Former Congressman Tom Feeney Takes Over at AIF

Associated Industries of Florida, one of the chief representatives for business in Tallahassee, unveiled its new president and CEO on Thursday -- former U.S. Rep. Tom Feeney. Feeney, who takes over from Barney Bishop, will start at AIF on Jan. 1.

Representative Feeney is highly respected, both as an elected official and as a Florida businessman. He is a proven leader and will be a tremendous asset to the association. Having dedicated much of the last 20 years to public service, Tom knows what it takes to be effective in the halls of the Florida Capitol and on Capitol Hill, said Erika Alba, the chairwoman of the AIF board of directors, in a statment. AIF is proud of the many successes we have achieved for our growing membership and the business community at large. We look forward to Tom building on these successes and taking AIF to the next level.

I thank the board of directors and members of the search committee for providing me the great honor and once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to lead an organization as distinguished as AIF, said Feeney. With the 2012 legislative session just around the corner, I will be immediately rolling up my sleeves and getting to work on AIFs top priorities.

A veteran of the Florida House as well as Congress, Feeney has been on the states political stage for two decades. He ran as Jeb Bushs lieutenant governor candidate in 1994 and served as speaker of the Florida House after the 2000 elections. He was elected to Congress in 2002 and served there until being defeated by Democrat Suzanne Kosmas in 2008.