Staff
Mary Lou Rajchel
President & CEO
Mary Lou Rajchel is the President & CEO of the Florida Trucking Association. In a career spanning more than 30 years in the private and public sectors, Rajchel has worked in the public education, growth management, environmental protection, business regulation, public finance, and law enforcement policy arenas.
She served as Senior Vice President for Research and Development at Florida TaxWatch, a statewide, nonpartisan government watchdog and taxpayer research institute. She also spent 13 years representing the Florida Phosphate Council, the association for the phosphate mining and fertilizer manufacturing industry, in the positions of Vice President of Regulatory Affairs, and then as President and CEO.
She began her career as a lawyer in private practice and later became the Assistant General Counsel for the Florida Department of Commerce, which focused on tourism and economic development. In 1987 she became the Director of Cabinet Affairs at the Florida Department of Education for the then-elected Commissioner of Education, serving as the Commissioner’s chief adviser on all Cabinet-related regulatory and public policy issues. She has served on several boards and commissions, and has served as Chair of the Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commission and the Florida Land Management Advisory Council. She is the Past President and current member of the Board of Directors of the Council for Sustainable Florida. She is active with Associated Industries of Florida, the Florida Chamber of Commerce, and Florida TaxWatch.
Rajchel holds a Bachelor’s Degree in English from the University of Central Florida, a Master of Science in Education from Southern Illinois University, and a law degree from Florida State University. She is a member of the Florida Bar.
Tisha Crews Keller
Director of Communications
Tisha Keller is the Director of Communications for the FTA. She has more than 15 years of experience in the communication field, including marketing, public relations and communication research. Passionate about finding innovative ways to speak to audiences, Tisha enjoys crafting messages and campaigns that inform, inspire, and ignite change.
She comes to the position after helping launch and staff 850 Business Magazine, a regional business news publication covering Northwest Florida’s unique business sector. In this role, she covered many aspects of the business community, from organizational dynamics to corporate income tax regulations. The publication received multiple Florida Magazine Association awards in its first two years.
Previously, Tisha worked as a communication consultant for a large governmental consulting firm, where she served as communication director for multiple public water utilities. In addition, she was a liaison for customer relations and community affairs on behalf of cities and counties throughout Florida.
Tisha’s career experience includes strategic communication planning, marketing, advertising, graphic design, special event planning, and social (change) marketing for both the public and private sectors. She holds a bachelors in English and a masters in Communication Theory and Research from Florida State University.
She is a member of the Florida Public Relations Association and is active in charities in the Capital area. She lives in Tallahassee with her husband and two children.
Tommy Thomas
Membership Development Director
(813) 597-9308 Telephone
Email
Susan Barfield, Office Manager
Phoebe Singletary, Administrative Assistant
You can reach us at (850) 222-9900