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Confirm appointment of Mrs. Amber Smith to serve as Communications Division Director for Polk County Government.
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DESCRIPTION
The Polk County Charter specifies that the county manager's appointment of executive service employees is subject to confirmation by the Board of County Commissioners.
After having completed a public competitive process, the County Manager has appointed Mrs. Amber Smith to the position of Communications Division Director, effective December 3, 2024.
Amber has more than 25 years of experience in corporate, internal, and external communications, community relations, marketing, and media relations. She has most recently served as the Community Relations Manager for the AdventHealth Polk County market and previously served in a senior communications capacity for the Advent hospital system for the past eight years. Prior to working in the healthcare industry, Amber spent 10 years managing communications and canvassing board duties for the Osceola County Supervisor of Elections Office. She started her professional career as a reporter at the St. Petersburg Times, Tampa Bureau and worked for several newspapers before coming back to Polk County and working as the East Polk County reporter covering local governments for The Ledger. Amber earned a bachelor's degree in Journalism from Easter Illinois University and completed her master's certification in election administration at Auburn University.
Amber is a proud graduate of Leadership Polk Class 15 as well as the Northeast Polk Chamber of Commerce Leadership Class 9. She is currently serving as the Past President for the Northeast Polk Chamber of Commerce. Amber is a 2023 graduate of the Polk Vision Public Service Leadership Class and is currently a member of the Inside Polk County School Board Class 3. She is also a member of the Haines City/Northeast Polk Rotary Club. She is looking forward to enrolling in future classes for the county's Emerging Leaders, Succession Manageme...
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