The Greater Naples Chamber congratulates Amanda Beights, senior director, Leadership Collier Foundation (LCF), on her appointment to the 2020-2021 Southwest Florida Regional Council for Leadership Florida, an organization dedicated to bringing together emerging and existing leaders from across the state to challenge them to build a better Florida.
 
Beights will support recruiting regional talent, encouraging them to apply and engage with Leadership Florida, while also serving as a liaison between the full membership and the Board of Directors. Comprised of nine other individuals, the Southwest Florida Regional Council represents a variety of leaders from businesses and organizations in the region including Barron Collier Companies, Florida Gulf Coast University, Sunshine ACE Hardware and more.
 
“Leadership Florida is committed to working with current and future leaders on building a core foundation of leadership skills and educational knowledge, which will not only propel them in their careers but will inspire them to work together in new ways for the betterment of our state,” said Beights. “This work aligns perfectly with the Leadership Collier Foundation of the Greater Naples Chamber, and I look forward to connecting our regional leaders and Leadership Collier graduates to these state level opportunities.”
 
Beights’ involvement with Leadership Florida is an example of the work the Greater Naples Chamber is doing to advance leadership development within Collier County. For information on LCF and its leadership programs, visit www.napleschamber.org/leadership-programs.

The Greater Naples Chamber will host Nick Casalanguida, the Collier County deputy county manager, to discuss the future of Collier County during a virtual Wake Up Naples at 8 a.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 12.
 
Casalanguida will provide a brief update on several county projects, discuss the vision for Collier County’s, and share what role Collier County residents can play in shaping the community’s future economy.
 
Casalanguida joined Collier County government in 2004 with more than 15 years of experience as a principal in a Massachusetts-based engineering and consulting firm. He has served as the deputy county manager since 2015. In this role, Casalanguida serves as the county’s chief operating officer and is responsible for the management and oversight of all agency operations and finances.
 
The event is sponsored by the Naples Daily News.
 
This month’s virtual Wake up Naples is free. Advanced registration is required. Register online here.
 
Held monthly, Wake Up Naples features dynamic speakers on a wide variety of topics.

With over 300 nonprofit organizations in Collier County, there are many ways for you as an employer or employee to volunteer during “normal times”. Nowadays, volunteering can be more challenging, but we have a solution!

Collier County Public School’s NAF Academies is seeking professionals to volunteer a small portion of their time, which fits within their schedule, to assist students with their career-readiness skills and career exploration. NAF Academies are small career-themed pathways within the high schools that are focused on six themes:

• Aviation
• Information Technology
• Engineering
• Finance and Entrepreneurship
• Hospitality
• Health Sciences

NAF solves some of the biggest challenges facing education and the economy by bringing education, business and community leaders together to transform the high school experience. More than ever, students need our continued support, especially since their typical field trips to local businesses and classroom guest speakers will not be taking place this year. Virtual will be the way to go!

“I truly enjoy being a NAF volunteer, and it is a great program as it gives the students an inside view of potential careers. It allows them to be more confident and knowledgeable when making career decisions.” -NAF Volunteer

How does it work?
Alex Breault, director of work-based learning at the Greater Naples Chamber, can help guide you to what might be the best fit for you.

First Step: Choose how much time you would like to dedicate to students.
We can work with whatever the amount is… one hour, four hours, tens hours plus.

Second Step: Decide what activities you would like to participate in.
You can be a virtual guest speaker for an academy, mentor students with career-based projects, assist with mock interviews, support information interviews or hire a virtual intern.

Third Step: Get started! 
We will simply connect you with the opportunities that fit within the scope of your availability and interests.

As the business community, we are a critical partner in providing students with quality and meaningful work-based learning opportunities needed to bridge the gap from the classroom to the workplace. This is our opportunity to create an on-going talent pipeline for our employers and for them to have access to a capable candidate pool. We also can decrease “brain-drain” and grow our own workforce that is college, career and life ready. So many students grow up here and attend our schools, but move away as soon as the opportunity arises because they are unaware of the career opportunities right here in their own backyards. This is our responsibility to showcase these professions, but we can’t do it alone. We need help igniting these students' passion for learning while developing their pathway from all professionals from different backgrounds, industries, cultures and experiences.

“Local NAF volunteers are able to open countless doors for students who never even knew they existed.”- NAF

For more information about becoming a NAF Academies volunteer, please contact Alex Breault, alex@napleschamber.org, for more information on how to get started.

​Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the legislation, often referred to as the Clean Waterways Act, on June 30. The measure incorporates several recommendations put forth by Blue-Green Algae Task Force and went into effect July 1.
The legislation, among other things, shifts the regulation of septic systems from the Department of Health to the Department of Environmental Protection. It also requires the Department of Environmental Protection to create rules to locate septic systems, which must include establishing setback distance to prevent groundwater and surface water contamination.
It also updates to stormwater regulations; establishes a real-time water quality monitoring program within the Department of Environmental Protection; and directs the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to collect data on how much fertilizer agricultural operations use.
The Greater Naples Chamber has identified water quality as one of its top public policy priorities and, as part of Southwest Florida Alliance of Chambers, advocated for the passage of the legislation during the 2020 Legislative Session.
The Southwest Florida Alliance of Chambers was formed following the 2018 blue-green algae and red tide crisis. The organization advocates at the local, state and federal levels to improve Southwest Florida’s quality of life and serves as a catalyst for positive change impacting business, environment and tourism.