Heidi Centrella
The Press Club’s Board of Governors approved several motions on February 17th aimed at strengthening the organization by welcoming new voices and leadership. The board selected Heidi Rambo Centrella as Vice President of the Press Club, a role that had been vacant for the past several years. For those unfamiliar with Heidi, she is the Editor-in-Chief of Gulfshore Business magazine, the Gulfshore Business email newsletter, and The Naples Press. She is a highly experienced journalist who has led the Gulfshore Business team for the last six years. Before that, Heidi was the Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of 405 Magazine in Oklahoma City. She also served as Editor-in-Chief of OKCBiz magazine and operated her own business for several years. More information about Heidi is available on her LinkedIn profile. Since Heidi was appointed to fill a vacant seat, she will be up for election at the Press Club’s annual meeting in December.
Julie Pedretti and Jill Jaffe will be leaving the Press Club’s program committee at the end of the season here in Southwest Florida. Both have been key figures in the club’s popular Newsmaker luncheon series and other events. Their contributions go beyond selecting speakers. Julie and Jill also found locations for events, negotiated prices for luncheon venues, and identified what speakers would need to make the experience better for members. Over the years, especially during the COVID era, costs for holding events at hotels, restaurants, and other venues have risen. Julie and Jill worked hard to keep expenses down while offering a high-quality experience for members. The Press Club couldn’t have better ambassadors.
Britt Leoni
Heidi Centrella and Britt Leoni will join the program committee immediately. You already know about Heidi. Britt is an anchor for Gulf Coast News and the host of Stories 2 Share (S2S), an award-winning feature that highlights interesting people of SWFL. Britt joined GC News a little over two years ago from a station in Delaware. She’s also worked as a freelance journalist, was a stage manager for a New York theater company, and for the Alzheimer’s Association. We are fortunate to have Britt’s involvement with the program committee because of her wide-ranging experience and connection to the local news community.