Executives to Share Their Business Savvy at Fellows Forum Feb. 21

Business leaders from the agriculture, natural gas and construction industries are slated to speak at The University of Tampa Fellows Forum Feb. 21 at the David A. Straz Jr. Center for the Performing Arts. A continental breakfast will be served at 7:15 a.m., and the program will run from 8-9:30 a.m. in the Louise Lykes Ferguson Hall.

Speakers include:

Jim Prokopanko, president and CEO of The Mosaic Company, one of the world’s leading producers and marketers of concentrated phosphate and potash crop nutrients. A 30-year veteran of the agriculture industry, Prokopanko was corporate vice president of Cargill Inc. before joining Mosaic in 2006.

Dave McCurdy, president and CEO of the American Gas Association (AGA), which represents more than 200 local energy utility companies that deliver natural gas to more than 65 million customers throughout the nation. McCurdy previously worked for the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, the Electronic Industries Alliance and served 14 years in the House of Representatives from the Fourth Congressional District of Oklahoma.

William J. Gilbane Jr., president of Gilbane Building Company, one of the nation’s oldest design and build companies whose work includes the Smithsonian Institute’s National Air and Space Museum, the Vietnam War Memorial and Winter Olympics venues near Lake Placid, NY. Gilbane joined the company in 1970 after graduating from Brown University.

The forum will be moderated by Stacie Schaible of WFLA News Channel 8.

Proceeds from the event go toward the Board of Fellows Endowed Scholarship, which supports students in the Sykes College of Business. Tickets are $40 and may be purchased at www.tampachamber.com. Complimentary parking is available at the Poe Parking Garage (Ashley Drive entrance) and at the Howard Johnson Plaza parking lot.

Since 1987, the Fellows Forum has been the annual flagship event for The University of Tampa Board of Fellows, bringing nationally-recognized executives to Tampa to share their business experiences. This year’s presenting sponsor is Verizon. The Spartan Sponsor is Boston Asset Management. Platinum Sponsors include BECK, Jabil, the Tampa Bay Business Journal, P&J Graphics and The Tampa Tribune.

For more information, contact Alexandra Silence, UT director of community relations, at (813) 253-6200 or asilence@ut.edu.