Employee Recruitment and Retention – A Virtual Roundtable and Panel Discussion

M.J. Carnevale is the City’s Public Works Director with a background as an interdisciplinary ecologist working on the relationships between uplands and waterways. Currently, he oversees operations relating to natural resource management in the “Chain of Lakes City,” solid waste collection and disposal, maintenance of streets & sidewalks, drainage infrastructure, traffic systems, and the City’s fleet of vehicles and equipment. He has worked for 15+ years in the Public Sector in various leadership roles and has strived to support people with a leadership philosophy that helps them reach their goals.

Roger Cox has 37 years of professional experience with emphasis in the development and execution of programs which have regional impacts in transportation and stormwater. This includes implementation of programs such as Computerized Maintenance Management System, Pavement Management Program (APWA Model Practice 2010), Culvert Rehabilitation Program, Sidewalk Rehabilitation Program and Stormwater Pumping Station Program etc. He is a graduate of University of South Florida with BS in Civil Engineering and is a registered professional engineer since 1992. He has been recognized with awards by Florida Association of County Engineers (FACERS) and Hillsborough County for his dedication and commitment to Public Service.

Shawn is the director of Human Resources for the City of Winter Haven, providing guidance and leadership related to caring for the nearly 600 members of the City’s team. She has been with the City in Human resources for 15+ years. During that time, she has brought a combination of steady leadership mixed with open-mindedness that helps to keep the City as an employer of choice within the community. Shawn is actively engaged in working with City leadership to find solutions to the workforce challenges of the day. In her words, “it all comes back to the people.”

Kyla is the Section Manager for Hillsborough County’s Public Works Traffic Operations team. She has worked with Hillsborough County for 10 years and has experience working in a variety of leadership roles with several County Administration Departments. From planning and design to engineering and operations, Kyla has worked in many facets of local government and learned many best practices along the way. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Architecture & Design from the University of Florida and is also a LEED accredited professional. Kyla is currently the APWA Accreditation Manager for Hillsborough County and has multiple certifications ranging from Six Sigma to IMSA.

Nikesh (Nik) Patel is a Licensed Professional Engineer, Professional Traffic Operations Engineer, Certified Public Manager, Certified Real Estate Broker, Certified General Contractor, and Graduate Certificate of Technology Management with over 19 years of public sector experience. Nik joined the City of Sarasota in 2021 as the City Engineer. Before coming to the City, Nik worked with the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) for over 17 years. Nik graduated from the University of South Florida (USF) with a Master of Science in Engineering Management and dual degrees in Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering and Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering.

Roberto Travieso serves as Director of Public Works at the Town of Lake Park, Florida. He is responsible for the effective delivery of vital services that provide a high quality, clean, and safe, community for nearly 9,000 Town residents and over 800 businesses.

As head of the Town’s largest and most diverse operational department, Roberto executes an annual budget of $5.3 million to provide residential, commercial, and yard waste, collection, recycling and disposal services, maintenance and operation of the Town’s stormwater utility, care for 28 acres of Town parks and grounds, and comprehensive streets and roads upkeep.

Roberto also manages maintenance of the Town’s facilities and fleet assets, and leads the administrative support functions that facilitate operations, procurement of service contracts, quality control, to ensure effective stewardship of all assigned public resources.

In addition, Roberto provides significant input into the Town’s strategic financial planning and budgeting programs, including the strategic plan, annual business plan, annual performance-based operating and capital budgets, and performance management processes.

Prior to joining the Town of Lake Park in 2021, Roberto served as Public Works Superintendent at the City of West Palm Beach as well as Assistant Superintendent for the South Florida Management District. He is a decorated U.S. Air Force Veteran with over twenty years of active-duty service. Roberto received his bachelor’s in Business Administration/Information Technology from Mount Olive University and his master’s degree in Public Administration from Central Michigan University.

Addie Javed is a former Municipal (City/County) Engineer and Public Works Director, nationally recognized by the Engineering News Record (ENR), National Civil Engineering News Magazine and Florida City and County Management Association (FCCMA). He has more than 27 years of technical, administration, management and supervisory experience leading diverse teams and managing multiple Capital Improvement projects and programs. Mr. Javed has strong background in Public Works, Environmental Management, Utilities, Infrastructure, Asset Management, Sustainability, Solid Waste and Sanitation, Strategic Planning and Performance Measures, Emergency Response and Operations, Operations and Maintenance, Community development and Legislative policy making. At Kercher as the Managing Director of Operations he has oversight of the Florida based projects, and as a Public Works and Administration subject matter expert supports project teams nationwide.