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The Miami-Dade Beacon Council, the county’s official public-private economic development partnership, has announced the newly elected 2021-22 leadership including board of directors, officers and committee chairs.
The board of directors consists of volunteer leaders from the community’s leading businesses, community organizations, educational institutions, nonprofits, and local government, and provides leadership and governance for the 501(c)6.
George Bermudez, senior vice president at Bank of America, has been elected 2021-22 chair of The Beacon Council’s board of directors. Bermudez comes with banking expertise gained from a career spanning almost four decades in commercial banking and credit.
Currently Miami Business Banking Market executive for Bank of America, he leads a team of 11 Client Relationship managers providing comprehensive financial advisory, lending, treasure, and international solutions to businesses.
A long-time resident of Miami-Dade, Bermudez has been involved actively with The Beacon Council for many years, with Bank of America investing in the organization for more than 20 years. His expanded leadership role is especially valuable to the organization at this time, given Miami-Dade’s present momentum in attracting financial services firms.
“I would like to congratulate Chairman George Bermudez, and all of our recently appointed officers and board members. Your leadership, commitment to this community and to the mission of this organization are integral to our success,” said Michael A. Finney, president and CEO, Miami-Dade Beacon Council.
“We appreciate the role our partners play in our development efforts; having started 2021 in recovery mode and ending with a record-breaking number of commitments to high-value jobs, we see the direct impact our collaboration can have on our community,” he added.
“Given the opportunity to serve as chair of the board of directors and on the Executive Committee of the Beacon Council, I am keenly aware of the impact the organization has had on our community and the growth of its economy,” Bermudez said. “The Beacon Council’s continued success in expanding economic development efforts during this unprecedented time is impressive and I am committed to working with the council, our board of directors, our local leaders and the business community to ensure we contribute to Miami-Dade’s continued growth and success.”
On Tuesday, Oct. 26, The Beacon Council celebrated its first in-person event in over 18 months — the Annual Key Ceremony. In addition to recognizing the companies that worked with The Beacon Council to expand or relocate to Miami-Dade in FY2020-21, the event served to mark the official change in leadership with outgoing 2020-21 chair Gary Goldfarb, chief strategy officer, Interport Group of Companies, passing the gavel to incoming chair Bermudez.
Beacon’s board of directors includes a range of private and public sector leaders that support local economic development efforts and share a common goal: the long-term health and prosperity of Miami-Dade residents and businesses.
Officers for the 2021-22 fiscal year include:
George Bermudez, Senior Vice President Business Banking Market Executive Bank of America, 2021-22 chair;
Yolanda Cash Jackson, Shareholder, Becker, 2021-22 chair-elect;
Xavier Gonzalez, Vice President, Cyxtera Technologies, 2021-22 secretary;
Pablo Pino, South Florida Market President, TD Bank, 2021-22 treasurer, and
Michael A. Finney, President & CEO, Miami-Dade Beacon Council.
In addition to announcing the newly elected officers and board, the Miami-Dade Beacon Council also announced new leadership for its Target Industry Committees and Program Taskforces. These include Aviation, Banking & Finance, Creative Industries, International, Life Sciences & Healthcare, New Leaders Taskforce, Small Business, Technology, Trade & Logistics, and the Urban Initiatives Taskforce. Each committee’s goal is to help build greater capacity within target industries and key markets to support growth and innovation, while providing opportunities for professional engagement.
For more information, visit www.beaconcouncil.com.
