Chris Hart IV

Chris Hart IV serves as Director of the Governor’s Office of Tourism Trade and Economic Development. In this role, Chris advises the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and Legislature as they formulate policies and strategies designed to promote economic diversification and improvements in Florida’s business climate and infrastructure.

He also continues to serve as the President and CEO of Workforce Florida, Inc. (WFI) -- the nonprofit, public-private organization charged with policy-setting and oversight of Florida's workforce system. Hart is the second president to lead Workforce Florida, which was created by the Florida Legislature in 2000 through the Workforce Innovation Act. In this role, Hart is at the center of efforts to ensure the state has the workforce talent needed to strengthen the global competitiveness of Florida businesses while also assisting Floridians with advancing their skills and qualifying them for better jobs.

Workforce Florida's overarching strategic priority is to support economic development in the state that leads to higher-skilled, better-paying jobs that improve Floridians' quality of life and strengthen the state economy. Aligning workforce development with economic development is work Hart is familiar with. A two-term member of the Florida House of Representatives, Hart sponsored the legislation that created Workforce Florida and the Agency for Workforce Innovation, the state agency charged with implementing workforce policy and administrative oversight of the 24 Regional Workforce Boards and state workforce programs. He also served on Workforce Florida's first Board of Directors.

Prior to becoming Workforce Florida's leader, Hart was the Senior Vice President of External Affairs & Investor Relations for Enterprise Florida, Inc. (EFI)-- the public-private partnership responsible for leading Florida's statewide economic development and business recruitment efforts.

Hart has served on numerous boards including the Florida Technology, Research & Scholarship Board, the Small Business Development Council Advisory Board; the Digital Divide Council; and the Florida Research Consortium, a group which he co-founded. Currently he serves on the boards of the Institute for Human & Machine Cognition, the Florida Research Consortium, and ITFlorida. He is also a member of the University of South Florida's College of Business Executive Advisory Board.