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 on October 17, 2024 at the Kennedy Space Center. When you face challenges, we want your story to be one of resilience.
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.
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.
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)
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.
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. KiWW® is responsible for billions of dollars in retail sales and is the most valuable woman-owned licensing company in American history according to WWD. 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Florida A&M University Assistant Professor
2nd Alarm Project Executive Director
Dr. O’Dare is an Assistant Professor of Health Policy and Management with the Institute of Public Health at Florida A&M University and the Founder and Executive Director of the 2nd Alarm Project. She is the Principal Investigator on $5.5 million in federal and state funding for first responder resiliency initiatives. Dr. O’Dare has actively worked with dozens of Florida based agencies to conduct needs assessments, provide capacity building for peer support teams, and develop BHAP programs. She has conducted mental health training with hundreds of first responders, family members, and leadership teams and functioned as a behavioral health navigator and clinical advisor to peer support teams. She has also served on local and statewide critical incident activations and deployments, including to Surfside, FL in 2021 and Hurricane Ian in 2022. She frequently provides consultation and technical assistance to first responder organizations across the country on best practices in building mental wellness programs.
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.
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.
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.
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. Dr. Adams is the Associate Dean and Director of the Murphy Deming School of Nursing at Mary Baldwin University, in Staunton, VA. As Associate Dean, Dr. Adams oversees the daily operations for the RN to BSN program, the MSN program, three Nurse Practitioner programs (FNP and AG-ACNP) and a Nurse Anesthesiology. 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.
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.
FDOE Apprenticeship Training Representative
Workforce Development Moderator
Anne Everly has served for 3+ years as the Florida Department of Education Apprenticeship Training Representative for Region 6 which supports Volusia, Brevard, Indian River, Port St. Lucie, Martin, and Okeechobee Counties. Everly has more than 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 Preapprenticeship and Student Internship Coordinator for the Brevard Public Schools Career and Technical Education Program.
Business Liaison CareerSource Brevard Flagler Volusia & Apprenticeship Navigator
Workforce Development Moderator
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.
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.
Are you Florida-based and have a license to drive? Make sure you register for and pick up your free Space Shuttle Specialty plate!
Make sure you stop by the “Do We Belong Here?” table at CommHIT24 to meet Sarina Gandy and Rex Wilson from Cyber Florida! “Do We Belong Here?” is a podcast AND a new documentary, both presented by Cyber Florida. The documentary highlights the stories of women in cybersecurity, showcasing their challenges and triumphs. CommHIT wants to share “Do We Belong Here?” with CommHIT24 attendees to continue Cyber Florida’s efforts “to inspire and bring visibility to the incredible journeys of women in cybersecurity.” You may recognize Kennedy Space Center’s Chief Information Security Officer Tamiko Fletcher in the documentary! #TellHerStory #DoWeBelongHere
Cyber Florida Presents: “Do We Belong Here” The Documentary (Trailer) – YouTube
Registration includes event admission and lunch, as well as access to the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex on October 17 & 18, 2024.
Ticket Price: $225*
CommHIT Members Save 25%
CommHIT member price:
*Eventbrite fees and taxes not included
Become a CommHIT Team Titan by purchasing a CommHIT 2024 membership. All members receive exclusive discounts on CommHIT events, including 25% off of your CommHIT24 event ticket.
Registered attendees will receive an email by October 14, 2024 letting them know that they are cleared on the NASA security logs and instructions to park and enter. If you are registered and you don’t receive this information by October 14, 2024, please contact Jaquesha.Jefferson@CommHIT.org.
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 is headquartered at the Astronauts Memorial Foundation Building at the Kennedy Space Center.
Learn about our 2023 event by visiting its archived event page and photo gallery.