Who We Are
Alachua County Emerging Leaders (ACEL) is targeted to those 21 through 45 who are associated with a professional organization or company in Alachua County - Young Professionals.
Our Purpose
The purpose of ACEL is to identify the young professionals of Alachua County and provide them with:
- The opportunity to foster meaningful relationships
- An introduction to leadership opportunities
- Mentoring
- Create and cultivate our future leaders
- Create networking/social opportunities
- Professional Development
- Education on issues and policies facing Alachua County by community leaders
- Opportunites that will spark involvement in the community
- Opportunites that will spark political involvement
- Incentives to stay, work and grow in Alachua County
- A voice in Alachua County
Why ACEL Was Created
Alachua County is losing its young professionals to larger cities like Orlando, Jacksonville and Tampa. This group is vital to the growth of Alachua County and Gainesville and its ability to recruit growth industries for economic development. This group of young professionals is caught between the student population and the established leaders of Alachua County and Gainesville. There is no way to breed leadership amongst this group because they have yet to be brought together by one entity. There are no places for this group to congregate in a town geared toward students. Where do the young professionals go?
Our Partners
ACEL is in partnership with Leadership Gainesville Alumni Association.
LGAA is a group of motivated Leadership Gainesville graduates realized the need to put knowledge they gained gained to work after graduation. In 1987 Leadership Gainesville Alumni, Inc. was formed for this purpose. The Leadership Gainesville Program gives us the knowledge we need and the Alumni Association gives us the opportunity to put that knowledge to use for a better community.