Joseph "Joe" Durso joined Pernod Ricard USA in the Fall of 2021. At Pernod Ricard, Joe advocates for organizational business interests' lawmakers and regulators. He is responsible for identifying emerging trends and engaging with stakeholders, at all levels of government, to drive industry-wide innovations, while also assessing policy threats, implementing crisis response strategies, and helping to create strategic industry policy positions. Before Pernod Ricard, Durso had a 17-year career at Embrace Families Inc., a national leader in child welfare and healthcare services. As Vice President of Public Affairs, Joe was instrumental in expanding the organization’s operations nationally, and in developing effective healthcare and social service policy at the local, state, and federal level.

In addition to his work at Embrace Families, Joe served as Longwood, Florida’s Mayor and District 2 City Commissioner from 2008-2017, becoming the youngest mayor in the city’s history. He was also a professor of political science at the University of Central Florida.

Joe graduated from Florida State University, earning undergraduate degrees in Political Science and Interdisciplinary Social Sciences. He was awarded a master’s degree in Political Management from George Washington University and an M.P.A. from the Harvard University - Kennedy School of Government.