Elizabeth Emmanuel has always had a passion for communications and community outreach. This would ultimately lead her to her current role as CEO of the Tallahassee Downtown Improvement Authority. She began her career more than a decade ago working in funeral homes, eventually becoming a licensed funeral director and embalmer.

When Emmanuel made the tough decision to branch out into new fields, she consulted with her mentor, Barbara Boone, who encouraged her to take on a new role as Program Coordinator for Leadership Tallahassee. She remained in this role for nearly three years, working on the arrangement and management of Leadership Tallahassee programs for alumni and program participants. Today, as CEO of the Tallahassee Downtown Improvement Authority, Emmanuel continues to work with others in her community to promote downtown Tallahassee as a growing destination for development. A role that is increasingly important as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact businesses and nonprofits.

“What we have seen throughout this difficult year is resiliency and persistency,” said Emmanuel. “We have a lot to offer in downtown Tallahassee and I am encouraged and impressed by the businesses here.”

The pandemic also brought major changes to the work of the Tallahassee Downtown Improvement Authority. An organization that typically hosts 75-85 events a year was suddenly forced to clear its calendar and find new ways to interact with the community.

Through the Jim Moran Institute’s Nonprofit Executive Program (NPEP), Elizabeth and her colleagues were able to turn this challenge into an opportunity. The Tallahassee NPEP recently converted to a one-on-one consulting model, where Mike Campbell, Director of North Florida Operations, trains nonprofit leaders and their teams individually. For Elizabeth, Mike spent hours running through decision making models and training sessions to help the team focus on and identify priorities. He also helped her find new ways to connect with her target audience when in-person events were no longer an option.

“Mike’s training really helped maintain our organization’s relevance and determine what our members needed most during this difficult time,” said Emmanuel. “Sometimes, it’s the simple things that really make the most impact.”

The NPEP is designed for CEOs, entrepreneurs, executive directors and leaders of nonprofit organizations. Participants emerge with the tools and mindset needed to capitalize on opportunities, implement best practice management and turn challenges into strategic advantage. Participants represent a variety of nonprofit fields.

“It is truly an asset for businesses and our community to have this level of expertise and talent at the Jim Moran Institute in downtown Tallahassee,” said Emmanuel. “It is incredibly important to make time to focus on your business and your value proposition, not only for yourself but for your business and your customers, too.”

For more information about the Tallahassee NPEP program, please contact the Jim Moran Institute’s Director of North Florida Operations, Mike Campbell, at mscampbell@jimmoraninstitute.fsu.edu.

About the Jim Moran Institute for Global Entrepreneurship
The Jim Moran Institute for Global Entrepreneurship cultivates, trains and inspires entrepreneurial leaders through world-class executive education, applied training, public recognition and leading-edge research.

Jim Moran was an automotive pioneer and an entrepreneur at heart, who at the age of 7, sold soda pop at sandlot baseball games in Chicago. With a career that spanned more than six decades, he built an amazing chronicle of achievements in the automobile industry.

His vision for the Jim Moran Institute was to provide opportunities that would help others become more successful business owners. A 1995 contribution from Jim and Jan Moran and JM Family Enterprises established the Jim Moran Institute for Global Entrepreneurship at the Florida State University College of Business. Since 2011, further enhancements to the Jim Moran Institute and its outreach have been made possible by Jan Moran and The Jim Moran Foundation.