One of the region's oldest tech-focused organizations has a new leader at its helm.
Meghan O'Keefe, who first got into community involvement with her job at the St. Petersburg Area Economic Development Corporation, is now is ready to delve further into the region's tech scene as the executive director of Tampa Bay Tech.
"It's definitely intimidating; I know everybody [that were past directors] have done a great job of putting Tampa Bay Tech on the map at different points," O'Keefe said in an interview with Tampa Bay Inno. "And so I'm just hoping to continue that momentum and make sure that I know what our members and our partners want, and can help make those changes that they need."
The spot was previously filled by Jill. St. Thomas, who served in the role the last decade. O'Keefe plans to keep some of the organization's 23-year-old history while coming at it with fresh eyes.
"I don't think I want to change too much because something's been working; the companies and people that first were involved are still involved, and people are very passionate about it," O'Keefe said. "And I think that's an advantage that we have that history. But I think with a lot of the new people that are here, along with some of the legacy members, it's a good mix of how we can keep some of the same things, but also change and create new things too, for our members and partners in the organization."
Up first on her agenda: Fully lean into Tampa Bay Tech's motto of being "radically connected" — with a specific focus beyond her old stomping grounds.
"The membership is still pretty heavy in Tampa-based companies, so that's something I would love for us to really become a true, regional entity for companies to utilize, especially in some of the smaller communities," she said. "We're here to support anybody and everybody. If it's out in Lakeland, down to Sarasota, I definitely want to make sure that people know about us regionally and people want to get involved."
It's a bit of a reflection of the changing technology ecosystem, which exploded during the Covid-19 pandemic. O'Keefe said while the last three years have been spent figuring out how to navigate that growth, the timing is right now that the mass influx has steadied out.
"It's, 'How are we evolving with what's going on?' I think everybody has been defining that in their organizations," O'Keefe said. "And I think it's a really great time for us all to get back together, and partner together, because now everybody has an understanding of where they're going. So now, it's 'How do we all partner together, to make sure that we're creating this pipeline of systems that really help everybody in the community?'"
And she believes with the groundwork already laid, the growth in the tech scene could continue to climb.
"There's a lot of exciting stuff and I think everybody is at the same space in time where we're all ready to work together and get everybody more support than they've ever had before," she said. "And ready to make sure everybody is even more successful and that everybody is coming here, that we can keep them here and keep them being successful here, too."
