- May 15, 2026
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When a few people on the board of the Bradenton Area Economic Development Corp. approached Amanda Parrish about the possibility of being interim CEO, her initial response was a hard no. “Absolutely not,” she thought at the time, late last year. “I didn’t know the first thing about economic development.”
But the more she looked into it, and the more she heard from board members about what they were looking for, the more she thought maybe this could work. The board has three goals, she was informed in the wake of the December retirement of Sharon Hillstrom, who had helmed the organization for 14 years. It sought an experienced leader to work alongside the three-person EDC team and potentially add to it if necessary; someone to spend time with longtime partners and supporters while also guiding the organization in potentially challenging contract talks with Manatee County officials and commissioners; and someone to lead a reinvestment of time and resources in internal systems and processes.
They weren’t seeking an economic development guru.
Parrish, 38, a Lakewood Ranch area resident for 12 years with her husband and their two daughters, checks those boxes. She’s been the chief operating officer of Fawley Bryant Architecture, based in the Lakewood Ranch corporate park, since 2020 and a leader at the firm since 2016. Now a partner as well, Parrish essentially oversees all non-architecture functions at FBA, which has 24 employees. She’s hired people; revamped, reworked and rethought company culture; and has consistently worked on internal systems.
EDC Board Chair Chris Cianfaglione is a big Parrish supporter. A vice president with engineering, planning and design firm Kimley Horn, Cianfaglione has known Parrish since she started at FBA. He says it was a “no-brainer” for the board to reach out to her about the interim CEO role, given her make-it-look-easy skillset in problem solving and multitasking.
“Being totally honest,” Cianfaglione says, “the (interim CEO) role description was written around Amanda because she’s exactly the leader we needed right now. She’s someone who gets it done, and who does it in a way that is collaborative and community-minded.”
Parrish decided to take on the interim EDC role — notably while keeping her other job at FBA. “We want to make this where the next CEO doesn’t have to come here and be in fix-it mode,” she says. “They can be in ‘let’s go and evolve’ mode.”
That strategy will soon be put to the test. That’s because the EDC announced April 30 it has named a new president and CEO. That new leader, Shirar O’Connor, comes to the role after 30 years in marketing, public relations and economic development positions, both in the U.S. and abroad. O’Connor is scheduled to begin her new role with the EDC June 1.
Parrish has spent her five months in the interim role fulfilling her commitment to get it ready for the next leader.
A big part of that was answering a top-of-mind question many have for Parrish (usually right after when does she sleep?) The question is, simply, what does the EDC do?
The answer to that query, in part, came at an April 7 Manatee County commissioners meeting. Parrish, Cianfaglione and some EDC supporters went before the commissioners seeking approval of a new contract. The meeting came more than six months after commissioners, citing concerns over transparency and return on investment, opted not to renew a $337,000 annual contract. Those funds represent about 30% of the organization’s $1.13 million budget for the fiscal year.
Parrish contends the ROI the commissioners seek comes in the EDC “recruiting and retaining target-sector industries that will create high-wage, high-skill jobs for our county residents.”
Commissioners liked what they heard from Parrish and the EDC, and support from people like Stephanie Garrison, the county’s director of government relations. Garrison says Parrish, in three-plus months as interim CEO, “was exactly what we needed” in terms of moving projects forward, transparency and collaboration. “She always follows up and asks for feedback,” Garrison says, “and that kind of humility is rare.”
Commissioners unanimously approved a new contract with the EDC at the April 7 meeting, at $292,450 on annual basis, a 13% reduction from the previous one. Payment will be made quarterly and is tied to reporting on performance metrics. That includes receiving 10 qualified leads per quarter and converting them into five active projects. Its focus is on five target sectors: advanced manufacturing, aviation and aerospace, corporate operations, sports performance and technology.
Parrish is familiar with community involvement and working long hours to accomplish goals and tasks.
On the latter, Parrish’s mom was a nurse who worked midnight shifts; her dad sold Snap-on tools and later founded a real estate brokerage. “They made a beautiful life together, and I saw that it was a result of all their hard work,” she says. “I just saw them hustle, hustle, hustle.”
On the community side, Parrish was president of the board of the Lakewood Ranch Business Alliance in 2021 — a term that saw the organization grapple with both Covid and hiring a new CEO, Brittany Lamont. Parrish has also been on the advisory board of the Lakewood Ranch YMCA.
In the first six weeks of performing both roles — Fawley Bryant and the EDC — Parrish learned a key life, and business, lesson: Don’t let decisions linger. “I don’t have time to be in my own head,” Parrish says. “I don’t have time to overthink every decision. You make a decision and you move on.”
Parrish was also impressed with the community support she received in the role. Bishop-Parker Foundation CEO Wendy Deming and Manatee School Superintendent Laurie Breslin were among the leaders who reached out to Parrish with a call or text in January, pledging to help in any way they can.
“I feel so supported by the community,” Parrish says.
Of course, the flip side of being so supported, she adds, is it has been “really humbling and makes you really want to do a good job so you don’t let anyone down.”
