Staff Reports
Courtney Coppola has been promoted to be the Department of Health’s Chief of Staff, Secretary and state Surgeon General Dr. Scott Rivkees announced Thursday.
Coppola also will be the department’s Marijuana Coordinator, he said.
Alberto Moscoso is now Communications Director, Emerson George is Deputy Communications Director and Andrew Love is Legislative Planning Director, Rivkees added.
“I am excited to bring aboard such a dedicated group of professionals to assist in accomplishing the Department’s mission,” Rivkees said in a statement.
“I am confident that they will work hard to improve the health of all people in Florida while leveraging their years of experience to help lead the Department’s staff through the upcoming legislative session and beyond.”
Here’s more from the Department’s press release:
As Marijuana Coordinator, Coppola is responsible for overseeing and coordinating Florida’s medical marijuana program and emerging marijuana issues in the state. She most recently served as Director of the Office of Medical Marijuana Use and has been on the forefront of developing, implementing and educating on the processes and rules governing Florida’s medical marijuana program since joining the Department of Health as the Statewide Coordinator for the Office of Compassionate Use in September 2015.
Moscoso previously served as Communications Director for the Division of Emergency Management, where he managed the State Emergency Response Team’s communications efforts during dozens of emergency events, including Hurricanes Irma and Michael. He also was Press Secretary for the Florida Department of Corrections and a former Army Aviator.
George previously served as Communications Director for several members of Congress, including Congressman John Rutherford and Congressman Gregg Harper. A veteran political communicator with an emphasis on crisis management and rapid response, he has also worked on several political campaigns.
Love most recently worked as a consultant for Southlake Solutions, where he represented his clients’ interests for a variety of legislative and non-legislative issues. Before working at Southlake, Love was Legislative Affairs Director for Florida Citrus Mutual.
Love also has prior experience in the health policy field due to his previous service with the Department as a senior legislative analyst. In that role, he worked closely with all the Department’s program areas while pursuing its legislative priorities.
