Glenda Hood

Biography: Hood is a founding partner of triSect LLC, a strategic consulting firm focused on civic innovation serving the business, government, and independent sectors. Hood was Florida’s Secretary of State from 2003 to 2005 and Mayor/Chief Executive Officer of the City of Orlando from 1992 to 2003. Before being elected Orlando’s first woman mayor, she was a city council member for 10 years and president of her own public relations business. As Mayor, Hood was a strong advocate of growth management and smart-growth principles to build safe, livable neighborhoods, a revitalized downtown, and a strong local economy. Under her leadership, the city’s land area grew by 50 percent; older and historic neighborhoods were revitalized; compatible new mixed-use infill was constructed; the city’s largest parks initiative built new parks and refurbished existing ones; unprecedented partnerships in education were established; transportation alternatives were championed; Orlando became a high-tech center and competitive world market; and the arts became a civic priority. She spearheaded the redevelopment plan for the Orlando Naval Training Center, the most ambitious economic development project in the city’s history. That undertaking has been recognized as one of the country’s best examples of the reuse of former government properties and a model for incorporating all elements of smart growth and civic engagement. In addition, Hood has been a key adviser on domestic security and disaster preparedness for Florida and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. As Secretary of Florida’s Department of State, Hood was responsible for the department’s Divisions of Administrative Services, Corporations, Cultural Affairs, Elections, Historical Resources, and Library and Information Services and was instrumental in crafting the state’s Strategic Plan for Economic Development and leading international business initiatives. Hood has served as president of the National League of Cities and the Florida League of Cities and as chair of the Florida Chamber of Commerce. She is a global trustee of the Urban Land Institute, an active participant on ULI’s Advisory Services panels and the Daniel Rose Center for Public Leadership, a fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration, and longstanding board member and past chair of Partners for Livable Communities. She chairs the corporate boards of SantaFe HealthCare and Axiom Bank N.A. and serves on the board of Baskerville- Donovan Inc., as well as the Florida Gubernatorial Fellows Program and Junior Achievement Academy. Hood received her BA in Spanish from Rollins College after studying in Costa Rica and Spain. She attended Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government executive pro- gram and participated in the Mayors Urban Design Institute at the University of Virginia and the Society of International Business Fellows.