Manatee County Commissioners unanimously confirm Deputy County Administrator Karen Stewart
MANATEE COUNTY, FL (Sept. 24, 2019) – Manatee County Commissioners today confirmed Karen Stewart as Deputy County Administrator, a role which she had filled on an acting basis since March.
"I'm honored to work here," Stewart told Commissioners today. "This is an amazing organization. We get to work with heroes everyday, people who do extraordinary, people who work 30 and 40 years serving the community. If i can be a part of that, i'm proud to do it!"
"Karen's specialty is project management and she’s a task master," County Administrator Cheri Coryea said earlier this year. "She gets things done and she has a time management skill second to none."
"There's no one better to do this job," said County Commissioner Misty Servia.
As Manatee County Economic Development Official for the past decade Karen has facilitated economic development and redevelopment projects by linking County departments and the business community. She manages the performance-based incentive program, rapid response permitting, business retention and expansion in the Southwest District and promotes the business-friendly approach in county government.
Since 2009, County Commissioners have approved Economic Development Incentives for more than 90 companies with potential to create over 6,000 jobs over the next several years.
Karen has a Master’s of Science in Leadership from Nova Southeastern University, is a graduate of Eckerd College and is a Certified Economic Developer (CEcD) through the International Economic Development Council (IEDC). She is a member of the IEDC, Bradenton Area EDC Board of Directors, Manatee Technical College Board of Governors, Urban Land Institute, the Florida Redevelopment Association, Florida Brownfields Association and various local business organizations.
For more information on Manatee County Government, visit www.mymanatee.org or call (941) 748-4501. You can also follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/manatee.county.fl and on Twitter, @ManateeGov.