education and other educational and career opportunities are available and affordable to everyone. Jamerson is the Program Manager of Outreach at the Healthcare Career Advancement Program (H-CAP). Before joining H-CAP, she served as the Workforce Development Manager for Cengage/ed2go where she assisted the US Central Region Colleges and Universities in getting on their state’s Eligible Training Provider List.

Rayna Letourneau, PhD, RN
Executive Director, Florida Center for Nursing
Nursing Workforce Panelist

Dr. Letourneau is the Executive Director of the Florida Center for Nursing, an Associate Professor at the University of South Florida College of Nursing, and the President of the National Forum of State Nursing Workforce Centers. She has 20+ years of nursing experience with a background in emergency nursing. Dr. Letourneau earned her BS in Nursing (2002) and MS in Nursing Administration (2008) from the University of Rhode Island. In 2017, she earned her PhD in Nursing from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. Dr. Letourneau’s focuses on nursing workforce development, transition to practice, nurses’ well-being, and quality and safety education for nurses. She has 100+ publications and presentations and hosts the Frontline Nursing podcast. In 2022, Dr. Letourneau was named to the Florida Health Care Power 100 by City and State and received the President’s Award from the Florida Nurses Association.

Janice Adams, DNP, MPA, RN
Co-Director, Nursing Action Coalition of Florida
Nursing Workforce Panelist

Dr. Adams earned her Doctor of Nursing Practice in Executive Leadership from American Sentinel University in Aurora, CO. She earned her Master’s, Public Administration, from Troy State University and her Bachelor of Science, Nursing, Old Dominion University in Virginia. She began her nursing career with a diploma in nursing from Sentara Norfolk General Hospital in Norfolk, VA. Until September of this year, Dr. Adams was the Associate Dean and Director of the Murphy Deming School of Nursing at Mary Baldwin University, in Staunton, VA. As Associate Dean, Dr. Adams oversaw the daily operations for the RN to BSN program, the MSN program, three Nurse Practitioner programs (FNP and AG-ACNP) and a Nurse Anesthesiology program. Dr. Adams served in the U. S. Navy for 28 years. Her nursing career spans 45+ years. Dr. Adams began her career in nursing education while in the military. Dr. Adams is the Immediate Past President of the Florida Nurses Association.

Ralph Egües, Jr.
Executive Director, Nursing Consortium of Florida
Nursing Workforce Panelist

Shortly after moving to Miami in the late 1980s, Egües helped pioneer nursing home alternative programs for elderly Medicare and Medicaid recipients and launched the first Medicaid managed care plans in Palm Beach, Hendry, Glades, and Lee counties. Egües then served as vice president of community and government relations for the nation’s largest nurse staffing company. In that role, he formed the health care committee of the American Staffing Association, becoming the committee’s first Chairman. Since 2004 as an executive director of the Nursing Consortium of Florida (NCOF), he’s facilitated this 501(c)3’s growth to include more than 70 member hospitals, schools of nursing, and other nurse employers. NCOF brings nursing academia and practice together to advance the nursing profession.

Anne Everly, MPM
FDOE Apprenticeship Training Representative
Workforce Development Presenter

Anne Everly has served for 3+ years as the Florida Department of Education Apprenticeship Training Representative for Region 6 (Volusia, Brevard, Indian River, Port St. Lucie, Martin, and Okeechobee Counties). Everly has 17+ years of experience working in Secondary Education as the Program Manager for the Take Stock in Children Scholarship and Mentoring Program for Middle and High School Students and the Pre-apprenticeship and Student Internship Coordinator for the Brevard Public Schools Career and Technical Education Program.

Melissa Byers
Business Liaison CareerSource Brevard Flagler Volusia & Apprenticeship Navigator
Workforce Development Presenter

Byers has 6+ years of post-secondary technical school education from working at a Technical Institute. In her role, she successfully implemented the integration of Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) certifications into student curriculum to ensure training met manufacturers’ standards. Today, Byers serves the workforce needs of Brevard County’s construction and hospitality employers as a CareerSource Brevard Flagler Volusia business liaison and is a state-appointed Apprenticeship Navigator within Region 6. Byers has formed regional partnerships resulting in a robust network focused on paving logical apprenticeship pathways. One such partnership includes working with Anne Everly, Apprenticeship Training Representative with the State of Florida. Together, their efforts are responsible for creating the first registered apprenticeship within the healthcare sector in Brevard and the first in the nation/state registered apprenticeship program for Surface Mount Technician (SMT) Operators. Byers is a 2024 graduate of Lead Brevard and a member of the National Society for Leadership and Success.

Kendra Siler, PhD
CommHIT CEO
Master of Ceremonies


Dr. Siler is a nationally-recognized leader in supporting rural, underserved, and remote settings. She has been an appointed stakeholder advisor to the Trump Administration White House Office of American Innovation and the Obama Administration White House Rural Council. After COVID was first discovered, Dr. Siler was a panelist for a UN Event discuss technologies to shorten COVID severity and spread. Specializing in Immunology and Biochemistry, she received her PhD from the University of Florida where she worked on securing centralized patient databases. Dr. Siler leads Wave 1 of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services 405(d) Task Group and develops registered apprenticeship programs.

Event Schedule
Event Exhibitors and Supporters

kathy ireland World Wide® (kiWW®, for short) is responsible for billions of dollars in retail sales and is the most valuable woman-owned licensing company in American history according to WWD. kiWW® and Kathy Ireland support work and philanthropic efforts that address kiWW® Millenium Development Goals. These include:

  • Eradicating extreme poverty and hunger
  • Promoting gender equality and empowering women
  • Reducing child mortality
  • Improving maternal health
  • Building global partnerships for development
  • Bringing opportunities of financial stability and healthcare to American veterans and their families

CommHIT thanks kiWW® for being a Rhodium Sponsor of CommHIT24! Make sure you stop by the kiWW® exhibit! Also, bring your questions for Kathy! She’s the CommHIT24 Keynote and her presentation will be dynamic and interactive.

CommHIT banks with the best: Truist! Although Truist is on the list of the United States’ largest banks, it has a hometown touch and provides top of the line services to businesses of all sizessmall, large, and in between. They provide resources to help their clients grow their businessesincluding getting them to the information that they need for upward economic mobility. This year, Truist is bringing several clients to CommHIT24 to learn from arguably the brightest and most experienced resilience experts. Thank you Truist for all you do for CommHIT and the communities you serve! Make sure you say hi to Commercial Relationship Manager Brenda Cesar-Banales when you’re at CommHIT24!

Have you ever wanted your business to work with NASA/Kennedy Space Center? If YES, make sure you stop by the NASA/Kennedy Space Center Office of Small Business Program (KSC OSBP) table!

KSC’s Small Business Specialist Natalie Colvin works for NASA to help small businesses work with NASA. She will be at CommHIT24 in the afternoon to tell you HOW. Natalie helps with action steps AND strategies that will optimize your company’s chances of finding opportunities to help the Kennedy Space Center’s mission: To provide continuous access to space from Earth’s premier spaceport through creativity and innovation.

And, did you catch that Natalie is from a rural area? Rural communities are near and dear to the hearts of the CommHIT Team!

Telescope Health is a Florida based tech-enabled health care and analytics company that provides critical access to immediate care in Florida.

Telescope has care navigation, data analytics, and virtual physician support for mobile integrated health solutions, health systems, accountable care organizations (ACOs), and payers across the country.

When you go by their interactive exhibit, make sure you ask Telescope Health how they can help you reduce emergency department (ED) visits and enhance preventive care through Mobile Integrated health (MIH) solutions, immediate 24/7 access to a virtual physician, and robust post-acute referral management!

CommHIT staff discovered this fascinating program back in 2019 right in front of our office; and now, at CommHIT24, we’re thrilled to finally share it with you! Commute with Enterprise is a ridesharing initiative that makes commuting to work more efficient and cost-effective. Learn more from Greg Blazak and Arlinda Karuli to see how this can work for your business and employees!

CommHIT loves Public Consulting Group (PCG). CommHIT is able to do its work because PCG assists with grant administration and workforce development approaches that make sense for the communities that CommHIT serves. Make sure you say hi to Candace, Kim, Makaya, and others from PCG at CommHIT24. See what they can do for you and who you serve!

CommHIT’s CEO is a proud Board Member of Kids in Positive Places, and CommHIT loves when Kids In Positive Places’ kids come to visit at the CommHIT HQ! Kids In Positive Places’ vision is to create a supportive network of adults that will increase positive behavior, reduce risky behaviors, and improve the self-concept of all youth in order to help them make healthy choices and reach their full potential. Stop by the Kids In Positive Places booth! You are not judged by the height you have risen, but from the depth you have climbed ~Frederick Douglass

Kinetech is a leading provider of cloud solutions for Community Assistance Programs that is currently working with CommHIT Partner Utah Transit Authority (UTA).

Kinetech has implemented programs for state and local government agencies, non-profits, and community action agencies (CAAs) that have provided services for 1M+ people and $1.5B+ in affordable housing, energy assistance, weatherization, and supportive housing community assistance!

Kinetech’s web portals and mobile applications cover the entire lifecycle of programs, from program setup, fund tracking, eligibility screening, application management, and document collection through case management, payments, reporting, and dashboarding. 

At CommHIT24, CommHIT will be announcing the Kinetech:UTA:CommHIT project that builds on the work that UTA and CommHIT performed (started during COVID) to help those who are transportation disadvantaged. The Team is in Phase 2 of the innovative eVoucher transportation system conceived and built by the UTA in partnership with CommHIT. The eVoucher RideShare Solution automates transportation programs for seniors, people with disabilities, veterans, and those needing non-emergency medical transportation (NEMT). It provides agencies with a configurable cloud-based system to set up and manage programs, funds, qualifications, reimbursement rates, payments, clients, and drivers.

Thank you to Kinetech for its expertise to help UTA and CommHIT develop an easy-to-use mobile rideshare app connects clients and drivers. The solution reduces administrative burden and is ideal for programs that support multiple funding sources like 5310, 5311, NEMT, other grants and private funding, and client credit card self-pay.

Stop by Kinetech’s Exhibit to see Craig and Jon and learn what Kinetech can do in your community!

CommHIT24

Registration provides event admission, a free specialty Columbia-Challenger license plate for Florida’s drivers, lunch by a celebrity chef, expert speakers and exhibitors, Kathy Ireland live and in-person, swag bag (including NASA items), and access to the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. New event date! Tues Dec 17 from 9am-5pm. Register by Dec 5 to secure your entry.

Ticket Price: $225*


*Eventbrite fees and taxes not included. Use code kiWW50 for 50% off your first ticket. Already bought a ticket? Use kiWW30 for 30% off of additional tickets.

Travel Information

New event date! Tues Dec 17 from 9am-5pm. Register by Dec 5 to secure your entry. Registered attendees will receive an email three days before the event letting them know that they are cleared on the NASA security logs and instructions to park and enter.

Area Lodging

We recommend booking early, in case hotel rates increase unexpectedly. For instance, hotel rates in the Titusville area go up if a launch is planned. Click below for a (non-exhaustive) list of nearby hotel recommendations.

CommHIT Location

CommHIT is headquartered at the Astronauts Memorial Foundation Building at the Kennedy Space Center.

Curious About Last Year’s Event?

Learn about our 2023 event by visiting its archived event page and photo gallery.