President & Chief Executive Officer – Named President of AIF in a unanimous decision by the AIF Board of Directors in August 2021, Brewster assumed the role of President and Chief Executive Officer on January 1, 2022. He joined AIF in 2011 as Vice President of External Affairs and was subsequently promoted to Senior Vice President of State and Federal Affairs in 2013. Prior to joining AIF, he served as Senior Director of Legislative Affairs for the Associated Builders and Contractors’ national office. He also worked in Congress for several years and is a former presidential appointee in the Bush administration. Brewster attended Florida State University where he earned a bachelor’s degree in international affairs.
Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer – In 1989, Stephen Trickey was hired by AIF. He served as the Chief Operating Officer of the Florida Business Network, a for-profit subsidiary of AIF, where he led the development of what became one of the country’s first and most successful legislative information software systems.
From there he was promoted to Chief Information Officer of AIF where he served as the leader in all organization communications services. Finally, in 2003 he was promoted to his current position of Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer of the entire organization. In this position, he is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the Association.
In 2007, Stephen was elected to the Board of the Florida Society of Association Executives (FSAE) Foundation and then as one of its officers. In 2008, he received the highest designation that an association executive can attain when he earned the coveted Certified Association Executive (CAE) designation. That same year, Stephen was given the highest award by FSAE when he was named Florida’s Statewide Association Executive of the Year by his peers. He currently sits on the main FSAE Board of Directors.
Senior Vice President of Administration & Services – Michelle Smith joined the AIF team in October 1996. As the Senior Vice President of Administration & Services Department, she oversees the daily administrative and facilities operations. Over the past years, Michelle has served in many leadership roles with several of Tallahassee’s non-profit organizations. A graduate from Florida State University, she earned a bachelor’s degree in Marketing.
Vice President of Governmental Affairs – Adam joined the AIF team in December of 2021 and serves as the Vice President of Government Relations. Prior to joining AIF, Basford served as the director of legislative affairs for the Florida Farm Bureau Federation (FFBF) since 2012. Basford previously held a number of other roles within FFBF, including director of national affairs from 2009-2012 and assistant director of agricultural policy from 2004-2009. Basford holds a master’s degree in agricultural communications from the University of Florida and a bachelor’s degree in organizational communications from the University of West Florida.
Vice President of Political Operations – Jeremy Sheftel is a veteran political operative with experience managing local, congressional, and statewide campaigns in some of the top battleground states across the country - including Florida, Georgia, Texas, and Pennsylvania. Prior to joining AIF, Jeremy served as Director of Political Strategy for a nationally recognized political strategy and public affairs firm. Jeremy served as campaign manager to former White House Physician and Senior Advisor to President Donald J. Trump, Congressman Ronny Jackson (TX-13), and former Congressman Lou Barletta’s race for Pennsylvania Governor.
Jeremy has worked for many of Florida’s top political leaders and organizations over the years including Senator Marco Rubio, Commissioner of Agriculture Adam Putnam, Lt. Governor Carlos Lopez-Cantera, State Representative Matt Caldwell, and the Republican Party of Florida.
Jeremy is a graduate of the University of Georgia where he earned a degree in Risk Management & Insurance with a focus in Legal Studies.
