Association of Continuity Professionals

In the summer of 1997, Tami Smyrski, who was the contingency planner for Raymond James, organized an informal meeting of other contingency planners in the Bay area to explore the interest in forming a formal organization. They met once or twice more before she resigned her position. Bay Area Contingency Planners Coalition (BACPC) was adopted as the group's name. Karen Haider took over the contingency planner position in February of 1998 and inherited her notes and mailing list.

Meetings continued throughout 1998; officers were elected in April of 1998. After considering affiliating with ACP, the group decided to organize formally as a nonprofit organization, which was accomplished in the summer of 1998. In 1999 BACPC joined the Association of Continuity Planners and changed its name to the Greater Tampa Bay Chapter of ACP (GTBACP) and Jim Serina of TECO was elected as President of GTBACP.

Today, the GTBACP has more than 75 members, representing a diverse group of businesses and industries in the Tampa Bay Area. We hold monthly meetings with a focus on educating our members on industry best practices and timely happenings. Meeting topics range from tours of the National Weather Service in Ruskin and the Pinellas County EOC to roundtable discussions about standards and guidelines within the business continuity management industry.

Upcoming Chapter Events

RESCHEDULED- 3rd Annual Greater Tampa Bay Chapter Resilience Conference

We hope this message finds you safe and well in the aftermath of Hurricane Milton. Due to the hurricane’s impact, we made the difficult decision to postpone the 3rd Annual Resilience Conference originally scheduled for October 18. However, we are excited to announce that the new date has been set for Friday, January 24, 2025, still at the beautiful Tampa International Airport, Event Space.

We are working diligently to ensure that our incredible lineup of speakers, sponsors, and exhibitors remains the same, and we are confident that most, if not all, will still be able to join us for this new date. Registration will also re-open for any new participants who would like to join us.

New Participant Registration - Click Here

If you’ve already registered and paid but are unable to attend the new date, please contact us at membership@gtbacp.com to request a full refund by November 30, 2024. Unfortunately, after that date, we will be unable to issue refunds will be issued in accordance with the conference refund policy.

As we move forward, we’ve reflected on the timing of this important annual event. October has traditionally been the month for our conference, but with the increased risk of hurricanes during that time, we have decided to shift our annual event to January. The 4th Annual Resilience Conference will take place in January 2026 and beyond.

We are truly grateful for your continued support, understanding, and patience. Our community’s resilience is more than just a theme of the conference—it’s a reflection of who we are together. We can’t wait to welcome you in January for a powerful and inspiring event.

Regards,

Brandon, Katie, Polly, Kiley, Linda, Terrie, Lisa, Gail, Javen, Barry & Carinda

Location: Tampa International Airport

Date: Friday, January 24, 2025

Time: 8:00 am to 4:15 pm

Registration Details

Current ACP Members: $100

All others (non-ACP members): $150

Full-time Students: $25

Registration Closes at Noon on Friday, January 17, 2025 or when full capacity is met.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

President

Brandon Edwards

Vice President

Katie Godwin

Secretary

Polly James

Treasurer
Kiley Stinson

Membership Director
Gail Moraton

Programs Director

Linda Crow

Communications Director
Terrie Barbarossa

EXTERNAL RELATIONS DIRECTORS

Director of External Relations

External Conference & Education Partners and Association Relations

Lisa Smallwood

Director of External Relations

Emergency Management and University Partnerships

Paul Latham

CHAPTER AMBASSADORS

Barry Ballinger

Sherri Flynn

Stacy Jackson

Dennis Reid

Please visit our LinkedIn page for current job postings.

CHAPTER Sponsors

We have several new sponsorship and speaking opportunities available. If you, or anyone you know, has an interest in sponsoring and supporting GTBACP, please contact us at VP@gtbacp.com. The cost of an annual sponsorship is $500.

Sponsor Benefits Include:

Sponsor logos will be placed in the GTBACP newsletters and on the Chapter website.
Sponsors will be recognized at each monthly chapter meeting (virtually or in-person), when held. Chapter meetings are not held in October or December.
Sponsorship fees will allow up to two (2) meeting attendees (ACP Members or non-members) from the sponsoring organization to attend one (1) meeting at no additional cost. Any additional sponsor attendees who are not ACP members will be charged at the visitor rate. The first-time policy does not apply.
Sponsors will be given ten (10) minutes prior to one (1) chapter meeting to speak or present to the membership about the company’s products and/or services, and/or share their company’s experiences with the group.
For in-person meetings, a table will be provided for one (1) meeting for sponsors to display marketing materials and promotional items. Attendee lists cannot be provided but business cards can be collected for giveaways.

The Greater Tampa Bay Chapter of The Association of Continuity Professionals ("GTBACP") is a non-profit, mutual benefit association of business professionals who are responsible for, or participate in, contingency planning, disaster recovery, crisis management and/or business resumption planning. Greater Tampa Bay Chapter is an authorized operating entity of the Association of Continuity Professionals (a.k.a. - ACP).

Our members speak on why you should become a member of the ACP - YouTube

ACP - Greater Tampa Bay Mission Statement

"The Association of Continuity Professionals is a diverse community of risk and resilience professionals providing networking, professional development, and a pathway for those new to the profession."