WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – November 14, 2019 - Gunster, one of Florida’s oldest and largest full-service business law firms, is proud to announce regional managing shareholder Lila Jaber has been appointed to the Chesapeake Utilities Corporation Board of Directors, effective January 1, 2020.
Lila’s extensive industry experience, her leadership of the firm’s government affairs practice, and her two terms as both Commissioner and Chair of the Florida Public Service Commission were all cited in the company’s public release about her appointment.
“I have so much respect and admiration for the Gunster team. Nine years ago, I signed up to be part of Florida’s Law Firm for Business and that we are. Together, we have facilitated a statewide presence with best in class talent. I am proud of this stellar team and look forward to what the future offers us all,” said Jaber. “Chesapeake Utilities has an industry leading record of extraordinary performance and beyond the numbers, the company enjoys a diverse, inclusive and special culture of which I am proud to be a part.”
Jaber has led and grown the regulatory and government affairs practice at Gunster for over nine years. As regional managing shareholder, she helped expand the firm’s presence through the I-4 corridor with the establishment, growth and management of Gunster’s Orlando and Tampa office. In recent years, Jaber developed Florida’s Women in Energy Leadership Forum which focuses on the workforce and economic development contributions of the electric and natural gas industries.
“Over the past nine years, Lila has been one of Gunster’s best advocates across Florida. She helped us build a strong Tallahassee presence and many relationships and connections around the state,” said Bill Perry, Gunster’s managing shareholder. “For anyone who has had the opportunity to work with Lila, we know her work ethic and personal dedication to Gunster. Gunster is Lila’s law firm.”
In addition to establishing the Leadership Forum, Jaber is a founding member of the Big Bend Minority Chamber of Commerce; was Chair of the City of Tallahassee’s inaugural Ethics Board appointed by then Mayor Gillum and members of the City Commission; is a member of the Leon County Office of Economic Vitality Council; and former Chair of Leadership Florida.
She was recognized by the Big Bend Minority Chamber of Commerce as the 2019 Lifetime Advocacy honoree. Jaber has received the Tallahassee Women Lawyers Diversity & Inclusion Award, and in 2016, she received the commission of Kentucky Colonel by Kentucky’s Governor for her noteworthy accomplishments and outstanding service.
In May 2019, Jaber was appointed to the Board of Trustees of Stetson University, her alma mater, where she received her Bachelor of Arts and Sciences degree in 1988 and her Juris Doctor from Stetson University College of Law in 1990.
“In addition to her remarkable years in public service and civic engagement, Lila complements the Chesapeake Utilities’ culture of leadership, ethics, entrepreneurial passion and diversity,” said Jeffry M. Householder, President and Chief Executive Officer of Chesapeake Utilities Corporation.
Chesapeake Utilities Corporation, a publically traded NYSE company, is a diversified energy company engaged in natural gas distribution and transmission; electricity generation and distribution; propane gas distribution; and other businesses.
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