FOLLOW THE LEADERS 2025:
PUBLIC SAFETY LEADERSHIP
Meet the Panelists
Follow the Leaders brings together leaders from Lakeland and the surrounding areas in a panel discussion, where speakers share advice and wisdom with EMERGE members and the community. Ranging from EMERGE alumni to C-Suite executives, from entrepreneurs to non-profit directors, speakers for this event serve as inspiration to the next generation of young professionals in Lakeland. This event provides a rare opportunity to interact one-on-one with community pacesetters and get to know them personally.
This year, the event will be a panel discussion in a question-and-answer format to discuss how public safety officials and young professionals can work together to help Lakeland prepare for potential emergencies or natural disasters.
Meet this year's esteemed panelists!
Matt Brown
Assistant Chief of Administration for the Lakeland Fire Department
Matt Brown has dedicated his career to the fire service, starting as a firefighter in 1998 before joining the Lakeland Fire Department in 1999. Advancing through the ranks, he was promoted to Lieutenant in 2005, became the department's first Training Captain in 2016, and was later appointed Training Chief in 2022. Matt now serves as the Assistant Chief of Administration for the Lakeland Fire Department.
Chief Brown previously served as the coordinator for the department's Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) and SWAT Paramedic teams. He holds certifications as a Fire Officer II, Fire Inspector II, Fire Instructor III, Live Fire Instructor I, State Pump Operator, and Paramedic. Chief Brown is a graduate of the National Fire Academy's Managing Fire Officer (MFO) Program and the Florida Fire Chief's Association Emergency Services Leadership Institution (ESLI). In addition to these professional certifications, he is a principal committee member for the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1006 and NFPA 1021 committees, providing recommendations for national standards on Technical Rescue and Professional Qualifications for Fire Officers. Chief Brown also serves as the Work Group Leader for the State Technical Rescue Teams.
In addition to his work at the Lakeland Fire Department, Chief Brown is actively involved in serving his community. He is a dedicated member of the Lakeland Rotary Club and a graduate and member of Lakeland Leadership Class XXXIII.
Chief Brown has received multiple Firefighter of the Year awards on local and state levels for two heroic off-duty actions and his community service. In 2016, he was honored with the American Legion National Firefighter of the Year award for related incidents.
Tina Sweeten
Executive Director of the Mid-Florida Chapter of the American Red Cross
Tina Sweeten is a nonprofit professional with over 30 years of experience leading both small and large nonprofit organizations. She holds a Master of Arts in Nonprofit Management and is a Certified Volunteer Administrator.
Tina has been a Red Cross employee for the past eight years and has volunteered for Red Cross prior to that for over 20 years in a variety of disaster and training services positions.
Tina is a compassionate leader who embodies the values of the Red Cross and is currently the Executive Director of the Mid-Florida Chapter in the Central Florida and US Virgin Islands Region.
Ms. Sweeten moved to Winter Haven a little over five years ago and loves living downtown with her family and her dogs. She is an avid reader and loves anything to do with nature and the water.
John Demming, CPP, CHPA
Director of Safety & Security at Lakeland Regional Health
Lakeland Regional Health is the 5th largest hospital in Florida and home to the 2nd busiest emergency department in the nation. John has over a decade of experience in the healthcare security and emergency management field. John earned a Master of Arts degree in Public Management from The Johns Hopkins University.
His undergraduate studies were in Public Safety and Security at Florida State University. Mr. Demming currently serves as the Vice President/Secretary on the Board of Directors for the International Association for Healthcare Security & Safety.
He has authored published works featured in The Journal of Healthcare Protection Management and the American Nurse Journal. He holds the credentials of Certified Protection Professional by ASIS International and Certified Healthcare Protection Administrator by the IAHSS.
Paul Womble
Emergency Management Director for Polk County, Florida
Paul is responsible for the operations of the County’s E 9-1-1 System and Addressing Programs, the Emergency Management Program, and the County’s Radio Communications Program/Public Safety Radio System.
Paul is a 4th generation Polk County native graduating from Bartow High School in 1989. He became involved in Public Safety in 1992 as a volunteer firefighter. Following five years working in the Polk County Fire/EMS dispatch center, Paul accepted a disaster services position with the Polk County Chapter of the American Red Cross in 1998. He was deployed to North Carolina after Hurricane Floyd in 1998, Sarasota after Tropical Storm Gabrielle in 2001, and worked in the Red Cross National Disaster Operations Center in Falls Church, VA and the Disaster Computer Center in Austin, TX. In 2003 Paul was hired by Manatee County Emergency Management as a Contingency Planner. Paul was deployed to Polk County following Hurricane Charlie in 2004. In 2005 he was deployed to Hancock County, MS following Hurricane Katrina and Monroe County following Hurricane Wilma.
In December 2005, Paul began work as the Emergency Management Program Manager in Polk County. He was responsible for overseeing the Polk County Emergency Operations Center along with all-hazards preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation programs. Paul was the EM project manager for the construction of the new Polk County EOC in 2009-2010.
Paul was deployed to New York City following Superstorm Sandy in 2012. Other disaster deployments include Putnam County following Hurricane Matthew in 2016, Calhoun County following Hurricane Michael in 2018, and in 2023 to Madison County following Hurricane Idalia.
Paul earned an associate degree from Polk Community College, a bachelor’s degree in Public Safety Administration from St. Petersburg College, and a Masters of Emergency and Crisis Management from the University of Central Florida. He is a Certified Emergency Manager, Florida Professional Emergency Manager, Master Exercise Practitioner, and a Certified Public Manager. Paul is a graduate of Leadership Polk Class XV and a current member of Leadership Bartow Class XX.
CHIEF SAMMY L. TAYLOR, JR.
Chief of the Lakeland Police Department
Chief Sammy L. Taylor, Jr. has more than 35 years of law enforcement experience and has been with the Lakeland Police Department since 1989. During his tenure, he has worked in or supervised almost every division within the agency.
Chief Taylor was hired in February 1989 and has been promoted through the ranks of the department. On December 1, 2022, City Manager Shawn Sherrouse officially appointed Sam as the Police Chief for the Lakeland Police Department.
During his career, Chief Taylor has been selected for leadership positions or served as a representative on multi-jurisdictional task forces, including with Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI), Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) and State Attorney’s Office. Most recently he was appointed President of the Polk County Police Chief’s Association.
Chief Taylor graduated from Polk Community College in 1981 with an A.A. degree, and the University of South Florida in December 1993 with a B. A. in Criminal Justice. He received his Master of Public Administration (MPA) with a concentration in National Security issues from Troy State University in December of 2002. Chief Taylor continued to complete the Certified Public Manager course and received the CPM designation from Florida State University in 2009. He is a 2011 graduate of the Southern Police Institute (SPI) at the University of Louisville in Louisville, KY and a graduate of the Police Executive Research Forums’ Senior Management Institute for Police at Boston University.
