Governor appoints entrepreneur chair of council

SARASOTA — Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed Joel Schleicher of Sarasota as chair of the Florida Talent Development Council.

The purpose of the Talent Development Council is to develop a coordinated, data-driven, statewide approach to meeting Florida’s needs for a 21st-century workforce that employers and educators use as part of Florida’s talent supply system, a statement says. 

The council will advise DeSantis, Florida Senate President Bill Galvano; Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives Jose Oliva; the Board of Governors; and the State Board of Education to cultivate the talent needed for Florida’s workforce, the release adds. 

Schleicher is the founder and executive chairman of Focal Point Data Risk, an information technology risk management consulting firm he founded in 2014. For more than 30 years, he has led and founded technology companies selling enterprise solutions.

Schleicher is a member of Business Executives for National Security and has served on various corporate and community boards including The Argus Foundation and The Van Wezel Foundation. He has served on the Board of Overseers for the Carlson School of Management and was named the 2015 Entrepreneur of the Year by the University of Minnesota. He serves on the Advisory Board for the Holmes School of Entrepreneurship and the Southwest Florida Water Management District.