TAMPA, FL – Building on its commitment to create an organization that puts the Tampa Bay community first and champions its businesses, people and causes along with their direct involvement with Rays 2020 and their upcoming work on multiple ballot initiatives, Ron Christaldi, President and CEO of Shumaker Advisors and prominent business lawyer at Shumaker, Loop and Kendrick today announced Congressman David Jolly has joined Shumaker as Executive Vice President and Principal. Jolly brings with him a client practice providing corporate communications services, issue and candidate campaign consulting, and traditional business development.
The Jolly announcement comes just a week after another momentous addition to the Shumaker team was announced. Jennifer Wilson, an attorney who is well-known in Florida’s political circles through her previous experience as a senior policy adviser in the Florida Senate who also served as a chief of staff to some of Florida’s most powerful legislators joins Shumaker’s powerhouse governmental affairs and community relations team that includes Director of Governmental Affairs, Carlye Morgan, who has served as Legislative Aide to Congresswoman Kathy Castor and serves on the Board of the Athena Society and a nonprofit early learning center in East Tampa, Principal Patrick Baskette, former Deputy Chief of Staff to then Senator Joe Biden and who currently serves on the Hillsborough County Hospital Authority, and Principal Ed Miyagishima, who serves as Vice Chair of the Tampa Bay Navy League and also served in the George W. Bush White House and as Deputy Director of Advance for California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Chief of Protocol for the State of Florida and current Governor Rick Scott.
“Being ‘Involved’ is the foundation of our organization and Shumaker is making an impact in and for our community each and every day,” said Mark Catchur, Managing Partner of the Shumaker Tampa office. “We are proud to help give voices to great organizations that make the Tampa Bay community the absolute best place to live, work and play. Having David and Jennifer join our team will increase our capacity to help our clients reach the next level and provide a tremendous ability to support and impact the future of the Tampa Bay region.”
Along with serving as President and CEO of Shumaker Advisors and maintaining a significant law practice, Christaldi is currently co-chairing the effort to keep the Major League Baseball and the Rays in Tampa Bay through Rays 2020 with Chuck Sykes and is the current Chair of the Leukemia Lymphoma Society’s Light the Night Walk. He has also served as Chair of the Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce and as a Commissioner on the City of Tampa Charter Review Commission.
Business leaders in the Tampa Bay community have increasingly looked to Christaldi and Shumaker as problem solvers and catalysts for growth. “This is a remarkable move for Shumaker. I’ve known Ron Christaldi and his team for many years through the Greater Tampa Chamber, community involvement and through their work leading the charge with the Rays 2020 effort. Ron has now ascended his influence with these transformative additions. This combination is a dream team for the Tampa Bay community,” said Mike Griffin, Port Tampa Bay Commissioner and Immediate Past Chair of the Greater Tampa Chamber.
Jason Woody, President and CEO of the Lions Eye Institute for Transplant and Research added, “This team is simply remarkable and I am delighted to work with Shumaker to advance Tampa Bay.”
About David Jolly:
David Jolly served in the United States Congress from 2014-2017, representing Florida’s 13th Congressional District. While in Congress, he served as a Member of the House Committee on Appropriations where he was responsible for oversight and funding of all Federal Departments and Agencies. With over 20 years of public service and political consulting work, he has advised a wide portfolio of clients, including multinational corporations, national research universities, non-profits, and both issue and candidate campaigns. Today, David is a regular contributor to MSNBC and CNN, and other television networks, and his work can also be found in the Washington Post, CNN.com, Time Magazine, the Washington Times, the Tampa Bay Times, and numerous other outlets. Jolly has a B.A. from Emory University and a J.D. from George Mason University College of Law.
About Jennifer Wilson:
A Tampa native, Jennifer Wilson has strong ties to the Tampa Bay region, where she currently practices law and advises clients on a wide range of legislative and regulatory issues. She has nearly a decade of experience in state legislative advocacy and a strong record of public service as a former top staff member in the Florida Senate. Jennifer is a seasoned public policy expert who provides strategic advice to businesses and non-profit organizations throughout the state in need of legislative counsel and advocacy.
Jennifer has lobbied the state on behalf of trade associations, health care, anti-human trafficking organizations, the environment, transportation alternatives and the financial industry. She has a B.A in Political Science with a minor in Leadership Studies from the University of South Florida, and received her J.D. and LL.M. with high honors from Stetson University College of Law. She also serves on the Board of Directors for AMI Kids Tampa, as well as the Board of Bridging Freedom of Tampa.
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Shumaker Advisors Florida, LLC, is a full service public affairs practice providing public and private sector client’s services at the federal, state and local levels.
Founded in 1925, Shumaker, Loop & Kendrick, LLP, is a full-service law firm with more than 265 lawyers and seven offices in Toledo and Columbus, Ohio; Tampa and Sarasota, Florida; Charleston, South Carolina; Charlotte, North Carolina and Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. Shumaker is a premier provider of quality legal services.