Amber Casart
President
Amber Casart is a creative and results-driven communications, marketing, and public relations professional with more than two decades of experience in storytelling, brand strategy, and audience engagement. She specializes in developing compelling campaigns, building community partnerships, and crafting content that inspires action.
Amber earned her bachelor’s degree in Communications from the University of West Florida and began her career in 2001 as a video editor at WEAR-TV in Pensacola. She went on to advance into management roles at WEAR-TV, Blab-TV, and WWSB-TV in Sarasota, gaining extensive experience in storytelling, multimedia production, and audience engagement. In 2022, Amber transitioned to nonprofit communications and now serves as the Marketing and Communications Coordinator for Big Brothers Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northwest Florida, where she leads marketing, public relations, social media, website management, and brand communications across a five-county service area.
A dedicated member of the Florida Public Relations Association (FPRA) since 2022, Amber has served on the FPRA Pensacola Chapter Board of Directors and is currently serving her fourth term as Chapter President. She is a graduate of Leadership FPRA Class X and a recipient of the 2025 Joe Curley APR, CPRC Rising Leader Award.
Rachel Smith
Immediate Past President
Rachel Smith serves as the Outreach and Events Specialist for Gulf Coast Kid’s House, where she leads community outreach, marketing, and fundraising events that support the organization’s mission to protect and advocate for vulnerable children in Escambia County. A Pensacola native, she earned her bachelor’s degree in Hospitality, Resort, and Recreation Management from the University of West Florida.
Passionate about community service, Rachel has volunteered with numerous local nonprofits and serves on the FPRA board. She was recognized as a 2025 Inweekly Rising Star and is a member of the 2026 Leadership Pensacola class.
Rachel is also dedicated to health and wellness. She has worked as a certified fitness instructor in multiple modalities for more than seven years, earning Inweekly’s Runner-Up for Best Fitness Instructor five times.
In her free time, she enjoys spending time with friends and family, brunching at local restaurants, and watching movies at home with her husband.
Steve Nissim
President Elect / Vice President of Membership
Steve Nissim is an External Communications Specialist for Ascension Florida. He helps tell the stories of the remarkable people and resources that create transformative health care across Ascension Florida's hospitals and other sites of care. He is specifically responsible for the Pensacola market including Sacred Heart Hospital and Studer Family Children's Hospital. Steve previously served as the Chief Storyteller for Studer Community Institute, a local non-profit designed to make the community a better place to live. In this communications and public relations specialist role he shared SCI's work through videos, articles, blogs and speaking engagements. Steve is also an award-winning TV broadcast journalist, most recently as the Senior Television Producer/Host and Connect Studio director for WSRE-TV (PBS for the Gulf Coast), where he created, produced, and hosted multiple local TV series. He worked as a Sports Anchor and Reporter in several markets throughout the Southeast, winning a Regional Edward R. Murrow Award for Sports Reporting while at ABC affiliate WEAR-TV in Pensacola. Steve has produced programs on a wide variety of topics in his broadcast career including education, the fentanyl crisis, and the Holocaust. Steve was raised in New York City and graduated from Florida State University with a degree in Communications/Journalism.
Kaycee Lagarde
Secretary
Kaycee Lagarde is the Director of Communications and Public Information for the Escambia County Board of County Commissioners, where she oversees all external communications for the county. She previously served as the Public Information Officer for the City of Pensacola for over four years, working in the Office of the Mayor to facilitate the city’s communications with the media and public.
After graduating from the University of West Florida with a bachelor’s degree in communication arts/journalism in 2011, Kaycee began her career as a journalist before making the transition to government public relations. She stays active in the community, serving as an ambassador for Gulf Coast Kid’s House in addition to her involvement with FPRA. Kaycee was named a 2019 Inweekly Rising Star, 2020 FPRA Pensacola Chapter Rising PR Professional, 2023 FPRA Pensacola Chapter Member of the Year, and she is a graduate of Leadership Pensacola class of 2022. She also graduated from the FEMA Executive Public Information Officer program in 2025.
Kaycee is passionate about media and public relations, transparency in local government, and government communications. In her free time, she enjoys traveling as often as possible, enjoying our beautiful beaches, thrifting, reading, and being the “cool aunt” to her five nephews and two nieces.
Emily Echevarria
Vice President of Finance
Emily Echevarria serves as the Marketing Communications Director for Council on Aging of West Florida, where she applies her passion for storytelling to share the impacts of Council on Aging’s programs for older adults and caregivers. Emily is the District 1 Representative on the Florida Association of Aging Services Providers Board of Directors, President-Elect of Five Flags Rotary, and member of Leadership Pensacola’s class of 2024.
Emily earned her dual bachelor’s degrees in philosophy and communication arts/journalism from the University of West Florida while beginning her career on the editorial team at Ballinger Publishing. She then moved on to a role in healthcare technical writing before transitioning to the nonprofit world with Council on Aging in 2021. In her free time, she enjoys reading, crafting, birding, and staying busy with her daughter, Qora.
Lindsey Steck-Jackson
Vice President of Networking
A Pensacola native, Lindsey Steck brings nearly a decade of experience with Visit Pensacola, where she has proudly served for the past nine years. In her role, Steck oversees key marketing and communications efforts including public relations and social strategy, helping shape how the Pensacola Bay Area is shared with audiences both locally and around the world. From digital platforms and social media to earned media and brand storytelling, Lindsey plays a central role in promoting the destination’s unique experiences. Passionate about community and place, she takes great pride in sharing “The Way to Beach” and showcasing all that makes Pensacola a special place to live, work, and visit.
Andie Gibson
Vice President of Communication and Digital Media
Andie Gibson is the Public Information Manager for the Escambia County Board of County Commissioners. In her role, she supports the five county commissioners and over 20 county departments to promote projects, initiatives, and programs that serve the citizens of Escambia County. Andie manages media relations efforts for Escambia County, working regularly with local and national media members to provide pertinent information to residents and visitors.
Prior to joining Escambia County in 2021, Andie was a marketing manager for Southern Vacation Rentals, a locally owned vacation rental management company. During her time there, she managed the company’s digital content strategy for web, social media, and paid advertising, and led its public relations efforts.
Andie earned her Bachelor of Arts in Communications with a specialization in Public Relations from the University of West Florida in 2016. She was named “Communicator of the Year” by the FPRA Pensacola Chapter in 2024, recognized as an Inweekly 2024 Rising Star, and a member of the 2026 Joe Curley Rising Leader Class. She is passionate about media and culture and enjoys deep dives into the intersection of public relations and pop culture. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with friends and family, fitness, coffee runs, baking, and catching up on her favorite TV shows.
Kristi Gilmore
Vice President of Professional Development
Kristi Gilmore, Ph.D., APR, is an associate professor of communication at the University of West Florida where she strives to bring real-world experience to the classroom and teaches a variety of graduate and undergraduate courses including applied communication research, crisis communication, media relations and communication dynamics.
Before UWF, she spent six years at Texas Tech University in the College of Media and Communication where she served as director of the online master’s program in strategic communication and innovation and was awarded the President’s Award for Excellence in Teaching. Prior to her career in academia, Gilmore was a senior communication professional and public relations counselor with nearly 25 years of experience in corporate communication, crisis management, sports communication, health communication, strategic planning and community relations.
Gilmore holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Birmingham-Southern College, a master’s degree in communication leadership from UWF and a doctorate in mass communications from the Newhouse School at Syracuse University. Born and raised in Pensacola, she is happy to be home.
Jackson Buhler
Member At Large
Jackson Buhler serves as the Social Media and Video Specialist for the City of Pensacola, a role he has been in for over a year. As part of his duties, Jackson manages the City’s and Mayor’s social media accounts using photography, graphic design and short-form video to highlight important initiatives along with pertinent information that residents and visitors of the city alike should know of. Prior to joining the City of Pensacola, Jackson worked as a sports, education, and faith reporter for the Crestview News Bulletin where he updated the community on happenings in North Okaloosa County.
A native of South Florida, Jackson earned his bachelor’s degree in Sports Administration with a minor in Business from Louisiana State University in 2019. While in Baton Rouge, he served as a student assistant in the athletic communications office and was actively involved in Greek Life. He also served as the Director of Fundraising for the Greek Board of Directors, helping raise more than $200,000 for charitable organizations. Following his graduation from LSU, Jackson relocated to Pensacola, where he went on to earn a master’s degree in Strategic Communications and Leadership from the University of West Florida in 2021.
While at UWF, Jackson served as a graduate assistant in the athletic communications office before joining the department full-time in 2021 as a social media and graphic design specialist. In this role, he managed the social media accounts for all 15 of the university’s athletic programs while also serving as the primary sport contact for men’s basketball and cross country. Through these responsibilities, Jackson developed valuable skills in statistical input and management, which he utilized while working with the Pensacola Blue Wahoos and the 68 Ventures Bowl, an annual matchup featuring two FBS football programs.
Outside of work, Jackson enjoys watching sports, drinking coffee, and exploring Pensacola with his wife, Becca, and their two dogs, Mandy and Shiloh. He also enjoys traveling to visit their many nieces and nephews.
Ben Boynton
Member at Large
Bio: Ben Boynton serves as the Communications Manager for Pensacola Habitat for Humanity, where he helps to lead all marketing and communications for the eight highest-producing Habitat for Humanity affiliates in the nation, as well as its ReStore. He takes a lead role in social media strategy, website management, photo and video production, media relationships, event promotions and more. Ben joined Pensacola Habitat in 2022 after nearly eight years working primarily in sports communications, including with the Indiana Fever, the Danville Braves, Minor League Baseball’s national office and other organizations.
Born and raised in Indiana, Ben received a Bachelor’s Degree in telecommunication and film from the University of Alabama, where he was involved in multiple professional and student media outlets. In his free time, Ben enjoys traveling (especially weekend trips with his wife), spending time with friends and family, exploring his newish home of Florida, spending time with his dog and two cats and consuming a multitude of sports and entertainment.