On Tuesday, May 24, Heidi B. McCree was selected by unanimous vote as the first female Governing Board chair in the 44-year history of the Southwest Florida Water Management District.
“I want to thank the Board for this honor and look forward to carrying on an important legacy,” McCree said. “We have achieved great things in west-central Florida, but there are many challenges yet to face to ensure an environmentally sustainable water resource. The keys will be maintaining our focus, working cooperatively and relying on science to find regional solutions to regional problems. With our strong Board and hard-working staff, I am confident we can meet those challenges,” McCree stated.
Other Board officers selected May 24 included Talmadge G. “Jerry” Rice, vice chair; Judith C. “Judy” Whitehead, treasurer; and Patsy C. Symons, secretary.
Chair McCree
McCree of Tampa was appointed to the Governing Board in September 2000 and elected secretary at the April 2002 Board meeting. She was elected the Board’s vice chair in May 2004. Her term expires March 1, 2008.
McCree received a bachelor of arts in political science from Vanderbilt University in 1986 and a juris doctorate from George Mason University School of Law in 1992. She is a member of the Maryland Bar. She received professional certification from the Florida Conflict Resolution Consortium in 1996 for negotiating and resolving public disputes.
McCree served for four years as the executive director of the Hillsborough River Greenways Task Force. Her prior experience includes working for the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and for two governors of Maryland in their Chesapeake Bay and Save Our Streams programs. She is a member of the Florida Greenways and Trails Council, Tampa Bay Conservancy, Audubon Society, Mayors Beautification Program and the Community Water Leadership Program. She is also active in the Bar Association Environmental Law Section, Junior League of Tampa and Vanderbilt University Alumni Association.
Vice Chair Rice
Rice of Dade City was appointed to the Governing Board in March 2003. He was elected the Board’s treasurer in May 2004. His term expires March 1, 2007.
Rice is a native Floridian. He holds a bachelor of science with a major in citrus production and a master of science with a major in agricultural economics from the University of Florida in Gainesville.
Before beginning his real estate business, Rice was president and chief operating officer of Lykes Pasco, Inc., and subsequently vice president of government and industry relations for Lykes Bros., Inc. He retired from that position in 1998.
Rice was appointed to the Florida Citrus Commission in 1984 and served until 1995. He was appointed by three different governors — Graham, Martinez and Chiles. The Commission is the governing board of the Florida Department of Citrus.
Rice is currently a member of the Greater Lake County Association of Realtors and Sumter County Chamber of Commerce. He is a past president of the Florida Citrus Processors Association, past president of the National Juice Products Association, former board member of the Gulf Citrus Growers Association and former member of the Agricultural Technical Advisory Committee of the U. S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service.
Treasurer Whitehead
Whitehead of Brooksville was appointed to the Governing Board in March 2003. She had served as a member of the District’s Coastal Rivers Basin Board since March 2001. She was elected secretary of the Governing Board in May 2004. Her term expires March 1, 2007.
Whitehead attended the Business University of Tampa from 1962 to 1963. She is a Florida certified real estate appraiser.
A native Floridian, Whitehead has spent most of her life along the coast in west-central Florida. Prior to real estate appraising, she sold real estate for eight years. Her family is originally from Citrus County.
Secretary Symons
Symons of Arcadia was appointed to the Governing Board in March 2004. Her term expires March 1, 2008.
She is the owner-operator of a citrus and cattle operation in DeSoto County. Symons has been a member in the L&E Club for 12 years and the DeSoto Dabblers (stock club) for 18 years. She has served on the DeSoto County 4-H Board for three years, the Randolph Macon Academy Prep Board for 25 years, and has been a member of the DeSoto Memorial Hospital Foundation for two years.
The officers will serve one-year terms. They assumed their duties Tuesday, May 24. Governing Board members are unpaid, citizen volunteers who are appointed by the Governor for a four-year term and confirmed by the Florida Senate. The 11-member Governing Board sets policy for the District, whose mission is to manage the water and related resources of west-central Florida to meet the needs of current and future water users while protecting the environment.