As the Director of Leadership Programs, Francisco Gleim leads the Tampa Bay Chamber’s Emerging Leaders of Tampa Bay (ELTB) program, which annually serves 500+ young professionals 21 to 35 years old. In addition, he collaborates on the Chamber’s leadership development programs of Collegiate Leadership Tampa Bay and Leadership Tampa. All three programs are designed to support and grow professionals at key phases in their career journey. Engaged in mission-driven work, this role helps to strengthen the region’s recruitment and retention of top professionals.

Francisco’s 10+ years in economic development, strategic partnership building, and marketing make him a valuable resource to programming participants, Chamber Member companies and individuals accessing member benefits. The New Jersey transplant served as the Director of Marketing for Invest Newark and served in the Mayor’s Office working in community engagement and digital marketing strategies, before his move to Florida and joining the Chamber.

He earned a Bachelor’s Degree in History Technology and minored in Business Management and Marketing from the New Jersey Institute of Technology. Francisco also has a Master of Science from the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, with a concentration in Medical Cannabis Science and Therapeutics.

Outside of work, Francisco enjoys spending time with his wife and family, traveling, and exploring the Tampa Bay Region. Asked for a favorite quote, he points to Ralph Waldo Emerson’s: “The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be.”  For generations, the famous quote has served as a reminder of the destiny-shaping-power of a positive support system – a philosophy which fuels Francisco’s work at the Tampa Bay Chamber.