MBA Orlando selects 2019 board of directors, announces new RED Group

ABOVE: Board members (L-R) Michael Deeying, Tom Yaegers, James Llewellyn, Brianna Rockmore, Sherri Absher and Dawn Kallio at the MBA Orlando holiday mixer. Photo by Jeremy Williams

ORLANDO | The Metropolitan Business Association (MBA Orlando) announced its new board of directors during its Holiday Business Connect mixer at the Tupperware World Headquarters Dec. 5.

The announcement was made by current MBA Board President Tom Yaegers and Executive Director Kellie Parkin.

Yaegers and VP of Operations Sherri Absher were both elected to return to the MBA board of directors in 2019.

New members elected to the MBA board of directors include Dawn Kallio, James Llewellyn, Rafael Rios and Brianna Rockmore.

Kallio — along with her wife Lisa Brown — owns Bowled Over Promotions, a promotions product company, and has been a member of the MBA Orlando since 2007. In 2016, Bowled Over Promotions won Small Business of the Year at MBA Orlando’s Pride in Business Awards. Kallio was recognized four years prior at the same event as Business Woman of the Year.

Llewellyn, who currently serves on the MBA Orlando’s Program Committee, is the office manager and partner of Joie de Vivre Health and Chiropractic. Joie de Vivre won the MBA Orlando’s Business of the Year in 2018.

Rios is an active member of both the LGBTQ and Latinx communities in Central Florida. Rios serves as a member of Fifth Third Bank’s Business Resource Group.

Rockmore is a sales account manager for Watermark Publishing Group, is an active member of the transgender community and volunteered with Come Out With Pride this year.

MBA Orlando members present at the mixer voted unanimously for the new board members.

“MBA Orlando is Central Florida’s LGBT Chamber of Commerce dedicated to the pursuit of equality through economics,” the group’s website states.” MBA’s strategic focus is to serve as a resource to bridge the gap between small business and large corporations. We can help small business members become certified LGBT Enterprises, help corporate members grow their diversity and inclusion and supplier diversity programs and foster connections between our members.”

During the election process, Yaegers proposed a bylaw amendment to the MBA Orlando membership to allow board members who were, or will be, appointed midterm to be able to complete their current term should they be in the middle of serving their third elected term.

Currently the organization’s bylaws allow for board members to serve three consecutive two-year terms and then take a full year off the board before seeking reelection. The proposed change would revise the three term limit to a four term limit.

The proposed change would allow Board Secretary Michael Deeying to continue on the board in 2019. The proposed change will be voted on by MBA Orlando members at the organization’s Jan. 2019 Business Connect mixer.

During the meeting, Yaegers and Perkins announced that MBA Orlando would be starting a third RED (Referral Exchange Development) Group in 2019. RED North would join the already established groups RED Central and RED Downtown.

RED is a category-exclusive networking group of MBA Orlando members. Each group meets on a designated day twice a month.

For more information on MBA Orlando, board positions and RED Groups, visit MBAOrlando.org.

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