Volunteer Florida Welcomes Chief Executive Officer Chester Spellman

Mike Andrew, chairman of the Governor's  

Service, Volunteer Florida, today welcomed Chester Spellman of Jacksonville, Fla., as the commission's new chief executive officer. Spellman was appointed to the position on April 27 by Governor Rick Scott. Spellman most recently served as the Governor's director of appointments. 

"Chester's leadership roles in Florida nonprofits and track record of developing resources will be a great asset to our commission," said Andrew. "I look forward to him becoming a champion of our national service programs, such as AmeriCorps, that meet critical needs in communities across our state."

As director of appointments, Spellman managed the gubernatorial appointments process for more than 550 statewide boards and commissions. In this role he assisted the governor in identifying qualified candidates from across the state. Prior to his time at the appointments office, Spellman worked on the governor's campaign and inaugural committee.

Spellman is dedicated to community service and civic engagement. Before his work with Governor Scott, Spellman was chief operating officer at Project SOS, a community-based nonprofit organization in Jacksonville. Spellman has served on a variety of nonprofit boards and has been a member of numerous community service organizations and civic groups.

Spellman holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Southeastern University, Lakeland, Fla., and a Master of Arts in organizational leadership from Regent University, Virginia Beach, Va. He is also a fellow of the Stanford Graduate School of Business' Center for Social Innovation, Stanford, Calif. He and his wife Amanda reside in Tallahassee with their son.