FRANCESCA “CESI” DE QUESADA COVEY is the chief innovation and economic development officer for Miami-Dade County and a recognized business development leader with experience in the federal government and private sectors. She began her career in finance and later served in the White House’s Office of Public Engagement. De Quesada Covey joined Facebook (Meta) in 2013 to help grow and scale products internationally, then left in 2021 to join a Miami-based venture capital firm and serve as Mayor Daniella Levine Cava’s technology advisor. In 2023, she joined Levine Cava’s administration and successfully secured a Tech Hub designation from the Department of Commerce in her first year. She now serves as the regional innovation officer for the quad-county initiative led by Miami-Dade County. The ClimateReady Tech Hub works with public, private, academic, and philanthropic partners to commercialize and deploy climate technology. De Quesada Covey received her bachelor’s degree from Columbia University and her master’s degree from Sciences-Po in Paris. She is the daughter of Cuban immigrants, and along with her husband and two daughters she proudly calls Miami-Dade home.
