ERIC EIKENBERG

CEO, THE EVERGLADES FOUNDATION, PALMETTO BAY

The Everglades Foundation works to restore and protect the Everglades through science, advocacy and education. Eikenberg has served as CEO for 13 years, along with a team of 42 others (and a board of directors) dedicated to the cause. Among the group’s biggest achievements under his leadership was leading a coalition to get the Everglades Agricultural Area Reservoir — the largest project in the history of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers — planned and authorized. Considered the crown jewel of Everglades restoration, the reservoir will store and clean water before sending it south from Lake Okeechobee into the Everglades and Florida Bay.

EDUCATION: The American University (BS)

FIRST JOB: Straight out of college, I was manager of the campaign to elect George LeMieux to the Florida House of Representatives. I slept on the floor of his Fort Lauderdale home and knocked on 10,000 doors in the district that spanned Fort Lauderdale, Oakland Park and Davie. It was a high stakes campaign, with George’s opponent winning by a close margin. It was my first foray into politics, and I caught the bug.

DREAM ALTERNATE CAREER: I would choose to be a Foreign Service diplomat representing our country overseas.

PASSION PROJECT: Passion is the word. In August 2023, my wife and I became foster parents. We’ve had five kids stay with us as foster children. I was aware of the challenges the system faced, but when we became parents directly impacted by it, it changed us and our entire family … all for the better.