On May 7, the Destin Chamber celebrated the graduation of 16 business professionals from its 18th Destin Forward class. During the event, the prestigious Destin Forward Leadership Award, chosen by class vote, was presented to Kyle Davis of Integrity Financial Group. Kyle is seen here with the Chamber's 2026 Chairman of the Board Monica Wallis of Destin Water Users.
Destin Forward, a community education and leadership program, was created to help find and educate future city and business leaders. After a retreat in August, the class spent the next eight months touring and learning about Destin’s waterways, tourism industry, arts & culture, non-profits, environment, city programs and services, economic development, and military. With the graduation of this class, the total number of program alumni is now 283.
Class requirements include attendance at several Chamber and civic functions, as well as a group project that creates a lasting impact on the City of Destin. The class is restoring the tank in front of the American Legion Post 296 in Destin.
Graduates of the Destin Forward Class of 2026 include Wendy Baggett, First National Bank; Lesley Brown, First Security Bank; Kyle Davis, Integrity Financial Group; Shannon Davis, Boys & Girls Clubs of the Emerald Coast; Amber Feliz, Greystar Property Management; Dan Feliz, Raymond James and Associates; Megan Gehlbach, Gypsea Pool and Spa; Ed Hart, BluePoint Financial LLC; Jessica Jullian, Destin Water Users; Jolie Kremser, Community Bank; Evangeline Mercado, Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott Destin; Beatriz Miller, City of Destin; Davis Parrish, Renasant Financial Services; Andrew Rowe, NexTech Business Solutions, LLC; Brand Thaggard, Warren Averett; and Chris Wade, Boys & Girls Clubs of the Emerald Coast.
Four class members, chosen by class vote, will join the Destin Forward Advisory Board for a 3-year term, where they will help steer the program for future classes. Those chosen include Wendy Baggett, Meghan Gelbach, Jessica Julian, and Beatriz Miller.
Applications are now available for the Destin Forward Class of 2027. For more information about the program, please call (850) 837-6241 or email mail@DestinChamber.com.
