TIDES Team
The Host Committee serves as the organizing body for the event, guiding the vision, partnerships, programming, hospitality, and community engagement that bring Tampa’s international connections to life.
TRADE
INNOVATION
DIPLOMACY
EDUCATION
SUSTAINABILITY
Meet the Host Committee
Chair
Mayor Jane Castor
Mayor
City of Tampa
City of Tampa
Member
Name Last
County Commissioner
Hillsborough County
Hillsborough County
Member
Name Last
Unversity of South Florida
Member
Name Last
Tampa International Airport
Member
Name Last
Port Tampa Bay
Member
Name Last
Tampa Bay Economic Development Council
Member
Name Last
Visit Tampa Bay
Meet the Operating Team
Executive Lead
Alfred Goldberg
President
Tampa Sister CIties
Tampa Sister CIties
The Executive Lead provides overall direction for TIDES and ensures the summit remains aligned with the mission, values, and strategic priorities of Tampa Sister Cities. This role guides the vision for the event, coordinates major partnerships, supports civic and institutional relationships, and helps ensure that all workstreams move together toward a successful summit.
Governance Liaison
Michael Kamprath
Tampa International Airport
The Governance Liaison supports the planning process by helping ensure that TIDES is organized in alignment with Tampa Sister Cities’ bylaws, nonprofit responsibilities, board approvals, and internal policies. This role provides guidance on decision-making authority, committee structure, contracts, sponsorship commitments, conflicts of interest, and matters that may require board review.
Operations Lead
Name Last
TBD
The Operations Lead manages the practical execution of the summit, turning the event vision into a clear plan of action. This role coordinates logistics, venue needs, timelines, room layouts, vendor communication, signage, registration flow, accessibility, and the onsite run of show so that the attendee experience is professional, organized, and welcoming.
Profram lead
Name Last
TBD
The Program / Speakers Lead oversees the development of the summit agenda, including sessions, panels, keynotes, case studies, moderators, and speaker coordination. This role works across the five TIDES tracks — Trade, Innovation, Diplomacy, Education, and Sustainability — to create a program that is relevant, balanced, engaging, and aligned with the summit’s international mission.
sponsorship lead
Name Last
TBD
The Sponsorship Lead helps build the financial foundation for TIDES by identifying, cultivating, and supporting sponsor relationships. This role works with prospective sponsors, tracks sponsorship opportunities, coordinates benefit fulfillment, and ensures that sponsors are connected to meaningful visibility, engagement, and mission alignment through the summit.
marketing lead
Name Last
TBD
The Marketing / Communications Lead manages how TIDES is presented to the public, partners, attendees, sponsors, speakers, and media. This role supports website content, email communications, social media, press outreach, storytelling, sponsor and speaker announcements, and overall messaging to help build awareness, credibility, and attendance.
finance lead
Name Last
TBD
The Finance / Administration Lead supports the financial and administrative systems needed to manage TIDES responsibly. This role assists with budget tracking, sponsorship invoicing, payment documentation, contract organization, reporting, recordkeeping, and administrative processes that help ensure transparency, accountability, and sound event management.
delegations / Protocol Lead
Deborah WIlkinson
Wilkinson Global
The Delegations / Protocol Lead coordinates participation from international delegations, sister city representatives, civic leaders, consular officials, and other invited guests. This role helps manage invitations, dignitary coordination, titles and introductions, seating, cultural courtesies, official greetings, and other protocol details that are important to an international summit.
Expo Lead
TBD
TBD
The Expo / Exhibitors Lead manages the exhibitor experience and helps connect organizations with opportunities to showcase their work at TIDES. This role coordinates exhibitor outreach, booth logistics, floor planning, exhibitor communications, setup details, and onsite support to ensure the expo area is organized, engaging, and valuable for both exhibitors and attendees.
Volunteers lead
TBD
TBD
The Volunteers Lead recruits, organizes, and supports the volunteers who help bring TIDES to life. This role develops volunteer roles, manages sign-ups and schedules, coordinates training, assigns shifts, and helps ensure volunteers are prepared to assist with registration, wayfinding, sessions, speakers, VIPs, expo support, and attendee hospitality.
Cultural programming lead
TBD
TBD
The Cultural Programming Lead helps shape the cultural experiences that make TIDES more than a traditional conference. This role coordinates performances, exhibits, culinary experiences, artistic presentations, sister city participation, and cultural partner involvement to celebrate Tampa’s international relationships and create memorable moments throughout the summit.
Volunteer Opportunites
Volunteers support the Host Committee by helping with event-day needs, guest services, registration, hospitality, transportation, photography, and other hands-on roles that make the event successful.
Get Involved
We’d love to have you on the team
Upcoming Orientation / Next Steps
Be part of the conversation.
Be part of the change.
Be part of the change.
November 16-17, 2026
Tampa, Florida, USA
Tampa, Florida, USA