Ilona has spent over 25 years driving economic development across Florida. She joined the Business Development team at the Miami-Dade Beacon Council in 2001, following five years at the Miami Downtown Development Authority, where she led efforts that grew downtown’s finance sector 52% and helped cement its “Wall Street South” brand — landing wins like iSquared Capital, MIAX, and Canaccord Genuity.
Before that, she spent 11 years at Enterprise Florida, where she helped generate over $120 million in expected export sales and recruited more than 200 foreign companies to establish Florida operations, referring over 1,000 FDI leads statewide.
Ilona is a Certified Economic Developer with a Master’s in International Affairs from Columbia University and a Bachelor’s from Villanova University. She’s fluent in Spanish and proficient in French and Portuguese.
How long have you been at the Beacon Council?
4 years
How long have you lived in Miami?
30+ years
Why Miami?
Summit of the Americas was what first brought me to Miami in December 1994.
What’s your favorite project that you have worked on at the Beacon Council?
MIAX
What’s your perfect Miami day?
Walking to work, meeting interesting people, and then going out for a sunset cruise on Biscayne Bay.
What do you imagine for Miami in the next decade?
Big things! We are outgrowing our Gateway to the Americas brand and becoming a global city center.