The Economic Club of Florida presents Adam Basford

Please join The Economic Club of Florida for our monthly distinguished speaker luncheon featuring an AI Panel Discussion moderated by Adam Basford. Joining Adam as the panelists are, Allison Liby-Schoonover and Amanda Ball.

Adam joined the AIF team in December of 2021 and serves as the Vice President of Government Relations. Prior to joining AIF, Basford served as the director of legislative affairs for the Florida Farm Bureau Federation (FFBF) since 2012. Basford previously held a number of other roles within FFBF, including director of national affairs from 2009-2012 and assistant director of agricultural policy from 2004-2009. Basford holds a master's degree in agricultural communications from the University of Florida and a bachelor's degree in organizational communications from the University of West Florida.

Alli Liby-Schoonover is a Senior Policy Advisor at MHD. With more than fifteen years of experience in both Florida politics and government, Alli’s expertise and command of the political process provide her with the skills necessary to adeptly meet client goals. Recently, Alli was named the “Education Lobbyist of the Year” by Influence magazine. Prior to joining the MHD team, Alli worked in the Senate Majority Office as a legislative analyst, with a focus on education, military affairs and agriculture policy. During the 2012 election cycle, she served as the Deputy Senate Finance Director at the Republican Party of Florida. Her career in legislative affairs began at the Florida Department of the Lottery. Alli graduated from the Florida State University in 2007 with dual degrees in American Studies and Political Science. Following graduation, she taught high school literature as a Teach For America Corps Member in inner-city Philadelphia. A graduate of the prestigious University of Pennsylvania, she holds a Master of Science in Education. A resident of Tallahassee, Alli is an active member of St. John’s Episcopal Church and is engaged in her community serving as an adviser to student organizations at the Florida State University. She and her husband, Chris, are proud parents of Liberty, William and Andrew.

Amanda Ball started her career in Florida politics in 2004 in Governor Jeb Bush’s scheduling office at the age of 23, after graduating with a degree in Political Science from the
University of Central Florida. She then moved into the Governor’s Office of Policy and Budget working as a health care policy analyst. She then served in the legislative affairs
office for Governor Crist, the House Majority Office and the House Health Care Committee, all focusing on health care issues. She was then chosen as the legislative affairs director for the Department of Children and Families (DCF) and was elevated to the Chief of Staff role. Amanda departed DCF to work as a consultant for several government affairs clients focused on child welfare and property insurance issues while also working for several public relations clients. Amanda was then provided the opportunity to serve as a government affairs manager for multiple states for the Foundation for Government Accountability advocating for conservative policies. She was then recruited to join the DeSantis administration in a leadership role at the Florida Housing Finance Corporation. After serving in this role, she was promoted to Chief of Staff at the Florida Department of Education (DOE). After serving in this role at DOE, she transitioned to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement as Chief of Staff to serve as the liaison to the Governor’s office following the election of President Trump and the prioritization and proliferation of Florida’s illegal immigration operations. After serving in this role, Amanda was offered and accepted the role of Regional Manager of Government Affairs and Public Policy for Google where she is currently serving.

Register HERE.

If you cannot attend in person register to view live online here. 

Thank you to our Sponsor: