Jeanette M. Nuñez was born and raised in Miami, Florida. She was elected as Florida’s first Latina Lieutenant Governor in 2018. As Lieutenant Governor, she has been tasked with overseeing the Florida Department of Health, as well as serving as the Chair of the Board of Space Florida, an entity responsible for all aspects of the state’s aerospace industry.  Additionally, she currently serves as Chair of Florida’s Cybersecurity Task Force, Chair of Florida’s Women’s Suffrage Centennial Commission, and a member of the Statewide Council on Human Trafficking.

Lieutenant Governor Nuñez previously served as a State Representative of the Florida House of Representatives from 2010 to 2018 and was named Speaker Pro Tempore from 2016 to 2018.  As a legislator, she was appointed Chair of the Select Committee on Hurricane Response and Preparedness, was the Vice Chair of the Appropriations Committee and served on the Rules and Policy Committee.  Prior to that, she chaired the Health Quality, Government Operations and Technology Appropriations, and Higher Education and Workforce Subcommittees.  Notably, she was also a member of Florida’s Constitution Revision Commission in 2017.

Lieutenant Governor Nuñez began her healthcare career working at Jackson Health System in 2004 as the State Director for Government Relations handling all aspects of the hospital’s state affairs. In 2006, she was promoted to Vice President of Government Relations overseeing local, state and federal affairs.  She has served on numerous boards and healthcare organizations, including the National Association of Public Hospitals Fellowship Program. In 2010, Lieutenant Governor Nuñez became Vice President of Community Affairs for Kendall Regional and Aventura Hospitals and Medical Centers.  In late 2013, she began her own consulting firm, OnPoint Strategies, providing Jackson Health System with strategic advice on service line and business development.  Lieutenant Governor Nuñez served on the US Department of Education’s National Assessment Governing Board from 2016-2019.

Over the years, Lieutenant Governor Nuñez has demonstrated her ongoing commitment to the South Florida community with involvement in organizations such as the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce, Leadership Miami, Women’s Healthcare Executive Network, among others. In 2007, Lieutenant Governor Nuñez was named Hispanic Woman of Distinction. From 2007 to 2015, she served on the Board of Kristi House, an organization dedicated to children who are victims of sexual abuse.

Lieutenant Governor Nuñez is a proud graduate of Florida International University, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations and Political Science and a Master’s Degree in Public Administration.  She also earned a Six Sigma Certificate from the University of Miami and is a graduate of Leadership Miami. Over the years, Nuñez has served as an adjunct professor and guest lecturer at Florida International University.  She is married to her husband, Adrian Nuñez, and together they are the proud parents of three children: Megan, Justin, and Jason.

GINO SANTORIO, FACHE, MPA