This letter is a recommendation from Pete Tesch for Alphonso Jefferson, Jr.

1. EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Robert Barfield, Treasurer, Seacoast Bank
Javier Cisneros, Fort Pierce Utilities Authority
Eric Goldman, HCA Florida Lawnwood Hospital
Chris Fogal, CPA, PA, Chair, Carr, Riggs, Ingram
Azlina Goldstein, Chair-Elect, GL Homes
Rob Lord, Past-Chair
Andy Treadwell, Indian River State College
Jon Prince, PhD, St. Lucie Public Schools
Madhu Sasidhar, MD, MBA, FCCP, Cleveland
Clinic Tradition Hospital
Peter Tesch, Economic Development Council
Shrita Walker, Secretary, MIDFLORIDA Credit
Union
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Mike Adams, Adams Ranch
Michael Ansorge, OCULUS Surgical
Nico Apfelbaum, Esq., Apfelbaum Law
Terissa Aronson, SLC Chamber of Commerce
Brian Bauer, CareerSource Research Coast
Russ Blackburn, City of Port St. Lucie
Ian Cotner, AT&T Florida
Peter Crane, Sansone Group
Marshall Critchfield, Florida Power & Light
Lee Dobbins, Esq., Dean Mead/TCMA
Phil Doumar, EDC EXCEL
Rod Kennedy, Engineering Design &
Construction
Richard Kolleda, FACHE, Spherion
Leslie Kristof, Keiser University
Tammy Matthew, Bank of America
Nick Mimms, City of Fort Pierce
Neil Morgan, Comcast Business
Brandon Nobile, Remnant Construction
Cara Perry, Florida Atlantic University
Roxanne Peters, SouthState Bank
Staci Storms, Broward, Palm Beaches &
St. Lucie Realtors
Richard Tambone, Tambone Companies
Howard Tipton, St. Lucie County
Jeremy Wiernasz, PGA Golf Club
Kara Wood, Hi-Tide Boat Lifts
Amber Woods, Treasure Coast Lexus
January 11, 2023
To Whom It May Concern:
I would like to take this opportunity to provide this letter of
recommendation for Mr. Alphonso Jefferson, Jr., Deputy County
Administrator for St. Lucie County.
I met Mr. Jefferson in June 2020 during the height of the COVID-19
pandemic. I was impressed with his leadership skills to diligently plan
the use of $55.5 million in CARES Act funding to help businesses,
residents, and non-profits that were negatively impacted by COVID-
19.
As part of his strategy, Alphonso led the development of a business
assistance grant program of approximately $3.0M. He built
relationships with the Economic Development Council of St. Lucie
County, LLC (EDC) and Florida Small Business Development
Assistance Center (FSBDAC) to provide guidance, technical support,
and administrative assistance on the proper use of grant dollars and
dissemination of funds directly to thousands of businesses in St.
Lucie County. His flexibility and listening skills were on full display as
he quickly made changes to the program based on feedback to
ensure the ease of businesses to obtain funds while protecting the
County from any “clawback” of dollars by State or Federal
Governments.
Since coming to the St. Lucie County community, Alphonso has
shown his ability to build relationships and bring people together. It
was impressive to see how he led the development of a Black History
Month Gala that resulted in over 325 attendees in its first year. One
of the Gala’s highlights was the development of a scholarship fund in
partnership with Indian River State College that supports local
students. The EDC is proud to be a sponsor of this Gala, which is
heading into its second year.
Alphonso has shown his ability to bring people together to discuss
issues and develop solutions. He was instrumental in the
development of a discussion series on “How to Do Business with
Government” at the Treasure Coast Business Summit. He also
created the National Forum for Black Public Administrators (NFBPA)
Community Leadership Discussion Luncheon that allows for
discussions and solutions on emerging issues in our community. The
first luncheon held discussions on various important topics including
affordable housing, minority small businesses and upward mobility.

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When called upon for help, Alphonso quickly responds. He jumped into help the EDC and Lincoln
Park Main Street form solutions on transportation challenges which prevented residents from getting
to and from employment opportunities. He quickly mobilized his staff to work directly on solutions to
address this gap in our community. He has taken similar actions on affordable housing issues in our
community.
Mr. Alphonso Jefferson, Jr. has shown that he is a collaborator, leader, and all-around professional. I
am honored to serve as a recommendation on his behalf.
Sincerely,
Peter Tesch
President, Economic Development Council of St. Lucie County, LLC.