CONAN GALLATY

CEO & CHAIRMAN, TIMES PUBLISHING CO., ST. PETERSBURG

Times Publishing Co. is the single largest employer of journalists based in Florida. Started in 1884, the company for generations has covered the Sunshine State with award-winning publications including the Tampa Bay Times, Tampa Bay Newspapers and Florida Trend. It’s owned by the Poynter Institute, a nonprofit journalism school headquartered in St. Petersburg. Gallaty, who became CEO in 2022, has devoted his career to helping local news companies transition to a digital future and has pioneered projects from digital news archives to full-service marketing agencies to content syndication services.

EDUCATION: University of Georgia (BA, BS)

IF I WERE GOVERNOR: [I would] ensure accountability of government to the people. Florida has some of the most robust open-government statutes in the country. These have served the state well since 1967 when we passed the Government-in-the-Sunshine law. Unfortunately, we have seen more circumvention in providing the transparency that all citizens deserve from their elected officials.

READING: Good to Great and First, Break All The Rules have been highly influential in my career. While technology and industry dynamics change, how we treat other people remains the defining factor between success and failure.

INSPIRING FLORIDIAN: Nelson Poynter. He loved his community so much, and believed in his work so deeply, that he gave his business to a nonprofit journalism school rather than his family. The Poynter Institute, which turns 50 in 2025, fulfills this vision in Florida and throughout the world. He could have made a few people rich but instead enriched the lives of millions.

WHAT I’VE LEARNED: There is no better reward in life than unleashing the potential of others. Money, status and control all pale in comparison to the joy of helping someone find their strength and passion. I have been the beneficiary of so many people who believed in me and saw my potential. I owe it to them to do the same.

MOTIVATIONAL MANTRA
“‘If you want to find happiness, find gratitude.’ — Steve Maraboli”