Fireside Chat: What's Ahead for SWFL in 2027

The Above Board Chamber of Florida invites you to a very special Executive Fireside Chat as we bring together three outstanding leaders representing education, business, and healthcare!  We'll talk about the opportunities, challenges, and changes ahead for Southwest Florida that you won't want to miss! You must register by Tuesday, December 14, 2026 🎓 Dr. Aysegul Timur — President, Florida Gulf Coast University Aysegul Timur, Ph.D., was selected to become Florida Gulf Coast University's fifth president on May 4, 2023, following a unanimous endorsement from the FGCU Board of Trustees. Her presidency was confirmed by the Florida Board of Governors on June 22, 2023. In her most recent role, Timur served as Vice President and Vice Provost for Strategy and Program Innovation at FGCU, where she has worked since 2019. Dr. Timur received her doctoral degree in Business Administration, majoring in Economics, from the University of South Florida, and both her master’s and bachelor’s degrees in business administration from the University of Istanbul. Her areas of specialization include business policy and organizational development, quality and continuous improvement, health (especially pharmaceutical pricing), and international economics. She is a go-to expert for workforce development and was recently honored by the Florida College Access Network as one of its first Workforce Education Innovators. Before joining the University team, she held a variety of faculty and executive leadership positions in higher education, including full professor of economics.   💼 Michael A Wynn — President, Sunshine Ace Hardware MICHAEL A. WYNN is Chairman of The Wynn Companies and President and CEO of Sunshine Ace Hardware in Naples, Florida, which he has led since 2005. Founded in 1958, Sunshine Ace Hardware is one of the largest family-owned home improvement and outdoor recreation retailers in Florida. The company operates sixteen hardware stores and two paint and decorating stores, delivering friendly, helpful service and quality brands to Pinellas, Manatee, Charlotte, Lee and Collier Counties, as well as Sunshine Ace Handyman Services serving Collier and Lee Counties. Mr. Wynn has held positions of increasing responsibility with Sunshine Ace Hardware since 1992. Mr. Wynn is the past Chair of the board of directors of the Miami Branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta. He serves as a Regional Chair and member of the board of directors of the Florida Chamber of Commerce, and as 2nd Vice Chair of the board of the NCH Healthcare System. He is the past Chair of Leadership Florida. He is a member of YPO and the Florida Council of 100, has been named Florida Trend’s 500 Most Influential Business Leaders, and is the immediate past Chair of the Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) Board of Trustees. Mr. Wynn received the National Retail Hardware Association’s Top Gun Award in 2014, was a finalist for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award in 2014 and was named a Junior Achievement Business Hall of Fame Laureate in 2014. He was named the 2017 FGCU Alumnus of the Year, voted the 2017 Gulfshore Business Best Boss for a Large Company, named one of Business Observer’s 2019 Icons of Business, and named the 2019 Naples Daily News Outstanding Citizen of the Year. He was named one of Gulfshore Life’s 2023 Men of the Year and received the 2026 Leadership Collier Foundation John Passidomo Distinguished Alumni Award. Sunshine Ace Hardware has been repeatedly recognized by Gulfshore Business Magazine as a Best Place to Work. Mr. Wynn resides in Naples with his wife, Kristen.   🏥 Paul Hiltz, MHA, FACHE — President & CEO, Naples Comprehensive Health (NCH), serving as our Executive Conversation Host. For more than three decades, Paul Hiltz, FACHE has served as a symbol for innovative and transformative leadership within the healthcare industry. Hiltz has established himself as a pioneering force in clinical excellence and patient-centered care, consistently driving innovative solutions in healthcare delivery. Today, he serves as the President and CEO of NCH (Naples Comprehensive Health) in Naples, FL, recognized as one of Health grades America’s Top 50 Hospitals and a Top 50 Hospital for Surgical Care. As part of their commitment to be an Advanced Community Healthcare System TMNCH provides fellowship and Graduate Medical Education opportunities and participates in national clinical trials and collaborates with health market leaders to ensure top-tier medical care is available in Southwest Florida. Hiltz established joint ventures and partnerships with health market leaders such as Encompass for inpatient rehabilitation, Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) for orthopedics, Nicklaus Children’s Hospital for pediatrics, Northwestern Medicine for oncology and ProScan Imaging for radiology services. Prior to joining NCH in 2019, Paul served as the President and CEO of Mercy Medical Center, in Cincinnati, Ohio, where his