Chad McLeod is a Lakeland City Commissioner who began his first term on the commission in 2020. He is a Polk County native and 4th-generation Floridian.
In his role as a commissioner, Chad serves on multiple committees and councils, including the Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) Advisory Board, Affordable Housing Advisory Committee, Central Florida Regional Planning Council and Polk Transportation Planning Organization. A fluent Spanish speaker who lived in Venezuela in college, Chad is also the commission’s representative to the Mayor’s Hispanic Advisory Council. He developed a passion for public service and policy while working on the staff of U.S. Senator Mel Martinez from 2005 to 2010.
Chad spent nearly 10 years as an entrepreneur and small business owner, running a Lakeland-based PR and communications consulting firm that worked with clients ranging from Fortune 500 brands to local nonprofits. In 2022, he joined the communications team for Compassion International, a global child development nonprofit, where he overseeas internal communications for Latin America and the Caribbean region.
Chad and his wife, Erin, are both graduates of the University of Florida. They have three children, Samuel, Charlee and Asher. They are 
members of Trinity Presbyterian Church and are licensed foster parents. He coaches his son’s soccer team at Swan City Soccer, is an avid runner, and loves running the streets of Lakeland and spending time outdoors.