A changing of the guard is officially underway for two of Lakeland’s primary economic engines. Christin Strawbridge, the current president of the Catapult incubator, has been selected to succeed longtime Lakeland Economic Development Council (LEDC) President Steve Scruggs.
Here is how the transition is structured:
The LEDC Transition
- The Successor: Strawbridge will initially step in as the LEDC’s executive vice president.
- The Handover: She will have a period of overlap with Scruggs, who has led the organization since 1987. While there isn’t a firm date for the final switch, Scruggs is expected to move into an advisory role before the end of the year, with his contract running through 2027.
- The Context: This marks the LEDC’s second recent attempt at succession planning, coming about 14 months after a previous plan involving former senior vice president Katie Worthington Decker fell through. The board is framing this move as a structured, internal transition.
Changes at Catapult
- The New President: With Strawbridge moving to the LEDC, Catapult Operations Director Brett Chamberlain will take over as president of the incubator starting June 1.
- Organizational Independence: The LEDC originally established Catapult as a nonprofit in 2014, but they are now an independent organization. Under Strawbridge’s leadership, Catapult expanded from a coworking space into a broader economic driver offering makerspaces, commercial kitchens, and business support.
Strawbridge noted that her move isn’t a philosophical shift, but a matter of scale. While Catapult helps startups hire their first employees or open a storefront, the LEDC focuses on helping companies expand to Lakeland and add hundreds of jobs
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