40 Under 40 Awards: Circelli named Volusia-Flagler area 'Young Professional of the Year'

DAYTONA BEACH — Kristina Circelli, marketing director for Volusia Mall, has been named this year's "Young Professional of the Year" for the Volusia-Flagler area. She was presented with the award at The Daytona Beach News-Journal and LocaliQ's annual "40 Under 40" awards luncheon at the Ocean Center on Wednesday.

The event recognized 40 young professionals in Volusia and Flagler counties for their outstanding achievements, not only in their respective professions, but also as volunteers in efforts to make their community a better place to live and to do business.

Nominations were submitted by News-Journal readers. Eight of this year's 40 Under 40 honorees were selected to receive special awards, including the top honor of "Young Professional of the Year."

Employed by CBL & Associates Properties, Circelli serves as marketing director for the 1.1 million-square-foot Volusia Mall in Daytona Beach, the Volusia-Flagler area's largest shopping center, as well as The Pavilion at Port Orange and two other CBL-owned shopping centers. In 2021, she joined the CBL Community team, a group of CBL employees that encourages and celebrates diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging, not only among staff within her company, but also among tenants at its shopping centers. The initiative also actively works to attract minority-owned businesses to its centers.

As a community volunteer here in the Daytona Beach area, Circelli serves on the boards of Women United Volusia and its annual Power of the Purse initiative as well as the Volusia Young Professionals Group where she currently holds the title of East Chair. In addition, she is a member the Daytona Regional Chamber of Commerce's Wednesday Regional Business Connection Group where she served as the 2021 chair, helping to bring the networking group out of the pandemic by overseeing its transition from virtual to in-person meetings once again.

When she is not busy at her job or taking part in community volunteer efforts, Circelli is a published author who in December saw the publication of her 25th novel. She also runs an editing business on the side, helping others get their novels published.

Circelli was also recently honored by the Daytona Regional Chamber as the 2021 Volusia Young Professional of the Year.

The seven other special award winners were Danielle Garrett, an executive assistant to the vice president and general counsel at Brown & Brown and owner of Dee Party Girl LLC (Young Professional Civic Leader of the Year), Derrick Collins, program director of Mr. & Ms. Mentoring Inc. (Nonprofit Young Professional of the Year), Kristin Deaton, sales manager and mortgage loan originator at Guild Mortgage Company (Young Small Business Professional of the Year), Matthew Maniscalco, president of Page Insurance Agency (Young Private Sector Professional of the Year), Nina Hosseini, corporate director of customer care and amenity development at ICI Homes (Most Charitable Young Professional of the Year), Russ Owen, mayor of New Smyrna Beach (Young Local Government Official of the Year), and Taylor Westfall, sales manager and Realtor at Geri Westfall Real Estate (Young Professional Rising/Shining Star of the Year).

Greg Blose, president and CEO of the Palm Coast-Flagler Regional Chamber of Commerce, was the 40 Under 40 luncheon's keynote speaker. Blose is a past 40 Under 40/Rising Star honoree.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: 40 Under 40: Circelli wins Volusia 'Young Professional of Year'