Senior Advisory Trustees

AUDREA ANDERSON

Audrea Anderson, Associate Vice President for Community Relations and Marketing at Florida Gulf Coast University, has served on the Community Foundation’s Board of Trustees since 1997.

In 1993, Audrea was appointed to the State University System Board of Regents by then Gov. Lawton Chiles. She served on the Board throughout the groundbreaking, the building, the opening and the accreditation of Florida Gulf Coast University. She chaired the Board of Regents committee to select the second president of Florida Gulf Coast University. Her term on the Board of Regents ended in 1999.

With a bachelor’s degree in English from Allen University in Columbia, South Carolina and a master’s degree from Miami University in Ohio, Audrea has spent her professional career promoting higher education as an instructor and as an administrator.

In addition to her service with the Community Foundation’s Board of Trustees, Audrea is a board member of the Dunbar Improvement Association, a life member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., and attends Trinity United Methodist church where she chairs the Pastor Parish Relations Committee and is a member of the statewide Episcopacy Committee.
She and her late husband, Circuit Judge Isaac Anderson, Jr., have two grown sons.

SUSAN BENNETT
 

Susan Bennett is the president and owner of Susan Bennett Marketing & Media, a full-service marketing and public relations firm, specializing in non-profit, health care, and governmental agencies.  Susan offers more than 35 years experience in marketing, public relations, and fund-raising.  She also serves her community as a member of the Board of Trustees of the Southwest Florida Community Foundation, where she has held positions of Chair, vice Chair and Secretary-Treasurer as well.  
 
Susan opened her company in 1991, after attaining more than 25 years experience in marketing, primarily with Gannett Co., where she was marketing director of TheNews-Press and served on the launch team ofUSA TODAY in its first 15 markets around the country.  Among her responsibilities was orchestrating the USATODAY launch party on the White House lawn for 8,000 guests including the President of the United States.   
 
She is one of the most honored public relations professionals in Florida, having earned more than 180 regional and national awards for her work, including the state’s highest award -- the All-Florida Golden Image Award for the best public relations campaign in Florida.  She also is the recipient of a bronze award from the International Film and Television Festival of New York, numerous Addy Awards and more than 150 awards from the Florida Public Relations Association. She received special recognition from former Presidents Ronald Reagan and Jimmy Carter, as well as Sen. Bob Graham when he was governor of Florida, for her nationwide newspaper campaign to free the American hostages held in Iran.
 
Susan is an accredited public relations professional (APR) and a certified public relations counselor (CPRC), both from the Florida Public Relations Association.  She also has been recognized as Southwest Florida’s PR Professional of the Year and is a member of the FPRA Counselors’ Network, which consists of the state’s most experienced professionals.
 
Susan has earned both a Bachelor of Science degree in journalism and a Master of Arts degree in mass communications from the University of Florida in Gainesville. She also is certified in Government and Foundation Grant Writing from Nova University and is a registered fund-raising consultant with the State of Florida.
 
Along with her diligent work for the Foundation, Susan has volunteered her time and talents to other community-based organizations, such as board member of the Southwest Florida Chapter of the Florida Public Relations Association, president of the Gulf Coast Society of Fund-Raising Executives, treasurer of United Way’s BoardWALK, secretary of the Health Education Center of Southwest Florida, Community Advisory Board of the Junior League of Fort Myers, Community Coordinating Council, and board member of the Greater Fort Myers Chamber of Commerce. 
 

 

JOSEPH CATTI
 

Joe Catti has been extensively involved in the Lee County community since he moved to this area in 1992. A native of Miami, he graduated from Florida International University with a Bachelors degree and a major in finance.

He has served on the Board of Trustees of the Southwest Florida Community Foundation since 1999. Besides working with the Foundation, his abilities as a fund raiser found him as the recipient of the Lee County Philanthropist of the Year Award in 2005. Other organizations and Board of Director positions that have benefited from Joe Catti’s expertise are: Chairman of the Florida Gulf Coast University Foundation, Immediate past Chairman and current Executive and Finance Committee, member of the Lee Memorial Health System Foundation, Lee County Public Education Foundation Board of Director, Hope Hospice Board, Salvation Army, Finance Committee Chairperson of the Edison Ford Winter Estates Foundation, United Way, and Stetson University Family Office School. 

Presently, Joe is the President/CEO of FineMark National Bank and Trust Company. 
 

ROBERT DA FROTA
 

Bob is native of Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil. He first came to the United States in 1969 to further his education at The Pennsylvania State University, where he graduated with a degree in Business Administration and obtained his MBA.

In 1981, Bob moved to Fort Myers, Florida, where he worked in accounting for a local corporation until he opened his own consulting firm, Management Accounting, and became involved with insurance and investments as a registered representative with major brokerage companies and a member of the National Association of Securities Dealers. Presently, Bob is President and Owner of RDF Financial Services, which he established in 1995 as an independent, full-service, financial consulting organization.
 
As he served individuals and the business community in Southwest Florida and worked with a wide range of clients, Bob became active in various civic, community and professional organizations and applied for American citizenship in 1991.
 
Along with serving on the Southwest Florida Community Foundation Board of Trustees since 1999, he has shown leadership and community service as President of the Southwest Florida Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, President of the Institute of Management Accountants, News-Press Editorial Board, Business Leader Advisory Group to County Commissioners, Voting member to the Horizon Council Lee County, Leadership Lee County, and Cub Master for the Boy Scouts of America. 

GUY S. EMERICH

A native of New York state, Guy Emerich was a First Lieutenant in the U.S. Army, attended the University of Florida, where he received his Bachelor of Arts Degree and a Juris Doctor degree with honors and then graduated from the University of Miami with a Master of Laws degree in estate planning.

Before establishing himself with a law firm, Guy served as an editor of the University of Florida Law Review and as an assistant professor of law. In 1971, he joined the law firm of Farr, Farr, Emerich, Sifrit, Hacket and Carr, P.A., Charlotte County’s largest law firm, where he has served as President and Managing Director.

Along with serving as a Board of Trustee for the Southwest Florida Community Foundation since 2000, Guy Emerich has been active in the Charlotte County Estate Planning Council and conducts lectures and seminars on estate planning. Other voluntary positions he has held are past President of the Charlotte County Mental Health Services and currently serves as a Director of Endowment Trust for the Charlotte County Art Guild.

He is Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Wills, Trusts and Estate and is a member of the American Bar Association and The Charlotte County Bar Association, for which he has served as president. Presently, he is the Chairman of the Estate and Trust Tax Planning Committee of the Real Property, Probate, and Trust Section of the Florida Bar and a member of the Executive Council of the Real Property, Probate and Trust Section of the Florida Bar. Twice, Guy has been named one of Florida’s Legal Elite, which is a distinguished group selected by one's peers, honoring only two percent of the state's lawyers.

Guy and his wife, Annette, live and have raised their two children in the Punta Gorda and Port Charlotte areas of Florida.

M. WILLIAM FREY, Ph.D

Bill Frey has been a resident of Sanibel since 1973, and his history reflects strong civic accomplishments in past and present, all of which have been an asset to the Southwest Florida Community Foundation. Bill has been on the Board of Trustees since 1996 and is a past Chair and now a Senior Advisor. He played a significant role in the formation of its division, the Good Neighbor Community Foundation of Sanibel-Captiva of which he did serve as a member

Initially, Bill graduated from Penn State and the University of Connecticut with his Bachelor of Science and Masters, respectively, and then went on to Pennsylvania State University for his Ph.D. in business and economics. He taught graduate economics at Penn State and the University of Massachusetts and became interested in home building when assisting a former student. A career change and a move to Sanibel to found Sanibel Homes, which eventually became known as America’s First Home, was the first of many building and development ventures he has undertaken.

He has been a very active voice in his community’s growth as a member of the Below Market Rate Housing Committee on Sanibel, the city’s Code Enforcement Committee, and he served as president of the Sanibel-Captiva Chamber of Commerce, and the Advisory Board of Northern Trust of Lee County.

The Sanibel Community Church, where he attends, has an important role in Bill’s schedule; and he has also served as Chairman of the Board of the Island Theater Wing (Pirate’s Playhouse) and was on the founding board of the J.N. “Ding” Darling Wildlife Center Bookstore and on the Board of the Sanibel Shell Museum.

Spending time with his wife, Lorraine, three successful sons: Eric Frey, Ph.D., Roger Frey, M.D., and Barry Frey, President of America’s First Home, is a priority for Bill.

CHRIS A. GAIR

Being one of the most respected trust professionals in Southwest Florida for over thirty years and having a broad network of professional relationships within the community, allowed Chris Gair the skills needed to serve as Chair of the Board of the Southwest Florida Community Foundation from 2005-2007. He has also served the Foundation since 1992 in many other positions.

With a BSA in economics from Ohio University, Chris served in the U.S. military for two years and began his trust career at Cape Coral Bank and Trust Company, which later became SunTrust Bank. He remained with SunTrust for thirty-one years, during which time he graduated from the ABA National Graduate Trust School CTFA and the Florida Trust School. Presently, Chris is Executive Vice President and Senior Trust Officer with the Investors’ Security Trust Company.

Over the years, Chris has been actively involved as a lay person representative of the National Board of Directors for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. During the mid 1980’s, he spearheaded the effort to establish public television in Southwest Florida through legislation and numerous fundraising events and has actively participated by appearing and hosting a PR series on Florida estate planning aired locally.

Chris resides in Fort Myers with his wife, Barbara; they are the parents of son, Derek.

SAM GALLOWAY, JR

Sam Galloway, Jr., his various car dealerships and his good reputation are well known in the Lee County area and across the state. As President of the Galloway Family of Dealerships, he heads one of the oldest and most respected organizations in this area, which was started by his father in 1927. Sam has been honored for his work by being nominated to the Ford Motor Company’s Salute to Dealers Program.

His affiliation with the Southwest Florida Community Foundation began in 1992 as a Trustee, where he served as Vice President and President of the Board and now is a Senior Advisor.

As a Fort Myers native and graduate of Fort Myers High School, Sam Galloway puts back into his community by working for numerous charitable causes and with many civic organizations. He is particularly interested in those that promote harmony and goodwill within the community, businesses and the government.

Besides the Foundation, other non-profits that have benefited from his know-how and skills are:

• President of Edison-Ford Winter Estates Foundation
• Past President Edison Festival of Light
• Community Cooperative Ministries – The Soup Kitchen
• Salvation Army Board
• American Cancer Society
• Lee County Sheriff’s Office “Walkie-Talkie” Walk
• Holiday Sing-a-Long

Sam Galloway received Southwest Florida’s First Altruist of the Year Award in 2000 given by Lee Interfaith Volunteer Caregivers for service to his community.

FRANCIS L. HOWINGTON, M.D.

Lee Howington became involved with the Southwest Florida Community Foundation in 1984 as a Trustee; and since that time, has seen the Foundation grow and develop from less than $3 million to the present $50 million. Being the only physician on the Board, has brought a different point of view, input and ideas to the various committees he has volunteered on. Most recently, he has been a part of the Scholarship Committee and has assisted in interviewing prospective candidates.

A Florida native from Daytona Beach, Lee was in the military for three years before receiving his graduate and postgraduate education at the University of Florida. He went on to go into private practice specializing in obstetrics and gynecology in the Fort Myers area until he retired in 2000.

Presently, Lee works as a part-time Veterans Administration Physician and is actively involved with community charitable organizations.

Lee and his wife, Connie, enjoy traveling to visit children, grandchildren and long-time friends and family.

DONNA KAYE
 

Donna has been a resident of Fort Myers, Florida, since 1970, and became a member of the Southwest Florida Board of Trustees in 1999. She has served as Secretary-Treasurer of the Board, Vice Chair and as Chair of the Board. In addition, she enthusiastically serves as the Chair of the Grantmaking and Community Leadership Committee.
 
Active in civic affairs, Donna has been Treasurer of the Nature Center, President of Capital Investors, and a board member of the Edison Community College Foundation, and the Imaginarium. Presently, she is the Treasurer of the Fort Myers Community Concert Association.
 
For years, Donna and her husband, Bob, were owners and operators of a commercial printing company in Fort Myers, where they printed color brochures, magazines, newsletters, and annual reports for large businesses. The Kayes also owned and published HOMES Magazine, the first real estate magazine of its kind in Lee County. 

MELVIN MORGAN

Though she has retired as an educator in the Lee County School District, Melvin continues to give of her time and talents to help others and spends time involved with her church, Mt. Olive African Methodist Episcopal Church, and as a Trustee on the Board of the Southwest Florida Community Foundation. Melvin joined the Board in 1992 and has held positions as Secretary-Treasurer and Vice Chair while serving on various committees. As a teacher, she has been most involved with the Scholarship Committee in awarding scholarships to deserving students.

Mrs. Morgan is a Fort Myers, Florida, native attending Dunbar High School where she was Class President and Class Salutatorian. Then, she graduated with honors Summa Cum Laude from Allen University with her BS degree and went on to get her Masters degree in education from Florida A & M again graduating as an honor student and Kappa Delta Pi. Her teaching career began in South Carolina and then Oklahoma as a physical education teacher until she moved back to Lee County where she later became a school teacher/social worker in that district.

She has been a strong presence in the community and served as the first and only black Lee County Commissioner. Many others organizations have been associated with her over the years, including the Opti-Mars of the Florida District as their President, as a Board member of the Edison Ford Estates Foundation, Juvenile Justice Board, Children’s Services Council, Executive Board of the Southwest Florida Council of Boy Scouts, Southwest Florida Symphony, United Way of Lee County, Drug Free Lee County, Private Industry Council, Florida Committee on Aging, and numerous others.

Numerous prestigious awards have been presented to Melvin, some of the more notable are:

• Kappa Alpha Psi Humanitarian Service Award and Community Service Award
• Ida S. Baker Minority Educator of the Year
• American Legion Community Service Award
• School Social Worker of the Year
• Private Industry Council Award
• Zonta Club Woman of Achievement Award
• Lee County Woman of the Year—Fort Myers Junior Woman’s Club

Melvin and her husband Frederick are the proud parents of two children: Frederick II and Felicia.

JIM NATHAN

Jim Nathan has been affiliated with Lee Memorial Health System as President from 1982 through 1997 and again as President and Chief Executive Officer since 2000. He initially joined Lee Memorial in 1975 and has been instrumental in its emergence as a health system serving southwest Florida including five acute care hospitals, a rehab hospital, a children’s hospital, a skilled nursing system, a home health agency, as well as multiple physician practices and various outpatient services. Under his leadership, Lee Memorial has received many national recognitions and awards.

The Southwest Florida Community Foundation asked Jim Nathan to join their Board in 1984; and since that time, he has served as President and Vice President of the Board of Trustees and has been a vital member of numerous committees. Presently, he is a member of the Executive Committee and Chairs the Governance Committee.

Along with volunteering at the Community Foundation, Jim is chairman of the Florida Hospital Association, immediate past chair of the Safety Net Hospital Alliance of Florida, and a Fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives. He has given his time to serving on the Boards of Voluntary Hospitals of America—Southeast Regional Partnership, Florida Gulf Coast University Foundation, Foundation for Lee County Public Schools, Southwest Florida Branch of the American Heart Association, and the Southwest Florida Branch of the American Red Cross. He was instrumental in founding the Coalition for a Drug-Free Southwest Florida and has been active as Campaign Chairman and President of the United Way of Lee County.

Jim spent nearly three years away from Lee Memorial as a leadership consultant and served multiple times as a national keynote speaker on the nation’s health care system. He also testified before the U.S. Senate on issues related to health care competition and antitrust.

He graduated from Miami University with a Bachelors Degree in Business Administration and holds Masters Degrees in both Business Administration and Health Care Administration from Xavier University. An Honorary Doctorate in Healthcare Administration was presented to Jim for his years of service to the community by Southwest Florida College.

WILLIAM T. PRATHER

Will Prather is the Executive Producer and Owner of the largest chain of dinner theaters in the United States. The Prather Family Theaters include the Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre in Fort Myers, Florida; The Dutch Apple Dinner Theatre in Lancaster, Pennsylvania; and the Broadway Palm West Theatre in Mesa, Arizona.

A native of Pennsylvania, Will attended the School of Hotel Administration at Cornell University and was active in Hotel Ezra Cornell, a student-operated hotel, and Alpha Delta Phi and graduated in 1991. After graduation, he spent a year working as a restaurant manager for the Harvey Hotel Company in Dallas, Texas, and then returned to the Dutch Apple Theatre as Food and Beverage Director and eventually took over running the company from his parents. In 1993, Will opened the Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre in Fort Myers, which remains the corporate headquarters for his operation.

Will lists family, business and volunteering as the important parts of his life. Joining the Southwest Florida Community Foundation Board in 1998, Will also believes in giving back to the community. The dinner theater is often the site for numerous non-profit organizations to hold functions, among them the Scholarship Awards Banquet for the Community Foundation.

Though he is often traveling between theaters, Will still remains community conscious and has been involved in the Lee County Alliance of the Arts as past President, the Board of Directors for the Leukemia Society, the YMCA of Fort Myers, the Lee County AIDS Task Force, the Greater Fort Myers Chamber of Commerce, the Executive Board of Candlelighters of Southwest Florida, and on the Executive Committee of the Edison-Ford Winter Estates Foundation. Other organizations he has served on are the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life, the selection committee for the Golden Apple Teacher, the Tourist Development Council, the Children’s Hospital Development Board, and he is an active Rotarian. Will has been the recipient of the Clara Barton Humanitarian Award presented by the Red Cross of Lee County, and The City of Fort Myers presented the theater with the prestigious Horizon Award in 2000 for its role in economic development.

Will has a strong commitment to community involvement in Southwest Florida and makes his home here along with his wife, Andrea, and son.

DAVID G. ROBINSON, Ph.D.

As one of the earliest members of the Southwest Florida Community Foundation in 1977, David has served on many committees and as Vice President and President of the Board as well. Presently, he has taken the position of Senior Advisor to the Board.

Born in Chicago, Illinois, David’s education began at Wilson Junior College and then onto Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, Illinois, for his Bachelor of Science degree. He attended Indiana University for his Master’s Degree and received his Ph.D. in Administration of Higher Education from Florida State University in Tallahassee.

With his experience in education, Dr. Robinson has worked in various positions beginning as a residence counselor at Indiana University and on the staff as Dean of Men at Florida State University then as Director of the evening division at Manatee Junior College. During these years, he was proud to be honored as the first recipient of the Kellogg Fellowship in Junior College Administration. When David and his family moved to Fort Myers, he was associated with Edison Junior College as Academic Dean and then was appointed President of Edison Community College at which he served for 26 years.

As a well known member of the community and academia, service to others has been an integral part of his career. He has served as President of the Boy Scout Council of Southwest Florida and has been active in his church and also chaired the Voluntary Leadership Development Program which is the sponsor of the Executive Leadership Program.

Other positions David was associated with are as Chairman of the Miami Branch of the Federal Reserve Board of Atlanta and President of the Florida Association of Colleges and Universities. During the years, he has spoken and written in the fields of development, ethics, and boardmanship.

David and his wife, Suzanne, are parents to three sons and three daughters.

JOHN W. SHEPPARD
Founding Father

John Sheppard was instrumental in founding the Southwest Florida Community Foundation along with a small group of civic leaders in 1976 and has been a trustee for almost 31 years, serving in the position of President twice and on many committees. Presently, he sits on the Executive Committee and lends his knowledge to many others. Along with being deeply involved with the Foundation at one time giving pro-bono counsel on everything from legal and financial issues to leadership and charitable intent, he is well-known in the community as a humanitarian who devotes his life to helping others.

John’s family roots in Florida go all the way back three generations to the 1880's. Born in Lee County, Florida, he attended Fort Myers High School and went on to the University of Florida in Gainesville to earn his bachelors and law degrees. After graduation, John served in the U.S. Army for two years and then joined his father and uncle in their downtown Fort Myers law firm where he became one of Southwest Florida’s foremost estate planning attorneys by completing Board Certification and Examination with First Class and becoming Board Certified by the Florida Bar Association in Estate Planning and Probate.

Over the years, while in private practice, his professional career saw him involved as President of the Lee County Bar Association and as Chairman of the Twentieth Judicial Circuit Judicial Nominating Commission, Chairman of the Twentieth Judicial Circuit Grievance Committee and a member of the Second District Court of Appeals Judicial Nominating Commissions as well as designated “A-V” (highest rating) by International Martindale Hubbell Law Directory, 1965-1992

Volunteering extensively for many, many years, John has been involved in these different roles and in receiving numerous awards:

• President, American Cancer Society
• President, Fort Myers Chamber of Commerce
• Elder and Chairman, Ministerial Relations Committee, First Presbyterian Church
• Elder at the Covenant Presbyterian Church
• Elder at the Pilgrims Church
• Adult Church School Teacher
• American Red Cross of Lee County Humanitarian Award in 2000
• Samaritan Lifeline Program at Covenant Presbyterian Church.
• Blood donor giving over 30 gallons since 1951

Writing and publishing books, has kept John busy since retiring, and he has also authored articles for the University of Florida Law Review, Florida Bar Journal. John and his wife, Ellen, are the parents of two sons: John Jr. (deceased); Andrew; and a daughter, Sandra; and six grandchildren, all located in the Fort Myers area.

J. TOM SMOOT, JR.
Founding Father

As early as 1969, J. Tom Smoot together with representatives of the three local banks with trust departments began the task of creating a community foundation for the Southwest Florida area. Because the I.R.S. regulations affecting community foundations had not been promulgated, the Foundation would not come into formal existence until 1976.

Born in Fort Myers, where he attended school and graduated from Fort Myers Senior High, Tom attended the University of Florida where he obtained his BSBA followed by a law degree. He returned to Fort Myers to begin his career in law.

Though practicing law full-time for 46 years, Tom served as one of the Foundation’s early Chairman; and he has been a director until 2008 when he moved to Senior Advisory status. Elsewhere in the Fort Myers area he has served in various capacities:

• Chamber of Commerce – Director and past president.
• Salvation Army Advisory Board member - past chairman and now life member.
• Edison Ford Winter Estates – board member and past chairman.
• Lee County Bar Association – past president.
• First United Methodist Church –
• Charles Edison Fund – Trustee

Now semi retired, Tom is “of Counsel” at his son’s law firm. He is the author of The Edisons of Fort Myers, Discoveries of the Heart and lectures on that subject at the Edison Ford Winter Estates and to other groups in the area.

Tom is the recipient of the John W. Sheppard Award for Selfless Dedication to Humanity, the American Red Cross Clara Barton Award and the Uncommon Friends Honorary Lifetime Member Award.

GENE SOLOMON
 

Gene Solomon has spent 35 years as a practicing C.P.A. with work in the areas of income, gift and estate tax along with working with clients preparing financial statements and related services. His expertise has led the Lee County Circuit Court to use him as an expert witness on cases involved in various types of litigation such as personal injury, job costing on construction of homes, and testifying as to Federal estate tax consequences of charitable bequests.
 
With a B.S. degree in Major Accountancy, Economics, from Stetson University in Deland, Florida, Gene went to Northwestern School of Law in Chicago, Illinois, for his J.D. Degree and began work in the tax department of Arthur Anderson and Company in Tampa, Florida. Later, upon moving to the Fort Myers area, Gene spent twelve years employed as a tax partner at Coopers and Lybrand and then formed his own company at which he still presides.
 
The Southwest Florida Community Foundation welcomed Gene and his financial knowledge when he joined the Board in 1982. Serving as Vice President and President of the Board and on many committees, his leadership has been invaluable. Gene now serves as a Senior Advisor.
 
Other organizations and Board positions where Gene has volunteered are: Edison Community College Foundation, Inc., American Institute of CPA’s, Florida Institute of CPA’s, Florida Bar Association, and Southwest Florida Estate Planning.