The St. Andrew and St. Joseph Bays Estuary Program announced that Jessica Graham, Ph.D., graduated from the Leadership Northwest Florida Class II on May 17. Twenty-two leaders were selected by Florida’s Great Northwest (FGNW) Foundation to participate in Class II of the program focused on regional collaboration through community, content and connection.

Class II participants were immersed in a seven-month educational program and met other leaders from a variety of backgrounds who represent Northwest Florida’s diverse composition. It offered participants a holistic view of the conditions, challenges and opportunities that are shared throughout the region focusing on the areas of Business Vitality, Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Infrastructure, Talent, and Quality of Place.
“The FGNW Foundation Board selected individuals most likely to utilize their leadership abilities for the long-term benefit and betterment of Northwest Florida,” said Jennifer Conoley, president and CEO of Florida’s Great Northwest & FGNW Foundation. “Dr. Graham was selected for demonstrating the ideal characteristics sought after in program participants.”

Graham became the director of the St. Andrew and St. Joseph Bays Estuary Program in August 2021. Housed on the FSU Panama City campus, the Estuary Program is a partnership between FSU and Bay County modeled after the Environmental Protection Agency’s National Estuary Program. It is funded by The Nature Conservancy, Bay County, FSU Panama City, and the Florida State University Consensus Center. For more information about the St. Andrew and St. Joseph Bay program, visit St. Andrews and St. Joseph Bays Estuary Program (https://pc.fsu.edu/sasjbep ) or email estuaryprogram@fsu.edu.

Florida’s Great Northwest is the regional economic development organization for the Florida Panhandle. For more information on the program, visit https://www.floridasgreatnorthwest.com/lnwf.