This year, Access Tallahassee, the Tallahassee Chamber’s program designed for young professionals is recognizing five emerging leaders that set themselves apart by making Tallahassee a better place to live, work, and play.
The five award recipients will be honored at the upcoming Access Annual Meeting being held from 11:30-1 p.m. Tuesday, May 11 at the University Center Club.
Access Tallahassee is proud to announce the 2021 Future 5 honorees:
Tonnette Graham, Florida Association of Counties
Tonnette Graham is the Associate Director of Public Policy for the Florida Association of Counties. As a lead healthcare, public safety, and economic development lobbyist, Graham provides a thorough context of legislative issues to Florida’s 67 county commissioners. Since graduating from FAMU with a bachelor’s degree in healthcare management (2015) and master’s degree in public administration (2016), she went on to serve in the Office of the President as Special Assistant to the Director of Governmental Relations—a role that ignited her passion for legislative activism, healthcare, and education.
Graham lends her time to numerous community service projects in the Tallahassee and Big Bend area. She is currently a member of Leadership Tallahassee (Class 38), the Tallahassee-Leon Commission on the Status of Women and Girls, the Florida Association for Intergovernmental Relations (President), the Florida Association of Professional Lobbyists, the FAMU Healthcare Management Advisory Board, and the MLK Dare to Dream Foundation Board.
Summer Griffith, Drip Drop Fitness
Summer Griffith, owner of Drip Drop Fitness is a two-time Florida State University graduate (BA/MBA), New York City native. With no prior fitness or dance experience, she dreamed up Drip Drop Fitness as an inclusive, energetic and exciting studio, offering unique fitness classes.
At 23 years old, Griffith signed a commercial lease, and while still living in her sorority house and pursuing her MBA worked endless hours to bring her vision to life. After 4 years in businesses, one pandemic, and a move to a new and larger studio, Drip Drop Fitness is continuing to hold true to its uniqueness and fun. Griffith and her husband live in Tallahassee and enjoy traveling frequently, exploring Tallahassee trails, and enjoying its good eats.
Devan Leavins, City of Tallahassee
Devan has lived in Tallahassee for 17 years and works with individuals, neighborhoods, organizations, and communities to identify often overlooked skills and assets that make their communities unique. He empowers people to start making the changes they want to see in their community in small, visual, and incremental steps. Rather than asking “why hasn’t somebody taken care of this” consider “what can I do to help take care of it.”
Once a person has the confidence of doing a small project it becomes easier to do others. Leavins is currently the Special Projects Administrator for the Tallahassee-Leon County Planning Department and sits on the board for the Downtown Improvement Authority. He is a former KCCI Catalyst and a board member of The Sharing Tree.
Barby Moro, RedEye Coffee
Barby Moro is a first-generation Cuban-American who began her life in Tallahassee on a community scholarship as a Service Scholar at FSU. She majored in Special Education, where she worked for a number of years; eventually returning to FSU for her second master’s in Public Administration. She then became a founding member and the first official employee of The Oasis Center for Women & Girls and created their “Girls Can Do Anything” program. Prior to joining RedEye in 2018, she was with Southern Scholarship Foundation for 7 years, working with students from FAMU, FSU, and TCC.
She is serving or has served as a member of the Commission on the Status of Women & Girls, Youth Leadership Tallahassee, Capital Area Healthy Start Coalition Board of Directors, Kappa Delta Chi Sorority, Inc. and others, but she also volunteered individually and without fanfare as a Big Sister for more than 6 years through Big Brothers/Big Sisters. Moro is also a proud member of Class 28 of Leadership Tallahassee and often states, all that she is she owes to those who have mentored her throughout the years.
Luke Thompson, Ajax Building Company
Luke Thompson currently holds the role of Project Engineer at Ajax Building Company in Tallahassee Florida. Luke attended secondary school at Eastern Florida State College where he received his Associates of Arts Degree and Florida State University where he graduated with a B.S. in finance in 2017.
Thompson plays an active role in the Tallahassee community, as Chair of the Young Leaders Society for the United Way of the Big Bend, as well as a trailblazer of the talent hub platform that connects residents seeking employment with local companies seeking new employees.
