Promise welcomes Jeff Kiel as president/CEO

BREVARD COUNTY — Promise, Inc., is pleased to announce and welcome Jeff Kiel as the organization’s new President/CEO. A well-known pillar in the community, Jeff served most recently as President of FLORIDA TODAY and TCPalm and a broader role as Regional President within its parent company, Gannett. Since its inception, FLORIDA TODAY and Gannett have supported Promise and its continuous journey to offer opportunities for individuals with special needs–with Jeff at the forefront of that support. In 2017, Gannett also awarded Promise a $100,000 grant to complete its Creative Arts Center.

Jeff’s passion for the nonprofit community has been a constant in his career, as he oversaw FLORIDA TODAY’s Holiday Reaching Out charity and actively served as Board Chair, Executive Committee member and Countywide fundraising chair for The United Way.
“Jeff is an amazing leader who knows our community” said Rob Rains, President of United Way of Brevard County. “Jeff was fantastic to work with serving as Campaign Chair and Board Chair not only because he is an accomplished leader, but because he cares.”

In addition to his history of business and community leadership in Miami, Silicon Valley and Brevard (since 2012), Jeff brings with him a wealth of community knowledge and relationships, sales and marketing and financial expertise. “We are so thrilled that Jeff will be joining our Promise team,” said Dr. Lori Nelson, Chairwoman of Promise, Inc. “He brings new ideas and vast experience to our organization as we move forward in our marketing and development with an important goal of increasing our social enterprises and employment opportunities for our residents. We have always desired our organization to be a model for other communities and welcome Jeff as we continue on that endeavor.”

Promise has also announced that Nan Evans will assume the role of Chief Operating Officer (COO) and Chief Financial Officer (CFO). Nan joined the Promise team in June 2018 and helped propel the organization forward while adding strong financial stewardship and a valued sense of leadership.

“It is an honor to join an organization that means so much to the special needs community, families and Brevard County.” said Jeff, who will officially start at the beginning of February. “Kudos to those who made Promise happen, as it is a jewel of our community and a model and envy of scores of communities around the nation, including many which are much larger.”

Jeff and his wife Gayle live in Viera (FL) and have two adult children – Ryan, and his wife Joanna, who live in Viera with their two sons, Brady (2) and Ryder (1); daughter Alexa (Los Angeles) and future (May 2020) son-in-law, Josh.

Promise is looking forward to what the future holds for the organization and its 124 residents with special needs and is confident this addition will create the next level of unity and success for Promise.

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Promise in Brevard is an affordable housing community for adults with special needs, located in West Melbourne, Florida. Promise is home to 124 residents with varying levels of developmental disabilities and offers an independent lifestyle, featuring an array of on-site amenities, a Vocational Training & Employment Program and a vast Life Enrichment Program. Promise, Inc., is a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization that is funded through community donations, foundations and revenue from its social enterprises.