Tampa Bay Partnership loses biz development VP to Sarasota EDC
By Chris Wilkerson
Tampa Bay Business Journal
Published: May 19, 2015

Jennifer Taylor is headed south after 15 years with the Tampa Bay Partnership to take a similar role with the Sarasota County Economic Development Corp. Taylor will be the vice president of business development for the Sarasota County EDC, according to an email from Tampa Bay Partnership Chief Operating Officer John Schueler to Partnership investors on Tuesday morning.

The Partnership, an economic development and business retention organization for the eight county Tampa Bay region, has been in a season of change since longtime CEO Stuart Rogel resigned his post after 20 years last November.

"My expectation is that we will see a new CEO here by the third quarter," Schueler said in a phone interview on Tuesday.

Taylor will help the Partnership with projects already under way through the summer, he said. Schueler does not expect to replace her before the Partnership names a new CEO.

As for why Taylor would leave the Partnership for a similar role at a smaller organization, Schueler said Sarasota made her a good offer, as far as he could tell.

"There's a little bit of uncertainty here with a new [leader] coming in this year," he said.

Schueler, himself a candidate for the CEO position at the Partnership, said Partnership Chairman Brian Lamb has been the agency's lead with the Chicago search firm DHR.