Trustees

MARIE MALLORY ACKORD

Marie Ackord was born in Georgia, and her family moved to Daytona Beach, Florida when she was 4 years old. She graduated from Campbell Street High School as Valedictorian of her class and went on to Bethune-Cookman University where she received a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics. While at Bethune-Cookman, Marie was named to Who’s Who Among Students at American Universities and Colleges. She then received a Masters of Science degree in Administration and Supervision from Nova Southeastern University. Her career as a mathematics educator and district specialist extended over a period of 43 years (4 years in Collier County, 39 years in Lee County) until retirement from the school district in June 2003 and joined the SWFLCF Board in July 2009. Marie is a widow with one adult daughter, Monique Patrice Campbell.

As a charter member and charter president of the Fort Myers Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., Marie is presently serving as 1st Vice President. Since the chartering, she has served as president for five-1 year terms and two-4 year terms as well as secretary, treasurer and chairperson of several committees. Marie was instrumental in starting the chapter’s Delta Life Development Center which focused on assisting students in preparation for entering college. Presently, she serves as Secretary of the DLDC Board of Directors. Previously, she served on the Regional Leadership Team and was elected and appointed to national committees. Presently, she is the Primary Advisor of the Tau Sigma Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. at Florida Gulf Coast University.

Committee and organizations both civic and professional Marie has served on are:
Lee County Schools District Advisory Council, Fort Myers Middle Academy School Advisory Committee, Florida State Board of Clinical Social Workers, Marriage & Family Therapists, and Mental Health Counselors Probable Cause Chairperson, North Fort Myers High School-School Advisory Committee, Member of State Board of Clinical Social Workers, Marriage & Family Therapists, and Mental Health Counselors, Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Visitation Committee, Commissioner-Cape Coral Library Advisory Committee, Member-Lee County Arts in Public Places Board, Commissioner-Fort Myers Human Relations Commission, Life Member-National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, SWFLCF Founders Society, Phi Delta Kappa Educational Fraternity, St John First Missionary Baptist Church Board of Directors, Willing Workers Ministry, and Bethune-Cookman University Wildcat Boosters Club.

Marie has been the recipient of many awards:
Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. Service to Education Award; The Florida Deltas Epitome of Fortitude Award; Who’s Who Among American Teachers; Lee County Golden Apple Teacher of Distinction; Finalist-Lee County Golden Apple Award; Ida S. Baker Distinguished Educator Award (2nd & 3rd Place); Florida Department of Health-Exemplary Service Award; American Legion Post 192-Community Service Award; Certificate of Appreciation from Governor Bob Graham for Distinguished Service to the State of Florida; Who’s Who Among Black Americans; Mary McLeod Bethune Award of Contributions to Education in Lee County; Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc.-Lee County Minority Woman of the Year.

REP. GARY AUBUCHON

Serving on the Southwest Florida Community Foundation Board of Trustees since July, 2004, Gary Aubuchon brings much experience and community knowledge of the Cape Coral area to the Foundation.

His career began in real estate in 1984; and by 1992, Gary had entered into the building industry with his brother forming Aubuchon Homes, Inc. His reputation as an industry leader in customer satisfaction and design innovation has earned his company many awards, among them the Small Business of the Year in Cape Coral and Builder of the Year three times. As President of the Aubuchon Team of Companies, Gary oversees three other companies created for all aspects of home building.
Gary has participated in numerous organizations and serves on various committees, some of which are:

• 2003-2004 Chairman of the Cape Coral Community Redevelopment Agency
• Board Director – Community Bank of Cape Coral
• Lee Building Industry Association Board of Director
• Cape Coral Construction Industry Association Past President & Board of Director
• Horizon Council Board of Directors for CCCIA
• Chamber of Commerce of Cape Coral Past Chairman & Board Director
• Board of Directors of the Cape Coral Council for Progress
• Cape Coral Association of Realtors
• 1996 graduate of Leadership Cape Coral
• Lee County Republican Executive Committee, Board of Directors
• Lee Memorial Health Systems Foundation
• Community Foundation of Cape Coral
• American Red Cross of Lee County
• Ronald McDonald House
• Make-A-Wish Foundation
• Builders Care of Lee County
• Kids With Cancer, Southwest Florida Children’s Hospital

In 2003, the Lee County chapter of the American Red Cross awarded Gary with the "Humanitarian of the Year Award". In 2001, Gary received the honor of being a Riverside Bank Hometown Hero and the 2001 Cape Coral Chamber of Commerce Citizen of the Year.

Gary was elected to the House of Representatives District 74 in 2006 and serves as the Chair of the Committee on Roads, Bridges & Ports Policy Committee .
Gary has a Black Belt in Hayashi-Ha Karate and resides with his wife, Andrea, and daughters Julia, Jennifer and Madison.

ROY BORREGO, CFM

A native of Queens, New York, Roy has over 20 years of experience in the financial Services industry and has been with Merrill Lynch since July of 1999. Roy received his B.S. in Finance from the University of Florida, and his M.B.A. in Finance and Market from the University of South Florida.

Roy focuses on developing relationships with individuals and institutions, and translating the needs of these relationships into a comprehensive financial plan. He provides guidance to existing and prospective clients on Trust and investment services.

Roy has been a speaker for many estate planning and investment oriented seminars, and has various affiliations with community groups relating to government, civic and professional activities. He began serving on the Southwest Florida Community Foundation Board of Trustees in July, 2009.

DEBORAH "DEBI" BRAENDLE

Deborah M. Braendle, a retired executive of the Dow Chemical Company, is currently a consultant with Lyncx, LLC, a Management Consulting Firm located in Bonita Springs, Florida.  Lyncx offers consulting to small and mid-sized, or start-up organizations. She is also part owner of a family-owned pet care facility in Bonita.
 
Deborah began her career in 1974 at Hoffmann-La Roche, Inc., a global pharmaceutical company as Associate Employment Manager.  During her tenure with Roche, she was responsible for recruiting exempt and non-exempt applicants for various positions. 
 
In 1982, Deborah accepted the position of Personnel Manager for Essex Chemical Corporation which was purchased by the Dow Chemical Company in 1988. She was responsible for all aspects of human resources activities for multiple plant locations.  Her support included union and non-union activities.  Deborah was then promoted to Vice-President, Business Services, for Essex Specialty Products, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Dow.  She was responsible for Human Resources, Training, Public Relations, Customer Service, Facility Management, Purchasing/Material Logistics and Information Services at Essex. 
 
Since moving to Florida, Deborah has served on the Board of the Shelter for Abused Women and Children in Naples, past Chair of the Board of Directors of the Guadalupe Center in Immokalee, and is currently the Chair of the Board of the Bonita Springs Community Fund Advisory Board and a Trustee of the Southwest Florida Community Foundation.  She is also active in the Bonita Springs community in support of The Children’s Hospital and fundraising activities for Lamb of God Church.
 
Deborah has a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology and Community Psychology.

PATRICIA K. DOBBINS

Patricia Dobbins is the Administrator of the Health Departments in the rural counties of Hendry and Glades and joined the Southwest Florida Community Foundation Board in July 2009. Ms. Dobbins was appointed to this Leadership position after 18 years as the Executive Community Health Nursing Director.

Ms. Dobbins has practiced Professional Nursing for 35 years in a variety of settings. Her practice included working for the Veteran’s Administration; working at both urban and rural hospital settings; as a Nurse Educator for 15 years in a public school district and as an entrepreneur owning her own business.

Ms. Dobbins serves on numerous local, regional, and state boards/committees/task forces/coalitions as an advocate and voice for rural uninsured or underinsured, and rural health disparities. She has served in leadership roles for the Florida Association of Public Health Nurses (FAPHN), the Florida Public Health Association (FPHA), and has received a Public Health Nursing Leadership Award; she is an alumnus of the University of South Florida Public Health Leadership Institute, the Robert Wood Johnson Executive Nurse Fellows program, and the National Rural Health Association Fellows program. She has served as an Adjunct Professor at Florida Gulf Coast University and is on the School of Nursing’s Advisory Board. She is also a member of the Florida Rural Health Association; serves as a trustee for the SWF Community Foundation, serves on the Healthy Start Board, Hendry/Glades Mental Health Board, and the AHEC Board.

KEVIN L. ERWIN

Principal Ecologist CE PWS, President, Kevin L. Erwin Consulting Ecologist, Inc. Kevin is an internationally recognized wetlands ecology expert specializing in wetland restoration and management and has over the past four decades designed and implemented hundreds of wetland and watershed restorations. He has published and presented many papers concerning wetland ecology. His recent work has focused on wetland/watershed restoration and management to improve the functional capacity of wetlands including wildlife utilization of wetlands, improve source water protection and mitigate the impacts of climate change. A few of his publications include: Wetlands and Global Climate Change: The Role of Wetland Restoration in a Changing World (In Press), Wetland Creation and Restoration-The Status of the Science for the US Environmental Protection Agency; Wetland Mitigation in the South Florida Water Management District for the South Florida Water Management District; Evaluation of Constructed Wetlands on Phosphate mined lands in Florida for the Florida Institute of Phosphate Research; Wetland Restoration-Practical Guidelines for Successful Projects; Merging Management and Science-The Lee County Florida Coastal Planning Process. He has organized numerous international symposia and workshops on wetlands such as Wetland Restoration for the New Millennium at the Millennium Wetlands Conference in Quebec (2000) and Temperate Wetland Restoration in a Southern Ontario Watershed Context at the A.D. Latornell Conservation Symposium, November 2007. In 1996, he developed and continues to instruct a Temperate Wetland Restoration Training Course for a consortium of Canadian agencies.

His most recent projects include: acting as lead scientist for local governments in Southwest Florida in their efforts to restore and protect the headwaters of the Peace River ecosystem from phosphate mining; lead scientist on the Lehigh Headwaters Initiative, a mega-watershed restoration project encompassing over 100,000 acres in southwest Florida, lead scientist and director of the Ontario Headwaters Restoration Initiative, covering more than 1000 km² in southern Ontario, Canada; lead scientist on the Density Reduction-Groundwater Resource area study, a mega-watershed study encompassing 83,000 acres in southwest Florida; development and implementation of a Long Term Ecological Monitoring Plan for the Six Mile Cypress Slough and Watershed, the design and permitting of Florida Gulf Coast University, the restoration of Little Pine Island in the Charlotte Harbor estuary, the restoration of mangrove wetlands on Captiva Island destroyed by Hurricane Charley and the coordination of ecological assessments and coastal wetland restoration following the Indian Ocean tsunami for Wetlands International and its cooperating parties. Kevin also serves as a church growth specialist for International Cooperating Ministries in the Dominican Republic, Colombia and the Amazon basin of Brazil.

Kevin is certified by the Ecological Society of America as a Senior Ecologist and by the Society of Wetland Scientists as a Professional Wetland Scientist. He is the coordinator of Wetlands International’s Wetland Restoration Specialist Group, an Expert to Ramsar, serves on Wetland International’s Board of Directors representing the Americas and joined the Southwest Florida Community Foundation Board in July, 2008.

CRAIG FOLK

Craig Folk is a CPA and Shareholder in the firm Miller, Helms & Folk. He has a BS from Vanderbilt and an MBA from the University of Chicago. Craig has been in practice in Fort Myers for the past twenty-one years. Prior to joining Miller Helms & Folk, he practiced with Price Waterhouse Coopers in Fort Myers and Arthur Andersen in Miami. Craig has served on numerous boards in the past and is currently on the boards of The United Way of Lee County and The Harry Chapin Food Bank. 

JOHN GAMBA

A serial entrepreneur, John Gamba has founded, funded, managed and exited 5 Internet companies in his 20 year career. Trained at KPMG Peat Marwick as a management consultant, John later joined US Interactive (nasd: USIT) where he created e-commerce applications for Fortune 500 companies including Citigroup, Intel and Bank One. Later forming an Internet business incubator, John co-founded PACE - the Partnership for Academic and Community Excellence. PACE was a school-to-home telecommunications network that connected thousands of K-12 schools to millions of families in all 50 states. Less than eight years after its founding, PACE was purchased by NTI, Inc. and then sold to Blackboard, Inc. (nasd: BBBB) for $189 million.

A Board Member on several local foundations and charities including The Gamba Family Foundation and Catholic Charities, John is most active here locally as the Vice-Chairman of the Board of AFCAAM - an inner city education Program that provides intensive reading and mentoring services to K-12 students in the Dunbar and Harlem Heights Community of Fort Myers.

Married and a proud father of two boys, John is a competitive Ironman triathlete, industry speaker on social entrepreneurship and engaged in several K-12 educational reform initiatives. John is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania.

CHARLES “CHARLIE” GREEN

Charlie has worked for Lee County since 1984 and currently serves as the Clerk of the Circuit Court for Lee County.  Charlie is responsible for managing $1.5 billion in County investments and ensures all county expenditures are made according to law and policy.  He has been reelected to public office in Lee County without opposition six times.

Charlie was previously President of both the Florida Association of Court Clerks/Comptrollers (2001-2002) and Downtown Rotary Club of Fort Myers (1993-1994).  Charlie is a graduate of the University of Florida, with a degree in Journalism.

HON. ARCHIE B. HAYWARD, JR.  

A native of Fort Myers, Florida, Archie B. Hayward was educated in the Lee County schools—graduating in 1976 from North Fort Myers High School and later obtaining his Associate of Arts degree from Edison Community College. He went on to complete his Bachelor’s degree in 1980 at the University of Florida where he also was awarded the Juris Doctor in 1983.

Licensed by the Florida Bar since 1984, he was also admitted to practice before the United States District Court, Middle District of Florida. Since 2000, Archie Hayward has served as a staff attorney with Florida Rural Legal Service where he provided leadership for the Senior Advocacy Project. Prior to this appointment, he operated a solo practice for nine years where he handled court appointed criminal conflict cases for the County Court Administrator’s Office. From 1984-89, he worked with the Public Defenders Office of the 20th Judicial Circuit managing felony, juvenile, misdemeanor, and traffic. In addition to practicing law, Mr. Hayward occasionally serves as an adjunct paralegal instructor with Edison College where he is a member of the Paralegal Advisory Committee. Presently, he serves as a Judge for the Lee County Court.

Ever concerned with his local community, he has worked as a volunteer Child Support Hearing Officer for the County Court Administration Office of the 20th Judicial Circuit. In addition, he is a member and secretary to the Board of Trustees of the Alvin A. Dubin Alzheimer’s Resource Center and holds memberships in the Lee County Bar Association, Isaac Anderson Bar Association, and Downtown Rotary Club of Fort Myers Incorporated.

Most recently, he was a presenter for Florida Legal Service, Incorporated’s Health/Public Benefits Advocacy Skills Training Workshop. His presentation centered on effective representation for clients involved in a Medicaid hearing.

LARRY ALLEN HOBBS, MD, FACEP

Joining the Foundation Board in July 2009, Larry brings with him experience and knowledge received from the medical field since 1985. A native of Illinois, Larry attend the University of Miami-School of Medicine with his internal medicine internship at the Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, Florida. He was bestowed with the Lange Publications Award for outstanding achievement as a medical student. His residency in emergency medicine was at the University Hospital in Jacksonville, Florida. He is Board Certified in Emergency Medicine and is a Fellow American College of Emergency Physician member. Presently, Larry is with the Southwest Florida Regional Medical Center where he is an Emergency Physician.

Other professional areas Larry is or has been involved with are:

• Medical Director Emergency Department, Southwest Florida Regional Medical Center
• Medical Director Emergency Department, Gulf Coast Medical Center
• President of the southwest Florida Emergency Physicians, P.A.
• Managing Partner, UCC of SW Florida, LLC
• Board of Directors, Southwest Florida Regional Medical Center
• Medical Executive Committee, Southwest Florida Regional Medical Center
• Medical Executive Committee, Gulf Coast Medical Center

Larry has been affiliated with and is active in many membership organizations:

• Member of American College of Emergency Physicians
• Delegate to the American College of Emergency Physicians
• Member of the Florida College Emergency Physicians
• Board of Directors, FCEP. Also has served as President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer
• President and on the Board of Governors, Lee County Medical Society
• Member of the Florida Medical Association
• Vice Chair of the Medical Economics, FMA and served as a delegate

Larry is an accomplished musician with his own band and loves golf, boating and sailing with his wife, Debra, and three children, Angelina, Pierce and Spencer.

CHARLES K. IDELSON

When Charles joined the Board of Trustees of the Southwest Florida Community Foundation in 2003, he brought with him a wealth of banking and financial knowledge from his thirty-five years in the industry. Presently, he is also a member of the Finance Committee, which he has chaired in past years, and is Chair of the Audit Committee.

Charles is a graduate of the University of Georgia with a BA in Finance and Accounting and has his banking certificate from LSU Graduate School of Banking.

Among his community accomplishments, are the Golden Rule Finalist given by the J.C. Penney Volunteer Annual Awards; the Distinguished Leadership Award from Leadership Lee County, 1998 Man of the Year Award from Gulfshore Life Magazine; and in 2001, the Clara Barton Humanitarian Award presented by the American Red Cross.

Before joining Investors’ Security Trust as President and Chief Executive Officer, Charles was with the SunTrust Bank serving as Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer overseeing $1.5 billion in assets and 450 employees.

While banking is his main occupation, he has found time to be involved with his community in some of the following positions:

• Chairman, Habitat for Humanity of Lee County, Inc.
• Chairman, Florida Gulf Coast University Foundation
• Chairman, American Heart Walk 2002, Co-Chair of 2001 Heart Walk
• Director, American Heart Association
• Director Edison/Ford Winter Estates Foundation
• Director, and Past Chair, Public School Foundation for Lee County
• Director, Hope Hospice
• Director, YMCA
• Director, Boy Scouts of America
• Director, Kleist Health Education Foundation
• Past Chair, United Way of Lee County, Inc.
• Past Chair, Southwest Florida Chamber of Commerce
• And with many more organizations

HOWARD LELAND

Howard Leland has been a Vietnam War pilot, an international pilot for Northwest Airlines, and a trainer of new pilots. He currently serves as an Elder and Treasurer for the Church of the Cross in Fort Myers and is an Advisory Board member of Teen Challenge of Southwest Florida. Howard is also a long-time supporter of the Southwest Florida Community Foundation.  

DAVID LUCAS  

David Lucas has been associated with Bonita Bay Group since 1984 and is presently the Chairman of the Board. A commitment to the principles of business integrity, community responsibility, environmental stewardship and exceptional customer service are hallmarks he lives by. These principles are steadfastly applied to every commercial project and master-planned community Bonita Bay is involved in developing. He brings these same principles and leadership qualities to the Southwest Florida Community Foundation, where he has served as trustee since 1992. During this time, he has given his support to the Finance and Audit Committees and also served as a Board member of the Bonita Springs Community Foundation division from 1997 to 2001.

Mr. Lucas is a graduate of Purdue University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Management and minors in Industrial Engineering and Computer Science. He received his MBA from Harvard in 1971 with a marketing concentration and now has more than 32 years of management, marketing and financial experience. Before joining The Bonita Bay Group, he served as president of Margo’s, a chain of 84 women’s specialty stores.

David Lucas’ reputation as a philanthropic leader and supporter of many worthy community organizations is well known in southwest Florida. With his leadership, The Bonita Bay Group established a school grant program providing over $350,000 to fund school-based programs and also developed a successful yearly fundraising event for Florida Gulf Coast University.

Other areas of community service that Mr. Lucas has been involved with are: 

• United Way of Lee County Board of Directors since 1990.
• Established the local Alexis de Tocqueville Society for major donors to the United Way. Contributions to date are in excess of $9 million.
• The Reformed Theological Seminary Board of Directors and Executive Committee
• Canterbury School Board of Trustees, past Treasurer, President and Chairman. Member of Finance Committee
• Florida Gulf Coast University Board of Trustees and Chairman of Finance Committee
• Elder and Treasurer of Westminster Presbyterian Church
• Public School Foundation Board member
• Health Education Center Board of Directors
• General Nutrition Corporation Board of Directors and Executive Committee
• FineMark National Bank and Trust Company Chairman of the Board

The Southwest Florida community has recognized his outstanding service by honoring Mr. Lucas with the Citizen of the Year award from the Bonita Springs Area Chamber of Commerce and the 2000 Distinguished Citizen by the SWFL Council’s Boy Scouts of America. Junior Achievement awarded him as the first of two laureates to the Lee County business Leadership Hall of Fame.

David and his wife, Linda, are the parents of three children: Brian, Kevin, and Megan.

JACQUELINE "JACKE" McCURDY  

Jacke McCurdy is a retired Vice President of Joseph E. Seagram and Sons, Inc. During her tenure at Seagram, she oversaw all state government activities within the 50 states, working closely with state legislatures, administrators, and industry colleagues at the international, national, state, and local levels. Jacke held many leadership positions with various industry associations during her time with Seagram.

A native of Baltimore, Maryland and a graduate of Hood College, Jacke also graduated from the University of Maryland Law School with a law degree. She was the first woman admitted to the Baltimore County Bar Association, first woman Assistant State Attorney for Baltimore County, and a delegate to the Maryland legislature. She was also the first woman to hold the position of Vice President with Joseph E. Seagram and Sons, Chairman of the Distilled Spirits Council, and the National Association of Beverage Importers. 
Since retiring in 1994, Jacke has served on the board of directors of the Committee of 200 (an international association of preeminent female business owners and corporate executives) and served as chair of its foundation; was the founding director and former charter board member of the Bonita Springs Speakers Assembly; was a Director and
Chairman of the Board of the Guadalupe Center; has been on the board of United Way of Bonita Bay and the Bonita Springs Chamber of Commerce; served as Chairman of the Charter Review Committee of Bonita Springs City Government; served on the SCORE Foundation board and was a former board member of SCORE; was on the SunTrust Bank-Southwest Florida board of directors and the Philharmonic Center of the Arts board of directors.

Jacke was a founding member and chair (1996-2003) of the Bonita Springs Community Fund and was honored as 2004 Citizen of the Year by the Bonita Springs Chamber of Commerce. She is an active participant and supporter of the Art League of Bonita Springs and the Sugden Theater.  

DARREN ROBERTSHAW

Not many hoteliers learn their profession by working in three of the world’s most famous ‘five star’ hotels, but Darren Robertshaw did.

Now Vice President of the Hospitality Group for Trianon Hotel Company, he oversees all aspects of hospitality and is active in development of additional hotel properties.

Prior to coming to Southwest Florida, Darren worked at Ritz-Carlton hotels in Laguna Niguel and Pasadena California, and helped open Ritz-Carlton’s in Seoul, Korea; and Operations Director of the Ritz-Carlton, Naples.

ROBBIE B. ROEPSTORFF

Robbie Roepstorff was born in Florence, Alabama, and has been a resident of Southwest Florida since 1977 and currently resides in Sanibel where she has lived since 1993. Robbie is married to Geoffrey, and they are the parents of Matthew. She has been the President of Edison National Bank since its inception of 1997. Mrs. Roepstorff began her banking career in 1974 and her banking experience is comprised of commercial real estate, retail, residential and daily operational bank management with National and State chartered Commercial Banks. She joined the SWFLCF Board in July, 2010.

Mrs. Roepstorff has extensive community involvement. Some of her many community and philanthropic activities include the following:

• American Heart Association – Director and past President
• American Heart Association Heart Ball 2002 Chair and 2005 Co-Chair
• Bishop Verot High School – Director
• Children’s Advocacy Center – Capital Campaign Member
• Edison Ford Winter Estates Foundation - Director
• Edison Pageant of Light – member
• Florida Bankers Association – Past Director
• Florida Gulf Coast University – Board of Trustee
• Fort Myers Women’s Community Club - member
• Greater Fort Myers Chamber of Commerce – member
• Horizon Council Foundation – Investor and Past President
• International Women’s Forum – member
• Junior Achievement Hall of Fame – Advisory Board
• Lee County’s Industrial Development Authority - Commissioner Appointed
• Real Estate Investment Society (REIS) – Member and past President
• Sanibel School Advisory Council - Business Representative
• Sanibel-Captiva Chamber of Commerce – member
• The Foundation for Lee County Public Schools – Director and Vice Chair
• Uncommon Friends Foundation - Director

Her professional recognitions are as follows:

• Governor Appointment 1997-1999 – Commissioner to the Florida Transportation Commission
• ATHENA Award Recipient in 2002
• 2004 Sanibel-Captiva Chamber Citizen of the Year Award
• 2004 University of North Alabama Alumnus of the Year Award
• 2006 Lee County Business Leadership Hall of Fame Laureate Award (Junior Achievement)
• 2008 Gulfshore Life Magazine’s Men and Women of the Year
• 2008 Paulette Burton Lee County Citizen of the Year
• 2010 Florida Bankers Association “Banker of the Year”

DAVID F. SHELLENBARGER

David Shellenbarger comes to the Foundation with a strong business background, which also includes serving as a President and Board member of the community foundation in Rochester, Michigan for ten years. The experience he brings as a Board member of the division, Bonita Springs Community Foundation, and as a member on the Board of the Southwest Florida Community Foundation is invaluable. David has worked closely with a consultant in the preparation and presentation to the public of a community needs assessment report for the Bonita Springs area.

David graduated from Michigan State University with a BS degree in Business and Marketing and joined the workforce, where he became a computer industry entrepreneur for thirty years and ran his own software company for seventeen years in Rochester, Michigan. Selling this business in 1999, Dave and his wife, Kathie, headed to Florida to become part-time residents of Bonita Springs while still retaining a home in Holland, Michigan.

Currently, he serves as chairman and board member of three private companies and gives his time and talents to some of the following organizations:

• Rotary Club of Bonita Springs
• Speakers Assembly of Bonita Springs – board member
• Bonita Bay Club – advisory board member
• North Naples United Methodist Church – endowment committee
• Condominium owners association President

David and Kathie enjoy their two sons, three grandchildren and traveling.

GAY REBEL THOMPSON 

Gay Rebel Thompson is CEO, President, and Chairman of Cement Industries, Inc., a construction products manufacturing company founded by her father nearly 60 years ago in Fort Myers. A fourth generation Floridian, Gay has been involved in the community for many years. She was the first female president of the Downtown Rotary Club and the Greater Fort Myers Chamber of Commerce. She has served as Campaign Chair and Chair of the United Way of Lee, Hendry, and Glades. She is the Board Secretary of the PACE Center for Girls and is a founding member of the Southwest Florida Community Foundation's Women’s Legacy Fund where she currently serves on the Executive Committee. In 2003, Gay was recognized as a Laureate by Junior Achievement of Southwest Florida. She recently completed a six-year term on the board of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta’s Miami Branch.

MYRA H. WALTERS

Myra joined the Foundation Board in July 2009. She is a Professor of Speech Communication at Edison State College and Chair of the Department of Speech Communication and Foreign Languages. She has been associated with Edison State College for over 25 years. Her degrees are: B.A. in Political Science/Speech Communication and a M.A. in speech Communication with emphasis in Organizational Communication and also is a graduate of Leadership Lee County.

Presently, Myra volunteers within the community with Bravo Ballet! (a fundraiser to support Gulfshore Ballet School); Junior League of Fort Myers, Sustainer; and the United Way Keel Club Member. In past years, she has been an Auction Committee Member for the Lee County Heart Ball and worked with the United Way Allocations.

Other boards Myra has served on are:

• Past President of the Junior League of Fort Myers
• American Society for Training and Development, Southwest Florida Chapter
• Girl Scouts of Gulfcoast Florida
• Children’s Charities for Southwest Florida
• Board Walk (a not-for-profit training program for United Way Agencies)

Myra is married to Roy D. Walters, owner of Preferred Electric, Inc.

A. SCOTT WHITE

Scott White joined the Southwest Florida Community Foundation Board in 2005, and serves as Secretary/Treasurer of the Board and chairs the Finance Committee, where his financial knowledge is applied to the investment and grants areas.

Named by the Consumers’ Research Council of America as one of the country’s top financial planners since 2005, Scott is president of Scott White Advisors and is a Certified Financial Planner™, Chartered Financial Consultant and a Chartered Life Underwriter.

A native of Arkansas, Scott attained membership in the honor societies of Phi Alpha Theta and Beta Gamma Sigma while earning his B.A. and M.B.A. at the University of Arkansas. Prior to forming his own practice, he was employed by Prudential Insurance Company of America, Merrill Lynch and Banc One Securities Corporation.

Scott is active as a frequent speaker to non-profit and professional groups, writes articles for various magazines and newspapers, and has served on the National Committee on Planned Giving’s Leave a Legacy committee. He was the founding president of the Planned Giving Council of Lee County and is past president of the Lee County Estate Planning Council. He is a member of the Financial Planning Association’s Southwest Florida Chapter and is a past president of the Southwest Florida Chapter of the American Society of Financial Service Professionals.

He also serves on the board of directors and the executive and planned giving committees for the United Way of Lee County, is a member of the planned giving committee for Lee Memorial Health System Foundation, and is a member of the Rotary Club of Fort Myers.

GUY E. WHITESMAN

Guy E. Whitesman is a shareholder and chair of the Business and Tax Department of the law firm of Henderson, Franklin Starnes & Holt, P.A., in Fort Myers, Florida. Guy received his B.A. (1978) and J.D. (1981) from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor and his Master of Laws in Taxation (1985) from the University of Florida, Gainesville.

He is an active member of the Tax Section of The Florida Bar and will be its Chair Elect on July 1, 2009. Guy has been board certified in Tax law since 1992. He is a past chairman of the Tax Certification Committee which oversees the board certification process in tax law. Guy concentrates his practice in the areas of taxation, business and estate planning (business creation, operations, acquisitions, mergers and health care law). He frequently writes and speaks on issues regarding taxation, business, and estate planning to members of the public as well as to accountants and attorneys in professional education courses.

Guy has been active in community affairs in Southwest Florida and became a member of the Foundation Board in July, 2009. He has served as a Director and Past President of the Jewish Federation of Lee and Charlotte Counties, as a founding Trustee of the Jewish Community Foundation of Southwest Florida, as Director and Past President of the of the Rotary Club of Fort Myers South, and as a Trustee Emeritus and Past President of the Calusa Nature Center and Planetarium. Guy is currently a member of the Board of Directors of the Edison Ford Winter Estates Foundation, Inc., the Community Cooperative Ministries, Inc. and the Edison Pageant of Light of Fort Myers, Inc.

Prior to moving to Fort Myers in 1986, Guy served as a criminal defense attorney with the United States Army Judge Advocate General's Corps and was engaged in the private practice of law in Miami. He is married to Ilene Safron, and has a son, Joseph Samuel and a daughter, Jena Morgan.

STEVEN R. WHITLEY, CPA

Rusty is a founding member of Wiltshire, Whitley, Richardson & English, PA, a full-service accounting firm offering a comprehensive range of business and personal accounting services. He is a shareholder, member of the company’s board of directors and partner in charge of tax services.

Raised in Winter Haven, Rusty graduated from Stetson University in 1975 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration. He joined the team of Taylor, Edenfield, Gilliam & Wiltshire, Southwest Florida’s largest accounting firm. Following the business’s acquisition by Coopers & Lybrand, a corporation recognized as one of the world’s “Big 8” accounting firms, Rusty became the partner in charge of tax services for the Southwest Florida operations. In 1989, he and three colleagues formed a partnership and founded WWRE.

Rusty is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and the Florida Institute of Certified Public Accountants (FICPA). He is a former Accredited Investment Fiduciary (AIF) with the Center for Fiduciary Studies. Rusty has been a seminar leader for accounting professionals and is WWRE’s continuing education coordinator.

He has a strong community commitment and contributes time and expertise to a range of organizations and charitable groups. He became a member of the Southwest Florida Community Foundation Board of Trustees in July 2009. Rusty is a director and past president of the Uncommon Friends Foundation; past chairman of the board of the Charles A. and Ann Morrow Lindbergh Foundation and secretary-treasurer of its support group, the Earth Shine Institute, which he helped establish. He is a past president of the Bonita Springs Speakers Assembly; treasurer of Classic Basketball Inc., the organization that coordinates the annual City of Palms Classic; and is a former member of the finance committee of the Episcopal Diocese of Southwest Florida. He currently serves as a director, and is past president of the Boy Scouts of America, Southwest Florida Council. His volunteer work with scouting, which includes participation as vice president of both the finance and endowment executive committees, began as a troop leader for eight years when his sons were Cub Scouts. Four of the eight scouts in his troop went on to become Eagle Scouts. Rusty was named Distinguished Citizen of the year by the Southwest Florida Council of Boy Scouts in 2005 and was named an Honorary Lifetime member of the Uncommon Friends Foundation in 2007.