Michael Finney and his commitment to our community
The passing of one of Miami’s driving forces in economic development.
This is the April 5, 2022 edition of the Opportunity Miami newsletter, which we send every Tuesday. Click here to subscribe to get our weekly updates in your inbox.
Since launching Opportunity Miami late last year a staple of the initiative has been our Tuesday newsletter exploring efforts pivotal to Miami’s economic future. But this week is different.
This week we honor our leader Michael A. Finney, President and CEO of Miami-Dade Beacon Council, who passed away Sunday. We are shocked and deeply saddened by his sudden death.
A statement was released by The Beacon Council on Mike’s unexpected passing, calling him an “incredible human being — thoughtful, humble, passionately committed to his family and to his community” who “was a visionary leader and bridge-builder that championed collaboration and inspired action.” You can read the statement in full here.
It’s a sentiment that’s been shared again and again across Miami as people learned of his untimely passing. The Miami Herald’s obituary saluted Mike as an “intellectual giant.”
Speaking Monday at Miami Dade College’s Eduardo J. Padrón Campus in Little Havana, MDC President Madeline Pumariaga asked for a moment of silence and said “we are driving economic development [in Miami] because of his leadership.”
Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, speaking at the same event, recalled “my friend Mike Finney.” They spent last week together in Israel, as part of a Miami-Dade trade delegation. “It’s beyond belief really,” she said, reflecting on Mike’s passing.
He brought “every bit of energy, every bit of passion, every bit of hope that could possibly be,” the mayor said. “And we know that we are all the better for it, and that his legacy will live through his great work and values.”
Mike arrived in Miami to lead The Beacon Council in 2017 after a long and distinguished career in economic development in Michigan. This included the role as President and CEO of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation.
Under his leadership, The Beacon Council posted new records for annual job growth. But in addition to the core work of attracting companies and helping them expand, Mike sought to lift up underserved communities and small businesses by launching the Miami Community Ventures and Small Business Xcelerator programs.
Mike was willing to blaze new trails. We saw it again last year when we launched a reimagination of One Community One Goal, the community-wide initiative led by The Beacon Council that focused on envisioning and helping shape Greater Miami’s long-term economic future.
The review resulted in a raft of changes last November, including a new name — Opportunity Miami; new areas of focus that we think will define Miami’s future; and a new strategy on how to carry out the work (background on the effort here). For some, it might have been too much of a departure. But Mike never wavered, championing the effort with his pioneering spirit, open mind and quiet, steadfast determination.
Opportunity Miami is just getting started. We are so sad Mike will not be here to guide and shape its growth. But we will be forever grateful for his willingness to give this new effort a shot, and we will work every day to make him proud.
Rest in peace, Mike, we will miss you.
Matt Haggman
Opportunity Miami
@matthaggman
P.S. Arrangements are still being made and we will share details as they become available. Follow @beaconcouncil social channels for the latest. Any communication or condolences for the Finney family can also be sent to the Miami-Dade Beacon Council offices at 80 SW 8th St., Suite 2400, Miami, Florida 33130.
