"Barbra Hernández, APR, CPRC, is the Communications Director for Pinellas County government, where she has overseen strategic communications, media relations, and audiovisual/broadcasting production since 2016. She has nearly two decades of communications experience in the private and public sectors, creating award-winning campaigns and products that empower audiences and build trust. She is her organization’s senior communications advisor and serves on the Executive Leadership Team. Hernández is a former journalist and editor with the New York Times Regional Media Group, and is a certified public relations counselor through the Florida Public Relations Association. She has a master’s degree from Syracuse University and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Puerto Rico. Prior to her government communications career, Hernández served as a park ranger in the historic castles of Old San Juan, the Caribbean city that conquered centuries of pirate attacks."