A.G. Gancarski
One of Jacksonville’s best young lobbyists is moving on to his next challenge.
Matt Brockelman, formerly of The Southern Group, is taking his talents to the banking and financial sector. Monday is his first day with VyStar Credit Union, which serves Northeast Florida and is expanding throughout the state.
Brockelman will enter VyStar already familiar with how to navigate the C-suite.
“Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end,” the new executive posted to Facebook. “Along those lines, I have an exciting life update to share: today, I start a new chapter in my professional career as I join VyStar Credit Union as its VP of Government Affairs.”
“I’ll be responsible for developing and implementing local, state, and federal lobbying efforts for the major credit union, which is already a household name regionally and soon will be nationally. I’m grateful to Brian Wolfburg and the leadership team for entrusting me to establish this new department for VyStar and its members, and I can’t wait to meet all my new coworkers and build an effective, top tier advocacy team for the financial institution,” Brockelman noted, before acknowledging the transition.
“It’s my first ‘first day’ in almost seven years, and words can’t express how thankful I am to The Southern Group for taking a flier on an idealistic politico then in his mid-twenties. I’ve had an incredible privilege to represent some of Jacksonville’s and Florida’s finest organizations while navigating politics with the best in the business, and I hope I’ve made a small impact in the process. I look forward to bringing all of these experiences in-house to VyStar and working hard every day to promote policies that help us effectively serve our community and our members,” Brockelman added.
Southern Group founder Paul Bradshaw extolled Brockelman in a statement.
“Matt’s been a great partner and friend, and he will be sorely missed. VyStar is lucky to get him, and I’m sure he’ll succeed there as he continues a career arc that is promising and almost limitless,” Bradshaw told Florida Politics.
This latest move continues a sterling career trajectory for the former University of North Florida student body president. He served in the Jacksonville Mayor’s Office as a staffer, then as a lobbyist for UNF, before beginning a strong run at The Southern Group.
