FCEE

 Business, Community & Education Leadership

Don DeFosset, Chairman
Florida Council on Economic Education

 Don DeFosset was elected FCEE’s Chairman on June 1, 2006. Upon becoming Chairman, he said, “I am delighted to undertake this responsibility, as there is no more important responsibility in our economy than providing economic literacy education for our youth. Together, we will advance economic enterprise education throughout the Florida school system.”

DeFosset brings extensive leadership experience to his new role. He retired from Walter Industries in November 2005, after leading a successful turnaround, which increased shareholder value by $2.5 billion. He has also served as Chief Operating Officer of Dura Automotive systems, Inc., a $2.6 billion automotive components manufacturer; corporate Executive Vice President and Truck Group President of Navistar International Corp; President of Allied Signal Inc.’s $1 billion Safety Restraint Systems division; and Executive Vice President, Operations, Mack Trucks, Inc.

Very active in community affairs, Chairman DeFosset is on the Board of the Florida State Chamber of Commerce; the Board of Trustees of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Tampa Bay; the Board of Trustees of the University of Tampa; the Board of Trustees for the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center; the Florida Council of 100 and Chairman, 2005 American Heart Association Heart Ball.

 Robin Warren, Executive Director

The Florida Council on Economic Education’s new Executive Director is Robin Warren, who joined the Council December 1^st.  Ms. Warren has had a successful career in banking and law. She served as Associate General Counsel and Public Policy Executive for Bank of America at its corporate headquarters in Charlotte N.C.

In 2005, Ms. Warren retired from Bank of America and moved to the Tampa Bay area. During the past several years, Ms. Warren has been actively involved in serving the community. In 2007 she co-founded Project Prosper, a financial literacy and micro-lending program that helps working legal immigrants in Pinellas County achieve success in the community. She also co-chairs the Financial Education and Bank Products Committees for Bank on St. Pete and is also the chair of the Asset-Building Committee of the Wealth Building Coalition of Pinellas County.

Ms. Warren is enthusiastic about her new role, “In the current economic environment, we need to provide students and teachers with the financial and economic tools to make informed decisions. Those tools have always been important, but now more than ever.” Ms. Warren added, “The Florida Council has a vital role to play in making sure students in Florida become savvy consumers and knowledgeable, productive workers.”