Tatum Walker, 39

Tatum Walker has worked in government jobs in Lee County for two decades. In 2019, she moved to the county’s economic development office — months before COVID spread across the globe.

After business came to a standstill in the U.S., Walker was named Lee County’s federal programs operations manager. In that role she was responsible for the distribution of $32.5 million in economic recovery aid to Lee businesses. That included a variety of tasks, including creating a business plan to lead more than 100 staff members in distributing federal economic recovery funds. The county partnered with multiple organizations, from Florida Gulf Coast University to SCORE and the School District of Lee County, to accomplish the tasks. 

Photo by Mark Wemple