John Flanagan
CEO
CareerSource Tampa Bay
Tampa, FL USA
“If you’ve never failed, you’ve never tried.”
Milestones
My road in life has been direct.
Growing up, I had planned to follow my parents and siblings into the healthcare industry and become a physician.
I did an internship in college at the Boys and Girls Club—I had gone to the Boys and Girls club since I was six years old and realized I wanted to remain a part of our emerging talent as I got older.
I decided to make a shift and pursue workforce development so that I could keep working with emerging talent.
I earned my undergraduate and graduate degrees in public administration from Gannon University.
I’ve spent over 14 years gaining experience in various roles in workforce development, including director roles in both Colorado and Pennsylvania.
I’m now the CEO of CareerSource Tampa Bay, where I’m responsible for carrying out our mission to provide workforce development education, resources, and opportunities within the community.
Keep following my journey
Education
High School
Bachelor
Bachelor's
Gannon University
Bachelor's
Gannon University
Graduate
Organizational Leadership
Gannon University
Organizational Leadership
Gannon University
Career
CEO
I lead an organization that helps emerging talent gain the skills they need to thrive in their careers.
Career Roadmap
My work combines:
My work combines:
Government
Business
Helping People
Day to Day
A lot of my time is spent working with other community leaders and decision-makers to figure out where we should point our resources to make a difference in the community. My work is typically more outward-facing, so I spend time building relationships and fostering partnerships in the community. I lead a team of about 200 people who work more directly with job seekers and employers. I also meet with my executive team twice a week to make sure we're fulfilling our mission.
Advice for Getting Started
Here's the first step for high school students
Get involved with your local One-Stop Career Center. The center will have job opportunities or career exploration programs that will allow you to join a business and really see what they do first-hand. You'll be able to get a feel for an industry and see if it interests you. It's a great way to get some keen and unique insight into what you might want to do with your life.
Recommended Education
My career is related to what I studied. I'd recommend the path I took:
Bachelor
Bachelor's
Bachelor's
Graduate
Organizational Leadership
Organizational Leadership
Hurdles
The Noise I Shed
From Myself:
"This career path isn't going to work for me—I've failed."
Challenges I Overcame
Death and Loss
