WHO AM I?
Name: Duellyn Zeagler Pandis
Title, company: President and CEO, Passport Health of Tampa Bay
Years with the company: Four
Years in Tampa Bay: 15

Nature of business: Clinic specializing in vaccines for international travelers. Many mission groups, corporate travelers as well as families and individuals will seek travel advice on vaccinations and myriad other travel health related information. We also conduct onsite flu and wellness clinics for corporations.

Education: Bachelor’s in nursing, University of Alabama at Birmingham; Certificate in Travel Health, International Society of Travel Medicine

Where you grew up and what it was like: I was raised in Sylvania, a small town in south Georgia. My high school graduating class had 250 students. That was the entire county as we lived in a rural area. My dad was the superintendent of the school system and handed me my diploma when I crossed the stage.

Tips of the trade
How do you keep yourself current in your field? We attend an annual national Passport Health conference as well as the bi-annual ISTM convention. ISTM is a peer group of travel medical professionals who communicate through blogs, e-mail and other means. There are systems in place to report conditions related to disease and country specific information whether it be holiday parades or potential violence.

Where do you get new ideas? Business publications and books, many local social and networking events, and we work closely with peers within our company. We are always listening to best practices of successful businesses be they health related or any other industry.

What’s a valuable lesson a mentor taught you related to your profession? Always be honest and straightforward. Let your yes be yes and your no be no. Background check

What did you want to be when you grew up? I always wanted to be a nurse since kindergarten.

What’s the most personal item in your office and why is it there? I have a picture of my mother in her nursing uniform when she graduated nursing school. It is a reminder to me of what she instilled in me and my desire to become a nurse.

Who are your heroes in the business world and why? I believe that anyone who remains true to his principles and has been a success in his industry such as Truett Cathy is worthy of emulation. The integrity and beliefs he has and that he instills in his workers and his business has a proven model of success.

What do you read for business and for pleasure? For business I have been reading The Journal of Travel Medicine and Where There is No Doctor, which is a resource that helps missionaries and those living in remote areas of the world deal with disease and sickness. And for pleasure I have been reading the “Richest Man on Earth” by Steven Scott, which is a book about King Solomon and the book of Proverbs.

Do you collect anything and if so, what? I have my grandmother’s china, a gift from when she was married. It is a simple bone china with hand-painted gold rim with her monogrammed initials hand painted. I love looking for complimentary pieces. They were made in the 1920s and were very common wedding gifts. I found a complete set in North Georgia at an antique mart for my daughter with her exact initials!

Words to the wise
Tell about a sticky situation in your life (business or personal) and how you got through it. Perhaps, the stickiest situation we must deal with is employees and their performance. I recently had to let an employee go based on performance, but the fact that I had documentation for months to back up my decision made it easier although such decisions are never easy as they affect a person’s life.

How could Tampa Bay change to be more business friendly? There are many areas in Tampa that are wonderful places but very difficult to get to. For example, getting from Westchase to Wesley Chapel. There is not a direct route. Getting to downtown is not an easy task either. Rapid transit with a center hub would ease travel throughout Tampa Bay.

   

Passport Health of Tampa Bay's own Duellyn Pandis talks
about the Rabies Vaccination shortage on Fox 13

fiCFO Welcomes State of Florida’s CFO, Alex Sink, as Keynote Presenter at Kick-Off Meeting.

Tampa, FL, January 20, 2009 -- Florida Institute of Chief Financial Officers (fiCFO) has been creating a buzz throughout greater Tampa Bay. Now, it has announced its kick-off meeting and membership launch. On February 13, 2009, CFO Alex Sink will welcome fiCFO members as the keynote presenter at fiCFO’s inaugural meeting.

Ms. Sink will be discussing Florida’s plans to benefit from federal efforts to revitalize the financial industry and restore economic growth AND the CFO role in the current economic downturn. CFO Sink’s address will provide timely information that will enlighten and empower Tampa Bay CFOs. Attendance at the kick-off event is “by invitation only” to CFOs of companies in greater Tampa Bay with annual revenues in excess of $50M. Others in attendance will include member recommended and Board approved fiCFO sponsors. fiCFO sponsors secured through July 2010 are Aon, Bank of America, Bowne, Ernst & Young, Hill Ward Henderson, Passport Health of Tampa Bay, and Taylor White. 

We are energized and sincerely grateful that CFO Sink accepted our invitation,” said Wally Ruiz, CFO SRI Surgical. “I’m excited for the formation of this new organization to serve CFOs. Based on fiCFO’s membership maximum capacity of 40 CFO only members, and assuming each member has 20 or more years of finance and accounting experience, this organization will have a significant reserve of combined education and real life work experience. This kind of intense knowledge is likely Florida’s most powerful tool in CFOs coaching each other. Without doubt, fiCFO will make a positive impact on the responsibilities and challenges faced daily by our CFOs,” said Alex Sink, Florida’s CFO. Membership is limited to 40 members. Sponsorships are limited to seven industry exclusive companies.