Pam Tedesco

Pam Tedesco has spent fifteen years in community, economic and workforce development, the last ten of which in Northwest Florida.  Currently, she is the project manager for the recently launched STEMflorida initiative, designed to make Florida a leader in market-relevant STEM talent development and retention.  Prior to this project, while employed by Florida’s Great Northwest, the 16-county regional economic development organization, Pam oversaw the successful implementation the organization’s WIRED Northwest Florida Initiative.  Launched by a $15 million U.S. Department of Labor grant, the WIRED (Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development) Northwest Florida Initiative based on a regional collaborative effort will finish as a $40 million project geared at developing the systems to ensure adequate production of highly skilled workforce to move the region’s innovation economy forward. 

Critical to the project’s success was the establishment of a strong public/private partnership.  The U.S. Department of Labor recognized the partnership created under Pam’s leadership as the national model and it was featured at an international workforce symposium in Singapore in August 2008.

Before working directly in workforce initiatives, Pam worked for chambers of commerce at both the state and local level.  While at the Florida Chamber of Commerce as the North Florida Regional Advocate, Pam interacted with the business and legislative leaders across north Florida, while coordinating with local chambers of commerce.  As the president of the Walton County Chamber of Commerce, Pam led the organization to receive the prestigious national Award for Excellence twice, an achievement done by only seven chambers of commerce in the country.  Additionally, she more than doubled the membership roll while tripling the budget through quality program development and implementation.  Additional responsibilities included strategic plan development and implementation program action; policy development; fiscal management.

In her previous private sector employment, Pam served as the Regional Office Manager for Manpower Temporary Services, hiring, training, assigning and supervising nearly700 employees.

Professional Certifications/Awards- Certified Chamber Executive, 2004

Graduate, Institute for Organizational Management, 2000

National Chamber of the Year, 2001 and 2004

Current Affiliations-Florida Chamber of Commerce – Northwest Florida Leadership Council Chairman

Florida Chamber Foundation – Board of Trustees

Banner Center for Career Academies/Secondary – Advisory Council Chairman

Workforce Board of Okaloosa & Walton Counties – Director; member of Business Competitiveness Council

Chamber Coalition of Northwest Florida – member

Apalachee Regional Planning Council – member, Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy committee