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Eliot Peace

Trustee

Term: May 15, 2025 – July 15, 2029

Eliot Peace is deputy general counsel for General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems in St. Petersburg, Florida. In this role, he is responsible for government contracts, litigation, and government enforcement and investigations matters. He also oversees the trade compliance and international regulatory compliance departments.

Prior to joining the company, he worked as an attorney for an AmLaw 100 law firm in Tampa, Florida. From 2012–2017, he served as a member of the U.S. Air Force Judge Advocate General’s Corps. He remains a major in the U.S. Air Force Reserve.

Governor Ron DeSantis appointed Peace to the Second Judicial Circuit Judicial Nominating Commission in 2019, where he currently serves as chairman. He is a business partner for the Special Operations Transition Assistance Resource (STAR) Network and previously served on the executive committee of the Florida Defense Contractors Association.

A graduate of the University of Georgia and the University of South Carolina School of Law, he lives in Dunedin, Florida, with his wife and five children. 

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Session Details

This session will demonstrate that practical risk management is for everyone, regardless of a formal program. Attendees will learn actionable and simple strategies that are easy to implement, enabling them to start immediately by focusing on their top risks to build greater operational resilience and ensure the sustained success of their auxiliary enterprises.

Presenter Profile

Michelle Powell serves as the pioneering Risk Manager at Florida Polytechnic University, the state’s sole 100% STEM-dedicated institution. Having been with the university for nearly 11 years, Michelle transitioned from a leadership role in Admissions in October 2023 to establish and evolve the risk management function from the ground up. In this solo capacity, Michelle builds robust frameworks for our dynamic, young university, overseeing our insurance portfolio, consulting on third-party and event risks, and developing critical campus-wide training programs. Michelle has obtained the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations (COSO) Enterprise Risk Management certificate and the Associate in Risk Management (ARM) and Construction Risk and Insurance Specialist (CRIS) designations. Her distinct background in mathematics and engineering, combined with extensive higher education leadership, brings an analytical and strategic approach enhancing the institution’s resilience.