KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Shawn Hamilton – Secretary
Florida Department of Environmental Protection
Shawn Hamilton serves as the Secretary for the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). He has been with DEP since 2007, where he has risen through the ranks. Early in his career he served as Ombudsman and Public Affairs Manager in DEP’s Northwest District Office, where he was later promoted to Assistant District Director and then District Director. He subsequently served as the Interim Deputy Secretary of Land & Recreation Programs until he was formally appointed as Deputy Secretary. In 2021, he was appointed Secretary and was reappointed in January 2023.
Shawn has provided successful leadership, incident command and focused recovery during multiple large-scale natural and industrial emergencies, including the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and hurricanes Michael, Ian, Nicole and most recently, Idalia.
CONFERENCE MODERATOR
Frank Walker – Executive Vice President of Government and Political Relations
Florida Chamber of Commerce
Frank Walker serves as Executive Vice President of Government and Political Relations of Florida’s largest and most influential business advocacy organization, the Florida Chamber of Commerce. Frank manages the development and strategic implementation of the Chamber’s annual legislative agenda, the Florida Business Agenda, and leads the Chamber’s team of 20 lobbyists. He also oversees the Chamber’s extensive political operations.
Prior to joining the Chamber, Frank spent nearly 11 years in Washington, D.C. serving two Members of Congress, two U.S. Senators and a sitting Governor. Having most recently served as Chief of Staff to U.S. Representative Daniel Webster, Walker also held key policy and leadership positions with former Senator George LeMieux, Representative Dave Reichert, and former Senator Mel Martinez.
Frank’s policy work included advising Members on energy and natural resources, environment, agriculture and transportation. He also brings an understanding of congressional parliamentary procedure after serving as an Associate to the House Rules Committee.
Additionally, Frank has served on multiple successful congressional campaigns, including campaigns for Webster, Reichert, former Representative Steve Southerland and U.S. Senator Bob Corker.
Frank was raised in Tallahassee, Florida, where he went to Maclay School. He graduated from Davidson College in Davidson, North Carolina, with a B.A. in History and a scratch handicap. After college he moved to Kanazawa, Japan to teach English through the Japanese Exchange Teaching (JET) program before returning home and heading to our nation’s capital.
Frank and his wife, Katie, reside in Tallahassee with their two daughters.