Above (L-R): Donna Dowless, Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer, Frank Billingsley, Pamela Schwartz, Roseanne Harrington. (Photo courtesy of the Orange County Regional History Center)
ORLANDO | The Orange County Regional History Center honored Frank Billingsley with the 2021 Donald A. Cheney Award. The annual honor recognizes the recipient’s dedication to preserving the long-lasting history of Central Florida.
Billingsley received the award at a Nov. 8 event that celebrated his retirement after working more than 30 years for the City of Orlando.
The History Center’s executive director, Pamela Schwartz, surprised Billingsley with the award as she praised him for his expertise in Orlando-area history and his enduring support for it.
“Whether knowing some historical fact about everything that comes up in conversation, or connecting us to donors, or showing up on my museum’s doorstep with a box of items he ‘thought might be worth saving,’ Frank has both made history for this community and championed its preservation,” Schwartz said.
Billingsley has held an impressive repertoire of titles he’s held throughout his time in Orlando. Even though he’s from Virginia and earned his degree in community development at Georgia State University, he moved to Central Florida in 1989 as a community and business information manager for the Greater Orlando Chamber of Commerce. Though Billingsley isn’t originally from the Orlando area, the work he’s put into bettering the community is shown through his efforts as the Director of Permitting Services and the Chief of Staff for over 10 years for Mayor Buddy Dyer.
Before his retirement, Billingsley served as the city’s first director of Placemaking and Competitiveness, the role incorporates economic development and quality of life betterness for the city of Orlando. Billingsley’s role allowed him to highlight the beauty and uniqueness of Central Florida through interactive events like live music events, art displays and even a pop-up park.
Jacob Stuart, the former GOCC president, finds Billingsley to be a perfect fit for the Donald A. Cheney Award. “He’s the most knowledgeable person I know about general and specific things in our community,” Stuart said.
