Francesca de Quesada Covey advances innovation that addresses complex societal challenges while driving economic growth. Her work centers on scaling new technologies that integrate seamlessly with public sector operations. With a background spanning both public and private sectors, she has held pivotal roles in technology, investment, and government. 
 
As Chief Innovation and Economic Development Officer for Miami-Dade County, Francesca leads transformative initiatives within the $12B+ county government, driving outcomes for nearly 3 million residents and contributing to the region’s ~$200B economy. She directs local economic development efforts that strengthen businesses, cultivate workforce programs, and accelerate innovations to build a FutureReady economy. 
 
In her role as Regional Innovation Officer for South Florida’s ClimateReady Tech Hub (CRTH), Francesca champions climate resilience technologies through a consortium uniting government, academia, and industry. One of only 12 tech hubs funded by the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration, CRTH commercializes solutions for resilience to extreme weather and changing water conditions. Francesca was instrumental in founding CRTH, securing $22.5M in federal and private funding to advance climate technology, create jobs, and strengthen the workforce. 
 
Her career began in the White House under President Obama as Deputy Counselor for Strategic Engagement in the Office of Public Engagement, collaborating with business and tech sectors. She later joined Facebook (now Meta), where she led business development for payments and connectivity, driving solutions that reshaped industry standards and expanded global adoption. 
 
Francesca then transitioned to venture investment, overseeing early-stage investments at TheVentureCity. In 2023, she co-founded the Miami-Dade Innovation Authority, a platform designed to fund companies developing solutions for organizations with complex procurement needs and significant purchasing power. 
 
Francesca holds a B.A. in Political Science and French from Columbia University and an M.A. in Finance from the Institut d'Études Politiques in Paris. A daughter of Cuban immigrants, she lives in Miami-Dade with her husband and two daughters. 

Jose Tomás is chief administrative officer at TelevisaUnivision Inc., the leading Spanish-language media and content company. In this role, Tomás oversees strategic support areas essential to the Company’s success, including Human Resources; Corporate Communications; Facilities/Real Estate; Social Impact; Diversity, Equity and Inclusion; and Corporate Safety, Health and Security. A highly regarded business and human resources executive, Tomás has effectively led corporate transformations, mergers, acquisitions & divestitures for some of the world’s largest companies, with a strong focus on people, culture & communications. 

Most recently, Tomás served as co-founder and managing partner of BrandSparc, a global communications, employment branding and human resources consultancy firm. Prior to BrandSparc, Tomás was a member of General Motors’ global senior executive leadership team where he served as the company’s senior vice president of Global Human Resources, reporting directly to the CEO. In this role, he was responsible for the company’s human capital strategy impacting nearly two-hundred thousand employees around the world. 

Tomás also served as executive vice president and chief human resources officer at Anthem, Inc., a Fortune 30 company, and one of the largest health benefits providers in the U.S.  While at Anthem, he was a key senior leader behind the company’s successful launch of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) insurance business line and the growth of its Medicare and Medicaid portfolio through strategic acquisitions. 

Previously, Tomás held senior operations and administrative roles at several large global organizations, including at Burger King Corporation, where he served as both president, Latin America and Caribbean region, as well as global chief people officer. Under Jose’s leadership, BKC built a new high-performance corporate culture responsible for the brand’s turnaround and successful initial public offering.  Jose has also served in both field and corporate human resources positions with Ryder System Inc., a global logistics company, and operations and HR roles at Publix Super Markets, an industry-leading grocery chain in the southeastern United States. 

Tomás holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration and a master’s in management from Florida International University. He is a current member of the Board of Directors of Driven Brands Holdings (NASDAQ: DRVN); and the LPGA Foundation.