After a six - month home search , Talmadge “ Tal ” Coley has been tapped as the next chief executive officer to lead the Florida Nursery , Growers and Landscape Association ( FNGLA ) .
“ Over FNGLA ’s 70 - year history , we have use only four chief operating officer , ” Sarah Spatola , FNGLA ’s 2021 - 22 president , said . “ The lineament and tenure of our stave is a strength that has served us well in upholding our nitty-gritty values and completing our strategic goals . We are confident Tal ’s industry knowledge , protagonism acumen and honored service to our Carry Amelia Moore Nation ’s glasshouse and landscape painting industry will further bolster up the strength and innovation of FNGLA . ”
Coley , a Florida native , has been serving in Washington , D.C. as the senior director of advocacy & governance thing for AmericanHort , based in Columbus , OH . He has also been serving as executive director of the Nursery & Landscape Association Executives ( NLAE ) of North America .
Prior to his role at AmericanHort , Coley undertook leadership roles in several legislative outreach capacities over a five - twelvemonth period urge for veterans at Concerned Veterans for America . Coley also served for four years in the United States Air Force as a Russian cryptologic linguist where he was send at Fort Meade , Maryland . He holds a bachelor ’s and a maestro ’s grade from the University of North Florida and the University of Miami respectively .
“ I am humbled and honour to be the next Chief Executive Officer at FNGLA , " Coley said . " The opportunity to take back home to Florida and advocate for an diligence I feel so passionate about is really a dreaming come unfeigned . Leading FNGLA into this next chapter and construct off the unbelievable foundation Ben Bolusky has provided is a deputation I am eager to take on . ”
Coley will take the rein from FNGLA CEO Ben Bolusky , who announce programme to retire after what will be 24 age of faithful service to FNGLA . Bolusky and Coley will initially lick side - by - side during an onboarding period , and Bolusky will cap his oeuvre at the Association during FNGLA ’s Annual Convention in June 2022 .
“ Ben bring a panoptic range of expertise and experience to FNGLA when he arrive , all of which have moved the Association forrard on several important fronts , ” FNGLA Chief Operating Officer Linda Adams said . “ As we start a Modern FNGLA leadership era , we welcome Tal to the FNGLA squad and are excited to process with him to carry on to introduce and build upon FNGLA ’s strengths . ”
