Candidate: Elberg Mike Gelin

Commissioner Gelin represents the City of Tamarac's District 2. He understands the importance of serving the community and has volunteered in a variety of capacities. Mike has represented Tamarac on the Community Involvement Roundtable of the Broward Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO), served on the City's Insurance Advisory Board, and graduated in the 2009 Class of Tamarac University. He is a past member of the Forum Club of the Palm Beaches, Florida’s premier non-partisan political and public affairs organization. In 2014, he was selected as a Fellow for the inaugural class of the New Leaders Council of Broward County, recognized as one of the nation’s top progressive young professionals training programs.

Mike currently serves on the board of directors of the Center for Independent Living of Broward County, which through its organizing and advocacy empowers people with disabilities to live independent lives; the Youth Survivors Foundation, a nonprofit that provides mentoring and scholarships; and the National Forum of Black Public Administrators (NFBPA), a professional membership organization dedicated to the advancement of Black leadership in the public sector and other educational services to the community. For years, he served on the board of directors of the Cooperative Feeding Program, a nonprofit organization focused on feeding the homeless and hungry in Broward County, and as a committee member for the Hanley Center Foundation’s Annual Family Picnic.

In addition to community service, Mike is involved in South Florida's business community and professional organizations. He is a member of the Broward League of Cities and the Tamarac North Lauderdale, Lauderhill, Haitian American, and Miramar Pembroke Pines Chambers of Commerce. He is also a member of the Broward Association of Health Underwriters. For many years, he was an active member of the Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance, the Miami Beacon Council and the Palm Beach Business Development Board.

Mike is a graduate of Morris Brown College. He studied abroad at the University of Ghana in West Africa, and the American InterContinental University in London, England. Since graduation, he has continued his professional education and training, earning multiple professional designations including the Certified Employee Benefit Specialist and the Group Benefits Associate from the International Society of Certified Employee Benefits Specialists and the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Mike is married with one son and has lived in Tamarac for 15 years. He enjoys reading, running in local 5K races, serving as a volunteer coach, and playing in recreational basketball leagues. He is a small business owner working as a Commercial Insurance Advisor and Employee Benefits Consultant and has been in business for six years.