Southwest Florida Leadership Institute

External Advisory Board

We work with the community, and the community works with us too.

The Southwest Florida Leadership Institute External Advisory Board is made up of business leaders from the region.


NAME BIO
Jonathan Busa,
CFO Business Development & Administration,
Alliant Property Management, LLC

Jonathan currently serves as the CFO at Alliant Property Management, LLC, one of the largest locally owned and operating community association management firms in Southwest Florida. In this role, he oversees the firm’s financial operations, business development initiatives, IT strategy, and human resources. With a professional career spanning over 33 years in financial planning services, investment advisory services, banking, and management consulting, Jonathan has extensive experience in guiding families and small businesses to make informed financial decisions. For the past 12 years, he has focused on assisting business and community association leaders in effectively managing their organizations, particularly in board governance, administration, operations, accounting, information technology, and human resources. Jonathan holds a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice from Northeastern University in Boston and recently earned a certificate in Cybersecurity after completing a 400-hour program at American University.

Jennifer McClain,
Senior Director of Human Resources,
Hertz

Jen McClain is Senior Director of Human Resources at The Hertz Corporation, one of the largest worldwide vehicle rental companies globally, headquartered in Southwest Florida. Jen has been with Hertz for over 8 years in progressive HR roles. In her current role, she leads the corporate HR team and is responsible for driving and supporting the human capital strategy and high-value HR processes across the corporate functions. She also oversees the design, implementation, and facilitation of leadership programming to support employee development, engagement, and retention. Jen has a Bachelor’s in Business Management and a Master's in Business Administration with a concentration in Information Systems; both from Florida Gulf Coast University. She is also a Certified Lean Six Sigma Black Belt from Purdue University, Certified Compensation Management Specialist from Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, SHRM Senior Certified Professional, and Distinguished Toastmaster.

Laz Ravelo,
Risk Control Officer Sunshine Ace Hardware, Inc.

Laz Ravelo is the Risk Control Officer for Sunshine Ace Hardware, Inc. Sunshine Ace Hardware has 13 locations in Southwest Florida, one of which is a Benjamin Moore Signature Commercial Paint store. They serve markets from Marco Island to Tampa. This family-owned chain of stores has been a staple in Naples for 60+ years and is known for its Legendary Customer Service. Laz has 30 years of Retail Management experience. He began his career at Sunshine Ace Hardware in 1994 and managed four separate locations during his first 12 years with the company. In 2007, he was promoted to Director of Retail Operations and oversaw the strategic and operational goals for nine locations with more than 300 employees. In 2018, Laz was promoted to his current role as Director of Innovation & Development and continued overseeing the commercial paint store acquisitions. Laz has led numerous key projects for the company. Among them, the complex conversion of a TrueValue store to the Ace format. The establishment and implementation of their Centralized Purchasing Office. The development of their B2B Division’s Growth Strategy plan. The development and operational goals of the commercial paint stores; including the integration of one of the paint stores into the Marco Island Hardware store. Laz is a member of the North American Hardware & Paint Association and completed their Retail Management Certification Program, awarded by NHPA and Butler University, as well as their Foundations of Leadership Program, awarded by NHPA and Ball State University. He is also a certified trainer in the Everything DiSCⓇ Assessment tool.