FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 20, 2006
CONTACT: Erin Isaac
(850) 410-0714
(850) 339-6951
Erin.Isaac@CristTransition.com
˜ Groups to report on opportunities and challenges within state agencies ˜
TALLAHASSEE — Governor-Elect Charlie Crist today announced the five additional of nine total Citizen Review Group leaders that will spearhead an agency-by-agency fact-finding mission aimed at identifying opportunities and challenges within each operation.
Each Citizen Review Group will gather information on individual agencies for the purpose of reporting the findings to Crist and Lieutenant Governor-Elect Jeff Kottkamp. Among the information gathered will be: administrative policy, legislative priorities, budget and funding priorities, organizational issues and federal law and policies.
The Citizen Review Groups consist of individuals from both the private sector and public service and will represent Florida’s diversity. These individuals are volunteering their time to this transition period for the betterment of Florida.
Like the Crist Transition Team members announced since his election, Citizen Review Group members will sign the Transition Code of Ethical Conduct. For a complete list of Crist Transition Team Members, please visit us online at www.CristTransition.com.
Citizen Review Group Leaders announced today include:
Family and Citizen Services: Robert J. Sparks
Agencies Covered: Department of Children and Families, Department of Veteran Affairs and Department of Elder Affairs.
Robert J. Sparks currently serves as the Director of External Affairs, Office of Attorney General and currently oversees the management of the agency’s Office of Communications, Office of Citizen Services, and the content of the web page. Mr. Sparks previously served in a similar capacity for the Department of Environmental Protection. He spent 17 years in professional baseball administration as a communications and planning executive for more than 150 teams in the United States, Canada, and Mexico as well as more than three years as a television producer and director at an Indianapolis, Indiana station. Mr. Sparks served in the United States Navy from 1972 to 1976. He received a bachelor’s degree from Indiana University in the School of Journalism.
Economic Development: Steve Swindal
Agencies Covered: Department of Revenue, Agency for Workforce Innovation, Department of Citrus/Citrus Commission, Office of Tourism, Trade and Economic Development and Enterprise Florida.
Stephen W. Swindal is a General Partner of the New York Yankees. Mr. Swindal serves on the Board of Directors for Marine Towing of Tampa. He received a bachelor’s degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Education: Dr. Paul E. Peterson
Agencies Covered: Department of Education and Agency for Persons with Disabilities.
Dr. Paul E. Peterson is a nationally renowned expert in the field of education and is the Director of the Program on Education Policy and Governance at Harvard University. Dr. Peterson is a member of the Hoover Institution’s Koret Task Force on K-12 Education and Editor of Reforming Education in Florida, an objective assessment of Florida’s education policies. Additionally, Dr. Peterson is the Editor in Chief of Education Next, a journal of opinion and research on education policy. Dr. Peterson is the author of Our Schools and Our Future: Are We Still at Risk? and The Education Gap: Vouchers and Urban Schools. He received his PhD from the University of Chicago and he is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the National Academy of Education and has received fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, the German Marshall Foundation, and the Center for Study in the Behavioral Sciences.
Growth and Environment: Mayor Rick Baker
Agencies Covered: Department of Environmental Protection, Fish & Wildlife Commission, Department of Transportation and Department of Community Affairs.
Mayor Rick Baker is the Mayor of St. Petersburg and has strived to create a seamless city where all neighborhoods enjoy a high quality of life with basic services, sound infrastructure, safe streets and opportunities to succeed. With more than 100 active neighborhood associations in the city, St. Petersburg neighbors are coming together and improving their community. He serves on the board of Tampa Bay Water, has chaired Florida Governor Jeb Bush’s Mentoring Initiative, and is chair of the state’s Century Commission for a Sustainable Florida.
Mayor Baker is also nationally recognized for His “Mayor’s Mentors and More” is a multifaceted initiative that includes college scholarships for low-income students, corporate partnerships, mentor recruitment and training and financial assistance for teachers who purchase homes in the city. Mayor Baker earned a bachelor’s degree in management, a master’s degree of business administration, and a law degree with honors from Florida State University.
Office of Insurance Regulation: Representative Randy Johnson
Agencies Covered: Office of Insurance Regulation.
Representative Randy Johnson is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Central Florida Sports Commission. In 1998, he was elected to the Florida House of Representatives from District 41, which he was re-elected subsequently, serving as Chairman of the Finance and Tax Committee and the Growth Management Committee. Prior to his career in the Legislature, Representative Johnson was Staff Director for the Orange County Board of County Commissioners and served in a similar role with the Orlando Naval Training Center. Representative Johnson is a veteran of the United States Navy as a Naval Carrier Pilot and officer with nine years of service on USS Saratoga, Theodore Roosevelt, and Independence. He flew over 200 missions and was decorated for the rescue of five servicemen lost “at sea”. Representative Johnson graduated form the University of Florida with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics.