JENNIFER CONOLEY

PRESIDENT & CEO, FLORIDA’S GREAT NORTHWEST, PENSACOLA, NICEVILLE & PANAMA CITY

Florida’s Great Northwest is the regional economic development organization for 13 counties in the Florida Panhandle. Conoley assumed the role of president and CEO in March 2020 at the onset of the COVID pandemic. On her watch, the Panhandle has reinforced its position as a major player within the Gulf Coast Aerospace Corridor. “Our region has been marketing the compelling evidence that makes us strong in this sector worldwide, including our hidden talent pipeline of veterans and existing military members across our six military bases and our close proximity to major aviation original equipment manufacturers,” she says.

EDUCATION: Florida State University (BA), University of Oklahoma Economic Development Institute

FIRST JOB: My first real job was when I was a freshman at the University of West Florida. I had the pleasure of being a tour guide for the Historic Pensacola Village. I dressed in period clothing and gave tours to elementary-age students who were visiting the area. I taught things like where the term "bed bugs" came from and how to start a fire with char cloth, flint stone and steel.

DREAM ALTERNATE CAREER: I would love to be a professional tour guide all over the world.

SOMETHING SURPRISING: During one of my summers during college, I worked as a paper quality tester at a paper mill in Alabama!

HOBBY: Keeping up with my two boys is about all I have time for these days!