Economic Development - Richard B. "Rick" Dodge, 53, takes over this month as Pinellas County economic development director, a new post. In 20 years working for the city of St. Petersburg, Dodge led the 10-year effort to land a major league baseball team and was instrumental in attracting the Salvador Dali Museum.
Education - Holland & Knight partner Steven J. Uhlfelder was elected chairman of the Florida Board of Regents, the 14-member panel that oversees the state university system. He has been on the board since 1994. Uhlfelder, 51, served as special counsel to former Gov. Reubin Askew, general counsel of the Department of Community Affairs and executive director of the state's first Constitutional Revision Commission in 1978.
Insurance - Jacksonville's American Heritage Life Investment has shuffled its senior executives. Eleven-year company veteran C. Richard Morehead, 50, replaces Chris Verlander as president and COO of the holding and insurance companies. Morehead was executive vice president, treasurer and chief financial officer. Verlander, 49, son of retired company co-founder Ash Verlander, becomes vice chairman. T. O'Neal Douglas remains as chairman and CEO.
Manufacturing - Tupperware, the Orlando maker of plastic food storage containers, promoted E.V. Goings, 51, to chairman and CEO. He takes over this month from Warren Batts, 65, who is retiring. Goings joined Tupperware as president in 1992. He previously was president of Avon Germany and Avon U.S.A.
Breed Technologies, the Lakeland-based maker of airbags and other auto safety systems, tapped Frank J. Gnisci as executive vice president and CFO. Gnisci, 47, joins Breed from Terex Corp., a manufacturer of trucks and mobile cranes. He replaces Edward McFadden, who left in June.
Marketing - Virginia "Ginger" Watters, 44, was named executive vice president at Fahlgren Inc., the marketing communications firm that manages the $17 million State of Florida tourism account. Watters, based in Tampa, joined Fahlgren in 1994. She previously directed advertising and cooperative marketing for Walt Disney Attractions.
Pharmaceuticals - Ivax Corp. quickly tapped David R. Bethune as president and COO to replace Robert C. Strauss, who resigned after less than six months with the generic drug maker. Strauss, the former high-profile chairman and CEO of Miami medical products maker Cordis Corp., joined Ivax in March. Bethune, 56, has spent 32 years in the pharmaceutical industry, including three years as group vice president for American Cyanamid.
Retail - Office Depot filled a two-year vacancy when it named John C. Macatee, 46, as president and COO. He replaces Mark Begelman, who left the Delray Beach-based office products retail chain in May 1995. Macatee previously was president of Sherwin Williams Paint Stores Group.
Services - Fort Lauderdale's Interim Services, the giant temporary staffing company, promoted Robert Livonius to executive vice president and COO, responsible for all North American field operations. Livonius, 49, joined Interim in 1991 after a series of executive posts at NYNEX and IBM.
Transportation - Pan American World Airways, led by Martin R. Shugrue Jr., recruited James W. Arpey as COO. Arpey, 64, has spent 34 years in the airline industry, serving in senior executive posts with TWA, Continental and Frontier Airlines, among others.
Gov. Lawton Chiles appointed Thomas F. Barry Jr. as secretary of the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT). He replaces Ben Watts, who stepped down in July after eight years in the post. Barry, 41, has been FDOT's assistant secretary for finance and administration since 1992.
Ryder International promoted Laura L. Kozloski, 34, to director for strategic development, with responsibility for business planning, joint ventures and alliances. Before joining Ryder in 1995, she was a professor of international business and economics at Barry University in Miami.
-Lisa Leith