Shirley Groover Bryant is a native of Palmetto, Florida. She graduated from Palmetto High School, Manatee Community College (now SCF), and Florida Southern College. She studied economics and accounting, which serves her well as she manages a city government with a budget of $32 million. Mayor Bryant worked for 15 years at Manatee County Property Appraiser’s Office. She was the Chief Financial Officer for Manatee School for the Arts. She was City of Palmetto Ward 2 Representative from 1993 – 2004 and in 2008 she was elected as Mayor of the City of Palmetto, where she continues to serve today.

Mr. Dumas has been with the District since September of 2003 and has served as a director in numerous departments, including Facilities and Transportation. Prior to his tenure with the school district, Mr. Dumas was the manager of Maintenance Operations with Hillsborough County and the assistant superintendent of Public Works with the town of Killingly, CT. He began his career as a third-grade teacher. Mr. Dumas holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Management from Eastern Connecticut State University and has completed 30 hours of coursework toward a master’s degree in Elementary Education. He and his family reside in Arcadia, FL.

Jill Luke is currently the Mayor of North Port. She has lived in the Sarasota/Manatee region since 2001, and in North Port since 2009. She was elected to serve as Commissioner in 2017. She had 23 years of mid and upper management before going into public service. She has worked in a wide variety of industries including National and International corporations, Education, Recreation, Construction, Small Business, Non-Profit and now, Government. She has a work ethic that doesn’t allow for much more than her career. She enjoys collaborating on ideas for the improvement of life within her City and throughout the region… because as she says… “I care”.

L.K. Nandam, P.E. is the District Secretary for District One of the Florida Department of Transportation. He has over twenty-two years of experience in the transportation industry in both the private and public sector. He has a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Andhra University, India and a Master of Science in Transportation Engineering from Wayne State University. Prior to becoming the District Secretary, he has served as the Director of Operations and District Traffic Operations Engineer at the Florida Department of Transportation. He is a registered professional engineer in the State of Florida and is an active member of the Institute of Transportation Engineers.

Since being sworn in on June 28, 2018, Superintendent Cynthia Saunders has led the School District of Manatee County with foresight, energy and imagination. Drawing on 30 years of service in education in Florida, Ms. Saunders has guided the district to impressive improvements academically, financially and in introducing innovative new programs and initiatives. Ms. Saunders holds a Master’s Degree (M.S.) from Nova Southeastern University in Educational Leadership, and a Bachelor’s degree (B.S.) in Mathematics Education at the University of Central Florida. Mrs. Saunders is married to George “Rock” Saunders. They have one son, Casey, and are proud grandparents.

Commissioner Servia was born and raised in Sarasota where she attended public schools. Her mother’s family, “The Great Gretonas” were high-wire circus performers who wintered in Sarasota, and her grandparents owned the “House of Chong”, the first Chinese restaurant in Sarasota. Misty has lived in Manatee County since 1988 after accepting her first job as a planner for Manatee County government. She is the first in her family to graduate from college and funded her education through grants, scholarships, and by working three part-time jobs while going to school. She worked for the Manatee County Planning Department for nearly 18 years, where she met her husband Joaquin. Misty and Joaquin were married in 1994 and have three children, Alexandra, Joaquin, and Marc.

Chief Tokajer has a Bachelor Degree in Theology from Life Christian University. He graduated from F.B.I. NATIONAL ACADEMY, (Session 230). He has been in Law Enforcement for forty years and served in the U.S. Army Military Police. He served in the Sarasota Sheriff Department and Bradenton Police Department. He retired as Deputy Chief of Longboat Key Police Department and has served for the last seven and a half years as Chief of Police in the Holmes Beach Police Department. Chief Tokajer has a Certification of Merit from MADD, Mothers Against Drunk Drivers. He has been President of Manatee Children’s Services Board of Directors for 25 years. He has been married to his wife Thea for 38 years.

Christian Ziegler was elected to the Sarasota County Commission in November 2018. Christian is a small business owner, husband and father, whose goal is to make Sarasota County the top place to visit, work, start and grow a business, raise a family and retire, by promoting low taxes and limited government. After graduating Florida State University with degrees in Criminology and Political Science, Ziegler worked for the Florida House of Representatives and then in Congress as a legislative assistant, digital director, and constituent services representative for U.S. Congressman Vern Buchanan, both in Washington D.C. and his local district office in Sarasota. Christian and his wife Bridget, who currently serves on the Sarasota County School Board, reside in Sarasota with their three daughters - Reagan, Sloane, and Fallon Rose.

Carl Mikyska is the Executive Director of the Florida MPO Advisory Council (MPOAC) which is the principle forum for Florida’s 27 MPOs to discuss policy issues and enhance the role of MPOs in Florida. A position he has held since 2015. The role of MPOAC is represent the collective interests Florida’s MPOs and to augment, not supplant, the role of the individual MPOs in the cooperative transportation planning process. Carl previously worked for FHWA in their Florida Division, the planning office of Illinois DOT and the Chicago MPO. Carl graduated from the University of Illinois at Springfield with a Master’s in Business Administration.