STAFF DIRECTORY
Executive Leadership
Sean Sullivan
Executive Director
Phone: ext. 16
sean@tbrpc.org
Sean Sullivan leads a team of professional planners and regional thinkers at the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council, who work throughout the six-county Tampa Bay Region to improve the quality of life for all. He has worked with elected and appointed leaders throughout the region to establish the Tampa Bay Regional Resiliency Coalition, the 18th such initiative of its kind in the United States. Mr. Sullivan has spent over 30 years working in local, regional and federal sectors in the planning, environmental and public transportation fields. He is the two-time recipient of the Federal Transit Administration Administrator’s Award for his work advancing public transit. Mr. Sullivan earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science from the University of Massachusetts, Lowell and a Master’s in Public Administration from Suffolk University in Boston.
Wren Krahl, PHR-CP
Deputy Executive Director
Administration & Public Information State of Florida Records Management Liaison Officer / Agency Public Records Custodian
Phone: ext. 22
wren@tbrpc.org
Wren G. Krahl serves as the Deputy Executive Director for the TBRPC. Through her duties she works closely with the Executive Director, the TBRPC Chair and Council Members in the overall administration of the Council’s mission. As a SHRM certified Professional in Human Resources (PHR) and a HRCI Certified Professional (CP), her other duties include serving as the Human Resources Officer for the organization as well as overseeing Florida State Record Management requirements. She is also responsible for the planning, coordination and implementation of Council related conferences, events and meetings as well as Council publications.
Wren has been a resident of the St. Petersburg area for 44 years, is an Honors graduate of Eckerd College in American Studies, and has been with the Council since 1998.
Chief of Staff
Randy Deshazo
Chief of Staff
Staff and Program Management
Phone: ext. 31
randy@tbrpc.org
Randy Deshazo supervises the planning and resiliency staff at the Council and manages the Economic Development District for the Tampa Bay area. The Economic Development District provides a wide range of services for its member governments, including visioning and visualizations, strategic economic development assistance and the award winning Economic Analysis Program.
Through the Economic Analysis Program, Randy has conducted dozens of studies for local government and private sector partners across a wide range of topics. Examples of recent studies cover include: the economic and fiscal impacts of transportation investment, public health care, resiliency, and environmental studies. However, the program’s core focus is in economic development: firm expansions, industry cluster analysis and target industry studies. Several of these studies have received awards for analytical excellence from national organizations.
With more than 20 years of experience in planning and economic development in California, Florida, and Illinois, notable projects Randy has directed include: community visioning, land-use/transportation nexus based greenhouse gas emission reductions planning, technical and statistical modeling, long-range transportation planning, and various freight studies such as supply chain and intermodal freight projects.
A New Orleans native, Randy received his BA from the University of Texas at Austin, an MA from University of New Orleans, and a Master of Urban Planning degree from the University of Michigan. Randy has been with the Council since 2014.
Planning
Brian Ellis
Emergency Management Planner
Business Continuity Planning | LEPC and HAZMAT Point of Contact
Phone: ext. 10
brian@tbrpc.org
Brian Ellis serves as the Disaster Recovery Coordinator for the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council since February 2018. Brian works to support economic recovery efforts in Florida in the wake of Hurricane Irma, helping to coordinate the efforts of local governments, economic development organizations, and individual businesses. Brian helps to provide direct assistance in navigating and accessing the numerous resources, available from multiple agencies, to aid in recovery and resilience activities.
Additionally, Brian is directly involved in the planning of the Annual Future of the Region Awards, administration and website duties, and landlord duties for a 25,000 sq foot commercial building.
Brian holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Economics from the University of South Florida St. Petersburg and has been with the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council since 2016. He is a native Floridian growing up in Seminole, Florida. He is a member of the American Planning Association, Forward Pinellas TCC, and the TBRPC’s Local Emergency Planning Committee.
Ashley Mott
GIS Manager
Geographic Information Systems | CDBG-MIT Point of Contact
Phone: ext. 70
ashley@tbrpc.org
Ashley Mott serves as the Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Manager for the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council. She coordinates geographic activities for the Council and supports planning efforts through GIS data management, analysis, modeling, and cartography. A native Floridian, but longtime Colorado resident, Ashley earned a Bachelor of Science in Land Use from the Metropolitan State University of Denver and a Master of Science in Geographic Information Science from the University of Denver. She is a member of the Urban and Regional Information Systems Association and volunteers for its GIS Corps program.
Jamie Neville
Disaster Recovery Coordinator
Economic Modeling and Analysis | REMI PI+
Phone: ext. 13
jamie@tbrpc.org
Jamie Neville is the Disaster Recovery Coordinator for the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council. In this role she performs economic impact analysis on behalf of, and in partnership with, regional entities. Currently, her main focus are the impacts of the COVID-19 on the state of Florida. Her experience is in modeling economic issues, and contributing to the collection, analysis, and interpretation of data on topics spanning environmental policy, energy, resiliency planning, fiscal policy, economic development, and healthcare policy.
Maria Robles
Communications Planner
Graphic Design | Website Communications | Spanish Translations | Intergovernmental Coordinator
Phone: ext. 11
maria@tbrpc.org
Maria Robles serves as the Communications Planner and Hispanic Community Liaison for the TBRPC. She is trilingual (Spanish, English, and French) and specializes in graphic and website communications. Maria manages the English to Spanish translations for the annual Disaster Planning Guide publication. She also serves as staff for the Courtney Campbell Causeway Scenic Highway. Maria holds a bachelor’s degree (B.S.) in Criminology, a minor in French, an associate’s degree (A.A.) in Graphic Design, and a Certificate of International Studies. She graduated from the University of Tampa with Cum Laude Honors distinction. She was born in Mexico City and now lives in Tampa with her beagle Aqua and hedgehog Redgie.
Alana Todd
Senior Environmental Planner
Agency on Bay Management | Bay Soundings
Phone: ext. 40
alana@tbrpc.org
Alana Todd serves as the Environmental Planner for the TBRPC. Alana supports the Council’s work on regional environmental management and resilience-related activities, including the Agency on Bay Management (ABM). She also serves as staff for the TBRPC environmental journal Bay Soundings (now in its 20th Year), the Florida Department of Transportation's Stormwater Grant Education Funding, and the Stormwater Management Committee. Alana holds a BS in Environmental Science and Policy and BA in Anthropology from the University of South Florida St. Petersburg, as well as a Master of Science in Marine-Estuarine and Environmental Science with a concentration in Environment and Society from the University of Maryland. She represents the Council on various environmental committees and agencies within the six-county region.
Courtney Wright
Planner
Regional Resiliency Action Plan
Phone: ext. 30
courtney@tbrpc.org
Courtney Wright serves as a Planner with the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council. She assists in the planning and technical support for the Resiliency Coalition through the Regional Resiliency Action Plan and several work groups with the council. She also aids staff with environmental planning initiatives. Courtney holds a Bachelor of Science in Biology from the University of South Florida. She also holds a Master of Arts in Global Sustainability with a concentration in Sustainability Policy and a graduate certificate in Climate Change and Sustainability from the University of South Florida. She holds a LEED Green Associate accreditation and is also a member of USGBC Florida and USGBC Tampa Bay chapter.
Sarah Vitale, AICP
Principal Urban Designer
Urban Design | 3D Modeling
Phone: ext. 27
sarah@tbrpc.org
Sarah Vitale, AICP serves as a Principal Urban Designer for the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council. She specializes in design-visualization, GIS mapping, and 3D modeling, and provides planning and technical support across the Council’s projects and programs. Sarah holds a Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Social Science and a Master of Science in Planning, both from Florida State University. She is a member of the American Planning Association's American Institute of Certified Planners, the Urban Land Institute, and the Congress for the New Urbanism.
Harry Walsh
Economic Development Planner
CEDS | EDA Grant Proposals Point of Contact | Economic Modeling and Analysis | REMI PI+
Phone: ext. 33
harry@tbrpc.org
Harry Walsh is the Economic Development Planner for the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council. In this role he performs economic impacts analyses on behalf of, and in partnership with, regional entities, maintains the Tampa Bay Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy, and facilitates grant proposals to the Economic Development Administration. Harry has six-plus years of experience using economic modeling tools such as REMI PI+, IMPLAN, Esri, and RStudio. Harry has a degree in Economics from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
Cara Woods Serra, AICP, CFM
Principal Resiliency Planner
Hazard Mitigation | Regional Resiliency Action Plan Point of Contact | DRI Point of Contact | Local Government Comprehensive Plan (LGCP) Point of Contact
Phone: ext. 28
cara@tbrpc.org
Cara Woods Serra, AICP, CFM is a Comprehensive Resiliency Planner with the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council. Her current role at the TBRPC involves disaster preparedness, hazard mitigation planning, and resiliency policy. She has a land use planning background and previously worked on special area plans, long range plans, development review and floodplain management at the local government level. Cara supports the work of hazard mitigation professionals throughout the Tampa Bay region in an effort to facilitate knowledge sharing and regional consistency. Cara has a bachelor’s degree in Interdisciplinary Social Sciences from the University of South Florida and a Master of City and Regional Planning from the Georgia Institute of Technology.