Senator Kelli Stargel is Vice President for Strategic Initiatives, Development and External Relations at Florida Polytechnic University. Prior to her work at Florida Poly, she served for 10 years in the Florida Senate and four years in the Florida House of Representatives.
While in the legislature, she served as chair of many committees including Education Innovation and Choice, Regulated Industries, Higher Education Policy, Finance and Tax, Education Appropriations, and finished her term in the Florida Senate as the 2020-2022 chairman of the Appropriations Committee.
Stargel is a current appointee to the Governor’s Faith and Community Advisory Council, the Public Service Commission Nominating Council, and several community boards. She is a sixth-generation Floridian and a lifelong resident of the Tampa Bay area.
Stargel has received numerous awards from various organizations during her service in the Legislature. She has been recognized as a champion by the Associated Industries of Florida, Florida Realtors, Florida Chamber of Commerce, Florida Health Care Association, Foundation for Florida’s Future, Parental Rights of Florida, Alzheimer’s Association and Big Brothers Big Sisters. She was legislator of the year for Florida Association of School Psychologists, Florida General Contractors, Manufacturers Association of Florida, Florida Farm Bureau, Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association, the Children’s Home Society, and Florida Virtual School. She also has had the distinct honor of receiving the Polk State College Presidential Eagle Award, Southeastern University President’s Award, Florida Family Policy Council’s William Wilberforce Award, and the United States Distance Learning Association Eagle Award.
Stargel is the past chair of the Joint Legislative Budget Commission, former board member of Enterprise Florida and served on the Education Commission of the States.
While she is extremely grateful for the opportunities and accolades, she is primarily motivated by her family. Stargel and her husband of 41 years, Sixth District Court of Appeals Judge John Stargel, have five children and nine grandchildren.
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.
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.
