that improve the physical, emotional and educational lives of underprivileged and at-risk children in Collier County. Their commitment is not only evident in the time they contribute to the organizations but also by the generous contributions they make on behalf of the Foundation.
Chairman of the Board
Vice Chair
Treasurer
Immediate Past Chair
Board Member
Board Member
Lifetime Trustee Representative
Grant Committee Chair
Board Member
Board Member
Board Member
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Festival Chair
Board Member
Starting from the family sod farm in Michigan, Jim Bailey has held diverse roles, from investment and financial advisor to environmental entrepreneur to vintner. He left his family farm in the eighth grade to attend Cranbrook School, a prep boarding school in Michigan where he was head of his class and the basketball team. He then went on to Harvard College where he graduated magna cum laude with a BA in American Colonial History, followed by a joint JD/MBA from Harvard University in 1973. Upon graduation, Jim formed Cambridge Associates to provide investment and financial planning services to nonprofit, endowed institutions. Harvard was his first client and for almost 50 years since, Cambridge Associates has been a leading voice in building institutional-quality portfolios for endowments, foundations, pensions, and private clients. Nine years after starting Cambridge Associates, he also co-founded the Plymouth Rock Company, a successful New England auto and homeowners’ insurance company.
Parallel with that, while raising a family of four boys in the urban environment of Boston he was again drawn to his agricultural roots. He thought to combine his passion for wine with farming and started searching for a vineyard with his brother Essel and friend Tom Costin. In 2006, he purchased a 100-acre parcel of land in Knights Valley, an appellation in Sonoma County, CA. Understanding that great wine starts in the vineyard, they adopted new, sustainable vineyard management techniques, replanted portions of the estate, and hired a team of seasoned professionals who shared their ambition to produce the best wines possible. They recently bought a 50-acre adjoining property to strengthen their vineyard.
Kelley Bailey is a New York native and began her career in wine early on. After earning a degree in Business and Marketing from the State University of New York, New Paltz, Kelley’s first introduction to the industry started in 1987 at Bridgehampton Winery on Long Island. After a few years, she moved to Northern California with another small winery, and in 1993 Kelley began working with Jackson Family Wines. In 2007 she became Executive Vice President of Marketing, working closely with Jess Jackson and Barbara Banke, spearheading marketing strategy and brand development across the company portfolio. In 2011, she was named President of the Spire Collection, the company’s portfolio of luxury wines. She managed all strategy and development in her role, including brand marketing, national sales, direct-to-consumer, hospitality, and culinary. Last year, after 27 years with Jackson Family Wines, Kelley has begun a semi-retirement but still serves in an advisory role.
With more than three decades of wine industry experience, Kelley brings exceptional vision and expertise to help shape the future of Knights Bridge Winery. In 2020, Kelley and Jim embarked on a long-awaited project to build a winery on the estate where they are now making wine and welcoming their first visitors. The winery, designed by world-renowned architects Howard Backen and John Taft of Backen & Gillam, is the second-ever built in Knights Valley and its construction is the culmination of nearly a decade of thoughtful planning and designing.
Above all, Kelley and Jim Bailey share a commitment to excellence and to giving back. Together, they work tirelessly to generously support a wide range of philanthropic endeavors through their foundation. Fueled by a desire to leave a legacy, the Baileys enjoy spending time with their family and five grandchildren on the beautiful Knights Bridge estate vineyard, instilling in them all a love of the land.
Nena and Bill Beynon have been full time residents of Naples since 1998. Bill is the President and CEO of Capital Wealth Advisors. Bill leads a team of over 45 professionals focused in the areas of wealth management and estate planning. Under Bill’s leadership, CWA has been recognized as one of the fastest growing private companies by Inc. 5000 for six consecutive years.
Nena’s career was in elementary education, serving 23 years in the classroom. Nena’s teaching tenure focused on elementary education teaching 4th and 5th grade students.
The Beynon’s have a daughter, Emily Grace, now 11 years old.
Nena and Bill are both originally from West Virginia and are proud West Virginia University Mountaineers. Bill has served on the National Alumni Association Board of Directors, most recently as Chair.
Nena and Bill have enjoyed their involvement in many non-profit organizations since moving to Naples, both as active volunteers and board members. Their philanthropy has focused in the areas Children, Education, Hunger, Cancer Research and Military Veterans.
Bill is a past member of the Board of Directors for Champions for Learning Foundation, member of the Board of Advisors for The Marc Bulger Foundation, member of the Regional Research Grant Committee and Laureate Society for the American Cancer Society, past mentor for the Take Stock in Children Program of the Champions for Learning Foundation, and an Elder at Vanderbilt Presbyterian Church.
Nena has served as a mentor for the Take Stock in Children Program for the last 10 years and is a Deacon at the Vanderbilt Presbyterian Church.
They attended the Naples Winter Wine Festival for the first time in 2016 and fell in love with the organization. Bill and Nena are excited to contribute to the future of NCEF.
Supporting the needs of disadvantaged children has been extremely important to Sue and Mike Bieker for many years. As a couple they have also been deeply involved in supporting D.A. Blodgett – St. John’s in Grand Rapids, Michigan, which helps children and empowers families by providing safety, advocacy and support. Mike served on the Advisory Board that helped shape the vision for the development of a new campus park for the foster youth in the area and assisted in fundraising for that endeavor.
Sue graduated from the University of Southern California in 1987 with a Bachelor of Science in Business and Marketing, receiving the Senior Recognition Award for Academic Excellence. She attended the University of San Diego School of Law and received her J.D. in 1990. Sue pursued her law career as an employment attorney at Cooley LLP in San Diego, where she became a partner and served as head of the Employment Counseling group until 2005 when she retired from the practice of law.
Sue served for many years in her community in Rancho Santa Fe, California. She was a member of the Board of Directors for Children’s Heritage Foundation (three years), National Charity League (four years), Foundation for the Children of the Californias (two years) and the Foundation Board that supported the San Diego Children’s Hospital (four years).
In addition, Sue served as a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) through Voices for Children for nine years, working directly with children in the foster system in San Diego. As a CASA, she spent time with her case child each week, communicated with professionals involved with the child, ensured the child’s needs were being met, submitted reports to the court with recommendations and attended all court hearings related to the child.
Sue also served as an Elder for the Village Presbyterian Church in Rancho Santa Fe for several years. She was the committee chairperson for human resources at the church.
Mike was born in Columbus, Indiana and attended the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University where he earned a B.A. in Marketing.
In 1994, Mike founded MarketLab, one of the first companies to use direct mail cataloging to sell specialty products to U.S. hospitals. Mike brought in outside investors in 2011 and remains both a shareholder and member of the board today. He has also enjoyed investing in other small businesses with an eye toward mentoring younger entrepreneurs.
Mike’s leisure interests included spending five years as a tri-athlete and being part of the My Team Triumph program, which helps young children with disabilities experience the thrill of competition. In 2012, Mike became a licensed helicopter pilot and flew recreationally for eight years.
Sue and Mike moved to Naples in late 2019 and attended their first Naples Winter Wine Festival in 2021. They have six children between them, and three grandchildren. When they are not with their family, they enjoy hiking and biking, beach walks, time with friends and travel.
John and Jamie Brown reside in Naples, Florida with a summer home in York, Pennsylvania. John and Jamie are both retired. John was the Chief Executive Officer and owner of Blockhouse, Inc, a manufacturer of contract furniture serving colleges and universities within the United States and providing contract barrack furniture worldwide for the Department of Defense. He sold his business in 2014. John holds a Masters of Business Administration from The Pennsylvania State University. He is a founding member of Traditions Bank and retains a role on the Board of Directors. He is also the founder and advisor for the JD Brown Center for Entrepreneurship at York College of Pennsylvania.
Jamie is retired from the State of North Carolina after providing over 20 years of service to the NC Community College System. She served as a vice president for corporate and continuing education. She is a veteran of the United States Army and the NC Army National Guard. Jamie holds a Masters of Human Resources from Webster University.
John and Jamie travel extensively. They are avid golfers and are passionate about giving back to their communities. They have attended the Naples Winter Wine Festival each year since 2018.
Dena Rae & Rob have made Naples their full-time home since 2017.
Dena Rae serves The Naples Trust Company as their Senior Vice President for Wealth Service. Most of her professional career has been with the philanthropic community with institutions who serve children and education missions. She has served as the Vice President of Institutional Advancement at Marian University in Indianapolis, Executive Director of the Indiana Campus Compact and most recently as the CEO of the Golisano Children’s Museum of Naples.
Rob’s career includes 27yrs in multiple leadership roles in his family’s fresh-foods distribution company before its acquisition in 2016; and, eight years managing a fund raising distribution company he and Dena Rae established before its acquisition in 2008. He is currently managing a growing network of private equity firms.
Both are proud graduates of Indiana University where Dena Rae served as Student Body President and Rob marched in the Marching Hundred Drum Line. Dena Rae and Rob remain active with IU on various boards, including Dena Rae’s current membership on the Foundation Board of Directors, serving as chair of the Women’s Excellence Initiative and incoming chair of the National IU Varsity Club Board. Rob & Dena Rae founded the Hancock Hiltunen Caito Center for Leadership and Life Skills for the Indiana University Athletics’ Circle of Excellence.
Dena Rae & Rob have been and continue to be involved with many philanthropic organizations since moving to Naples. Most notable is their service at the Children’s Museum of Naples, where they currently are serving as chairs of the 2023 Night At the Museum gala. Dena Rae, Rob and their two youngest children are members at Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Naples.
Dena Rae & Rob were married in 2000, have raised 7 spectacular children and are excited for their next stage as they were just blessed with their first grandchild! Dena Rae & Rob enjoy golf, travel—especially time with their generationally-expanding family—and being involved with Naples’ hi-impact philanthropic initiatives.
Dena Rae & Rob’s path of leadership and service is clearly defined by commitment to the highest goal of increasing giving through time, talent and treasure—especially with groups and organizations supporting children and education.
William H. (Bill) Cary is a retired former President and Chief Operating Officer of GE Capital, the financial services unit of the General Electric Company and a retired Senior Vice President of GE. Bill joined GE in 1986 as a member of the Financial Management Program and served in a variety of financial and operating leadership roles around the world.
Since retiring from GE, Bill has embarked on a second career as a private equity investor and as an advisor to and director of a diverse group of companies. He currently advises Blackstone, LLP and serves on the public company boards of Ally Financial, Rush Enterprises and BRP, Inc. Bill also advises several start up and private mid-market companies in the consulting and wine industries.
Bill also devotes a significant amount of his time and energy to supporting not-for-profit causes. Bill serves on the Board of the St Helena Hospital Foundation, in St Helena, CA and serves as a director and Vice Chair of the Naples Children & Education Foundation. Bill and his wife, Debbi, reside in Naples, FL, and are both active Trustees of the Naples Children & Education Foundation.
Paul Fleming, one of the nation’s premier restaurateurs and has been associated with restaurants of critical acclaim for over three decades. Born in Louisiana, his upbringing instilled within him the gracious values of Southern hospitality and a love and appreciation of food. Paul is best known as the founder of P.F. Changs China Bistro, this now legendary restaurant made its debut in Scottsdale, Arizona in 1993. He then built the infrastructure that led the company to national expansion and a highly successful public offering. Paul also conceptualized Pei Wei Asian Diner, a casual, quick-service offshoot of P.F. Changs. He developed another restaurant success that bears his name: Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar, which made its debut in 1998 in Newport Beach, California. In 2006, Paul opened Paul Martin’s American Grill, a concept focused on natural, organic and seasonal produce, seafood, meats and wines, simply prepared, and supplied by a network of small, artisanal purveyors.
Paul serves on multiple boards and is most actively involved with GLIDE, a San Francisco organization, whose mission is to create a radically inclusive just and loving community, mobilized to alleviate suffering and break the cycles of poverty and marginalization. In 2015, Paul and Jody personally oversaw a complete transformation of the food program and cooking facility at GLIDE which now provides in excess of 600,000 meals per year to the homeless.
Jody Goodenough-Fleming is on a mission to help make the world a more beautiful place: one eye at a time! Raised on a small ranch in southwest Idaho, Jody grew up with a love for fishing and the great outdoors. After attending Eastern Oregon University, she trained as a commercial pilot and has spent the past 15 years working with hospitals, clinics, and non-profit organizations providing medical transport and care (eyesight) to impoverished persons around the world. Jody has assisted in over 3,000 cataract surgeries for the underprivileged and indigent; this continues to be a realization of a lifetime commitment to help those in need.
Jody has served on the board of iSight Missions, LIGA International, The Ninety-Nines Inc. and St. Mary’s Catholic School and is actively involved with Hawaiian Eye Foundation, Medical Ministry International (MMI), Shriners Hospital, CASA and NAMI.
Jody and Paul are excited to call Naples their home. They enjoy fishing, boating and long walks on the beach and are long-time supporters of the Naples Winter Wine Festival. They are looking forward to the opportunity to be NCEF Trustees.
Jeff started his career as a picking boss for Naples Fruit and Vegetable Company, moving onto the tomato sales desk and soon becoming the General Manager of the 500-acre tomato farm. He then became CEO of the family tomato business, Gargiulo Inc., and diversified the business with operations in Florida, California, Puerto Rico, Mexico and Chilie. After selling Gargiulo Inc. to Monsanto in 1994, Jeff served as the president from 1994-1997. He later served as the President and Chief Executive officer of Sunkist from 2001 – 2006. Jeff also started Gargiulo Vineyards in 1994, a 5000 case premium boutique winery with two vineyards in Oakville, Napa Valley California.
Additionally, Jeff was president of the Florida Tomato Growers, served as Chairman for the Florida Fruit and Vegetable Association, and was a Chairman of the board of trustees at St. Leo University.
Jeff is currently a board member for the Oakville winegrowers, where he served as president for two years, on the Board of Directors for Lipman and the FSU Foundation Board. He is also a member of the Florida Council of 100, a lead investor and Chairman of the board of Greenleaf SF, a food service, produce and specialty purveyor and distributor in the San Francisco Bay area, and a lead investor and Chairman of the board of BDMG, a Nashville based music publishing company.
Valerie Boyd began her career in Real Estate Development and the banking world specializing in land development and rezoning. She has also been involved as a community and political leader in Florida. Valerie has held appointments from three different Florida Governors and Chaired the South Florida Water Management Governing Board for multiple years. She also served as a Commissioner of Transportation for State of Florida. She has chaired and served on many State and National Environmental Sustainability Commissions.
Jeff and Valerie are founders and trustees of the Naples Winter Wine Festival (NWWF) and Naples Children & Education Foundation (NCEF), with Jeff serving as the first Chairman of the Festival. Valerie is currently Vice Chair of the NCEF Grant Committee. Together they are Co-Chairing the 2017 NWWF with three other couples. Jeff and Valerie have three children and enjoy hiking, cooking and golfing.
Ashley Gerry is a Southwest Florida philanthropist, wife and mother who has made it her job to invest in our community. For more than 15 years, Ashley’s passion for bettering the lives of others has led her to champion some of the most successful nonprofits serving those most in need across Southwest Florida.
She generously gives her time and resources while encouraging others to join her in such worthy causes as Golisano Children’s Hospital, the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, Golisano Children’s Museum of Naples (where she resides on the board) and the Community School of Naples, to name a few. A graduate of the University of Missouri-Columbia with a degree in Fashion Marketing, Ashley is also a Commissioner on the Ethics Committee for the City of Naples.
Following the catastrophic loss of life and devastating impacts of Hurricane Ian in 2022, Ashley, among others, spearheaded the fundraising for the Boots on the Sand benefit concert to raise more than $1.5 million for victims. During a time of heartbreak and defeat, she and others pulled our community together for an evening of music and fellowship when Southwest Florida needed it most.
Ashley and Adam moved to Naples in 2003 and have been generous patrons of the Naples Winter Wine Festival since 2011.
Adam earned his B.S. degree from Rollins College, M.B.A. from Crummer Graduate School of Business at Rollins and his J.D. from Syracuse University College of Law. He is currently Chairman and CEO of Granite Associates (single family office / investment firm), which invests across different asset classes (private equity, hedge funds, long only public equities, real estate funds as well as fixed income).
Adam serves on the board on the Frederick Gunn School, the Gerry Foundation and the Bethel Woods Performing Arts Center. He has been involved philanthropically with local organizations such as NCH, the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and the Community School of Naples.
Adam’s “fun facts” include personal investments in DC United (Major League Soccer team in Washington, D.C.);Daylight Wine & Spirits (producer of several wine verities as well as whiskey) (https://www.daylightwineandspirits.com); and AXR Napa Valley (https://www.axrnapavalley.com).
In addition, he has enjoyed membership in the local chapter of La Confrérie de Chevaliers du Tastevin (French Burgundy group) and has been recently asked to be a part of its Executive Committee.
Ashley and Adam have five children ranging from 20 to 8 years of age.
Educated at The University of Denver, Rick is a highly motivated, analytical and structured individual with over 40 years of progressive growth in the automotive industry within various manufacturer environments. Throughout his career he has directed 16 locations with over 1,700 employees. In 2011, the Germain Automotive Partnership was formed. Along with his sons, Paul and John, the Germain Automotive Partnership is comprised of dealerships in Columbus, Ohio and Naples, Florida, and represents, Toyota, Lexus, Ford, Nissan, and Mazda. Professionally, Rick has served in a number of capacities within the automotive industry over the years including time as the Chairman of the Lexus National Dealer Council, Lexus Product Advisory Board, Lexus National Advertising Advisory Board, President of the Columbus Auto Dealers Association, President of the Ohio Auto Dealers Association and was the 2016 Automotive Achievement Award recipient.
Rick and Libby are passionately involved in a number of charitable organizations in and around Columbus. Libby is a proud alumni of The Ohio State University and supports the University in a number of capacities by serving on The Ohio State University Foundation Board. Libby has become very involved with Ohio State’s Comprehensive Cancer Center, The James. She serves on their Foundation Board and is a longtime co-chair of Up On The Roof, benefitting The James. Together, Libby and Rick have been very involved at their church, Trinity United Methodist. Rick and Libby have served on the Foundation Board, Crossroads Council, Administrative Board, Staff Parish, directed Youth Musicals for 11 years, and were founding members of the Crossroads Contemporary worship service. Additionally, Rick serves as a board member for Recreation Unlimited, a camp for children and young adults with developmental, and physical disabilities, and serves on the Foundation Board for Nationwide Children’s Hospital. Rick and Libby look forward to serving as Trustees of the Naples Children’s & Education Foundation.
Libby and Rick have four children and five grandchildren all living in the Columbus community. They reside in Upper Arlington, Ohio and Naples, Florida, and also enjoy spending time at their farm in Knox County, Ohio.
Lin and Herb Henkel have extensive and varied backgrounds at Fortune 500 global companies and have been patrons of the Naples Winter Wine Festival since 2018.
Most recently, Herb was named Chairman of Herc Equipment Rentals, one of the largest equipment rental businesses in North America. Previously, he was Ingersoll Rand’s Chief Executive Officer and Board Chairman and served in several leadership roles at Textron, Inc., including President and Chief Operating Officer.
Herb has extensive public company board member experience and is currently a Director for 3M, The Allstate Corporation and C.R. Bard, Inc. He also held Director positions at AT&T Corp., Visteon Corporation and Pitney Bowes Inc.
A Trustee of the Community School of Naples, Herb earned his Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees at the Polytechnic Institute of New York and his MBA at Pace University, where he also received an honorary Ph.D. Herb’s hobbies include golf, fishing, woodworking and gardening.
Lin is Founder, President and CEO of Lin Cummins Connections, Inc., a marketing and communications company that provides strategic direction and guidance for global business initiatives. Previously, Lin was the Senior Vice President of Communications for Meritor, Inc., where she directed global marketing, media and investor relations and communications efforts.
Before joining Meritor, Lin served as Vice President of Advanced Marketing and Worldwide Communications for United Technologies Automotive and previously spent 19 years at Ford Motor Co., where she held a number of senior international management positions.
Among her many civic interests, Lin is a Board Member of Great Lakes Art Center (Bay Harbor, Michigan), serves on the Foundation Board of Hospice of Michigan, and volunteers in Naples / Collier County for the AmeriCorps Seniors Foster Grandparent Program.
Lin holds a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Arts in speech and communications from Detroit’s Wayne State University. Lin is currently writing a 460-page family heritage book and her hobbies include writing, reading and decorating. She also enjoys spending time with her grandchildren.
David Hoffmann currently serves as Chairman of Hoffmann Commercial Real Estate, headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. He is the founder of several businesses, including DHR International, a global executive recruiting firm, and Osprey Capital, a private equity enterprise.
Mr. Hoffmann continues to serve on several boards in the Chicago area. A dedicated member of the community and a life-long athlete, he has also devoted time to volunteering in little league hockey, soccer, baseball, football and softball programs.
Jerri shares David’s passion to help those in need and has done so through several charitable organizations, the most notable being Children’s Home + Aid. She has served as a Woman’s Board Member for 15 years and more recently, joined the CH+A Board of Trustees. She and David successfully led a building campaign for a new early childhood and family learning center in Carpentersville, Illinois. The new facility is named the Jerri Hoffmann Child + Family Center.
The Hoffmanns have made Naples their home and are investing locally, both in real estate and with their personal involvement in the community. David serves on the board at Artis-Naples. After attending the Naples Winter Wine Festivals, David and Jerri knew NCEF was a philanthropic organization that aligned with their charitable giving philosophy and one they could be proud to support. They enthusiastically embrace the opportunity to be NCEF Trustees and are looking forward to making an impact on the lives of the children in the community.
Rick Kash is the Vice Chairman of the Nielsen Company (NYSE), a business strategy and global information company doing business in 105 countries with 40,000 employees. Kash originally joined Nielsen when The Cambridge Group, the strategy consulting company he founded, was acquired by Nielsen.
Rick is the author of two books, “The New Law of Supply and Demand” (Doubleday 2002), and “How Companies Win” (Harper Collins 2011). In 2012, Fortune Magazine selected “How Companies Win” as the most important book for business leaders to read in that year.
Kash is the cofounder, along with Harvard University, of Genus Oncology, a cancer research company focused on the MUC1 protein. The National Cancer Institute recently named MUC1 the #2 most important target in cancer research amongst a total of 50 targets. The National Football League Players Association Banquet has raised more than $40 million for underprivileged children and families and was cofounded by Rick Kash, John Mackey, and Jack Kemp.
Rick was the President of Chicago’s Better Boys Foundation, an organization serving inner city youth. During Rick’s tenure on the Board, the organization created the early version of what became Head Start, sponsored the first charter school in Chicago, and pioneered the program of serving breakfast to hungry children prior to school which has now become a nationwide Federal program.
Before starting his business career, Rick was a social worker focused on serving underprivileged children and delinquent gangs. During part of his years as a social worker, Rick participated in a unique program called “Street Work,” in which social workers went directly into high-crime neighborhoods vs. offering in-house programs in community centers.
Kash serves on a number of business and community boards including Northwestern University Hospitals and Aditya Birla, one of India’s largest companies.
Katrina began her career in Art and Design after receiving her Bachelor of Fine Arts at Southern Illinois University, and then her Masters in Fine Arts from Columbia College in film production and set design.
Katrina was an Art Teacher in Chicago’s inner city where she found that Art was able to reach and engage students who had little beauty in their lives.
She then was drawn back to the creative process where she became a set designer and decorator for TV Commercials and Movies.
When she moved to Connecticut, she designed and opened a specialty store called Canyon Road which brought together fine art, jewelry and one of a kind furniture. After moving back to her home state of Illinois, Katrina raised her 2 children and became a dedicated Equestrian. Her specialty was 3 Day Eventing, the featured equestrian event in the Olympics
Today, Katrina’s Art is represented in 2 Galleries and she plays competitive tennis in both Naples and Chicago. When not in Naples or Chicago, she and her very soon to be Husband Rick Kash, travel the world pursuing their love of wine and Glass Sculpture.
Ted Koenig is Chairman and CEO of Monroe Capital LLC, a premier boutique asset management firm specializing in private credit markets across various strategies including direct lending, asset-based lending, specialty finance, opportunistic and structured credit, and equity. Monroe’s platform offers a wide variety of investment products for both institutional and high net worth investors with a focus on generating high quality “alpha” returns irrespective of business or economic cycles.
Prior to founding Monroe Capital in 2004, Ted was President and CEO of Hilco Capital LP, a junior secured/mezzanine debt fund established in 2000. Before that, he spent 13 years at the Chicago based law firm of Holleb & Coff as partner and co-chair of the firm’s Corporate Law, Mergers & Acquisitions and Business Finance groups. Ted started his law career at Winston & Strawn where he participated in structuring and documenting buyouts, sales, and financings for middle market companies.
In 2021, Ted co-founded HOPE Chicago, a first-of-its-kind two-generation higher education scholarship model serving Chicago public high school students and their parents, covering both tuition and non-tuition expenses. In its first year of operations, HOPE Chicago provided over 4,000 full college scholarships.
Ted was inducted to the SFNet Hall of Fame 2021 Lifetime Achievement Awards, for having made significant contributions to the secured finance industry. In 2017, he was honored with the Tree of Life Award by the Jewish National Fund in appreciation of his outstanding community involvement, dedication to the cause of American-Israeli friendship, and devotion to peace and the security of human life. In 2016, Ted received the Leadership Achievement Award by The Global M&A for his management talents, influence and contributions made to advance and grow their respective organizations as well as markets. In 2014, he was inducted in the Academy of Alumni Fellows of the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University. In 2013, Ted was awarded the Stanley C. Golder Award by the Illinois Venture Capital Association as a recognized leader in venture/private equity investing. He also received the 2013 Torch of Liberty Award from the Mid-West Region of the Anti-Defamation League recognizing his achievements in both the corporate and philanthropic communities. Ted was named the 2012 Middle Market Thought Leader of the Year by The Alliance of Mergers & Acquisitions Advisors and Grant Thornton LLP.
Ted is a graduate of the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University (B.S.) in accounting and Chicago-Kent College of Law (J.D.). Ted is a Director of the Commercial Finance Association, and a member of the Turnaround Management Association and the Association for Corporate Growth. Ted also serves as a Director on the Northwestern Medical Group Board of Directors and the Northwestern Medical HealthCare Investment Committee; Board of Trustees, Illinois Institute of Technology; Dean’s Advisory Council, Kelley School of Business at Indiana University; Board of Advisors, Chicago-Kent College of Law; and as Vice Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Allendale School, a non-profit residential and educational facility for emotionally troubled children.
Nancy is from Grand Rapids, Michigan and attended the University of Richmond graduating with a B.A. degree in Psychology. She is an active community philanthropist and a long-time supporter of non-profit organizations benefitting children’s mental and emotional health. Nancy has volunteered for Habitat for Humanity, helping to build homes in Immokalee.
Nancy and Ted raised 4 children in the suburbs of Chicago and established residency in Florida in 2021. Both Nancy and Ted have spent extended time learning about NCEF’s programs and have already visited several beneficiaries with NCEF staff. They are looking forward to serving on the Board of Trustees for the Naples Children & Education Foundation and becoming more involved in the local Naples community. They are committed to helping to build stronger support and services for children in Naples. Nancy and Ted are passionate about creating opportunities for children through education and advocation.
Anne Welsh McNulty has invested in elevating entrepreneurial leaders and nurturing promising students for more than 10 years as co-founder and president of the McNulty Foundation. A trailblazer for women in finance, Anne was a managing director of Goldman Sachs and a senior executive of the Goldman Sachs Hedge Fund Strategies Group.
Anne established the John P. McNulty Prize to recognize and support individuals successfully addressing barriers to health, education, and economic opportunity in their communities. She founded the McNulty Scholars programs at St. Joseph’s University and Hunter College, which propel young women to lead in STEM fields. She established the Anne Welsh McNulty Institute for Women’s Leadership at Villanova University and the McNulty Leadership Program at Wharton.
Anne serves on the Board of Trustees of the Aspen Institute, and on the Board of Advisors at the Wharton School. She is a former Trustee of Villanova University, a member of the Advisory Council for Harvard Kennedy School’s Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business & Government, the Advisory Council for Ashesi University, and a Founding Stewards of B Lab Global. Anne is on the Board of Directors for the Child Mind Institute, and is a Trustee of NCH Healthcare in Naples, FL, and the American Academy in Rome.
Anne earned her MBA from the Wharton School, and was valedictorian of her graduating class at Villanova, where she also holds an honorary doctorate. She has been an Advanced Leadership Initiative Fellow at Harvard, and a Distinguished Careers Institute fellow at Stanford.
Daniel Mezzalingua graduated from Syracuse University in 1960, and after attending New York University Law School, worked as a marketing analyst for Underwood-Olivetti Company International. He then returned to Syracuse and developed, as well as managed, a Syracuse-based family business that manufactured coaxial cable connectors for the cable TV industry, with plants in Copenhagen, Denmark, St. Kitts, West Indies, and Suzhou, China. He had previously formed Octagon-Scientific, Inc., which developed one of the first convertors for cable TV use. He sold the business to Regency Electronics and licensed the patents to the major TV manufacturers throughout the world. During his career he served as a member of the National Cable Television Association, the New York State Cable Association and the Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers. A past member of the Metropolitan Development Association, he was selected as Citizen of the Year at a dinner given by Temple Adath Yeshurun.
Mezzalingua’s civic and professional commitments include membership on the advisory councils of HSBC Bank, the United Way Resource Development Committee, as well as the boards of Community General Hospital Foundation and the Manufacturing Association of Central New York.
Mr. Mezzalingua has an extensive background in both secondary and post-secondary education. He served as president of the Board of Trustees of Manlius Pebble Hill School, was involved with the parent associations of both St. Lawrence University and Hobart and William Smith Colleges, and also was a trustee of St. Bonaventure University. In addition, Mr. Mezzalingua served as a member of the Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees of Syracuse University, and was a member of the Society of Fellows and the Chancellor’s council. He served on the Whitman School of Management Advisory Council, as well as on the search committee which selected the school’s current Dean. He was the lead trustee of the Shine Student Center Campaign. He is on the Board of Trustees at Ave Maria University. Mr. Mezzalingua committed to education by rebuilding and merging two schools in St. Kitts, West Indies, which were started by his daughter, Laurie. He and his wife Kathleen Damico Mezzalingua (S. U. ’62), and their six adult children are the only donors to date, and has a campus setting of eight buildings in downtown Basseterre, St. Kitts to accommodate the school’s 485 students (K – 11).
Kathleen Mezzalingua graduated from Marywood College with a B.S in Retailing, Syracuse University with an M.S. in Education, taught in Syracuse Public Schools.
Board Chair of Hospice of Central New York, Board Chair of Friends of the Central Library. Also served on boards of WCNY TV, Welch Terrace, residence of those living with HIV and Francis House, home for the terminally ill. Chaired several fundraisers for above charities.
Dame of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, a Catholic lay organization, led the Syracuse region as Hospitaller for seven years. Have been active in the Order serving the sick, frail elderly and poor in the community. Volunteer weekly during the summer at a soup kitchen, making sandwiches and serving an indigent population in Syracuse. Attended ten pilgrimages to Lourdes, France with Malta members worldwide caring for the sick.
Since 2009 have been President of Saint Agatha Foundation, started by our daughter Laurie who was diagnosed with breast cancer at 29, for “ women who cannot afford their disease” with costs of surgery, medication and treatment not covered by insurance.
Since living in Naples have volunteered with the local region of the Order of Malta.
Have received the Humanitarian of the Year award from Marywood College, the Bishop’s Medallion for Volunteer Service for the diocese of Syracuse and the President’s Award from the Order of Malta.
The Mezzalingua’s are the parents of Laurie (deceased) Karen, John, Kristen, Tracy, and Daniel, and have eleven grandchildren. They reside in Naples, Florida and summer in Skaneateles, New York.
Kathy and Andy Moock are retired business executives who share a common interest in serving underprivileged children.
Andy has always enjoyed learning. After graduating with a systems analysis degree in 1980, he joined Ernst and Whinney as a systems consultant. He then sat for and passed the CPA exam without a degree in accounting. After six years with E&Y, he took an opportunity to purchase a minority interest in a small plastics manufacturer, which later changed its name to InVue. He proceeded to learn everything about the business, and as Executive Vice President, he managed manufacturing, engineering, systems, finance, legal, HR and sourcing. He is listed on over 20 patents. He helped InVue grow 50-fold and negotiated numerous acquisitions and divestitures. He has traveled extensively, visiting China over 25 times. He retired in late 2021.
Andy has a passion for service and children in need and has volunteered as a board member and direct youth mentor for many charities, including: Pathway Caring for Children, a private foster care agency based in Canton, Ohio; OASIS Outreach Opportunity, a charity providing outreach to inner-city kids in Akron, Ohio; Boy’s Hope Girl’s Hope, a Cleveland-based, privately funded charity providing housing, mentoring, tutoring and education funding to high potential kids-in-need; First Glance, an Akron charity providing mentoring to kids-in-need; Clearview Legacy Foundation, a historic, minority-owned golf course in East Canton, Ohio that is currently building a museum / clubhouse / event facility.
He enjoys biking, boating and traveling.
Kathy is a retired regional sales manager from Procter & Gamble, where she received the “National Salesperson of the Year” award. She is a community volunteer with many years of work in the nonprofit community.
She is currently serving as the board chair of the Girl Scouts of Northeast Ohio (GSNEO) after several years serving as the board secretary and the board development committee chair. She is a recipient of GSNEO’s “Women of Distinction” award. Kathy has served for over eight years on the board of Women in Touch with Akron’s Needs (WITAN), including two years as president and five years as treasurer. WITAN’s mission is to raise funds and to work as volunteers for small nonprofit agencies that serve the underprivileged in the Akron community. She is currently serving on their Grants and Fund Development committees. Kathy was a board member of the Junior League of Cleveland for nine years, most recently in the role of sustainer treasurer. She served for 16 years in various offices of the Brecksville-Broadview Heights Parent School Organization (PSO), including six years as PSO president.
Kathy currently volunteers at Stewart’s Caring Place Cancer Resource Center, Blessings in a Backpack, St. Bernard’s Hunger Center and Haven of Rest. She has been a leader of nonprofit fundraising events, including the Leukemia Lymphoma Society and University Hospitals. She enjoys shopping, tennis, pickleball and her dog, Cooper.
Kathy and Andy both graduated from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio and are a happy “Miami Merger.”
They have two daughters and have attended the Naples Winter Wine Festival since 2022.
As Managing Director of Fountain 33, John leads all of his family businesses, private equity investments, and real estate development while driving both strategic as well as tactical investment and asset portfolio management. As President of Fountain 33 Foundation, he shepherds the deployment of family foundation assets to maximize impact, with the current area of focus in both education and mental health. John and his wife Amy were recently recognized on the September 2021 cover of Gulfshore Life magazine as 2021 “Forces of Philanthropy” in Southwest Florida.
In his most recent corporate role, John was Managing Partner in Lucas Group’s Military Division, John connected client companies to the US Military’s elite performers – top talent that consistently delivered impressive business and operational results. John helped his clients to develop and fulfill critical staffing initiatives across key functional areas, including general management, operations, engineering, marketing, and business development. Prior to joining Lucas Group John served in several planning, finance, marketing, and corporate development roles, including Vice President of Client Development for Raptor Networks, a start-up network switching and routing manufacturer and Finance Business Manager for the Walt Disney Company, a Fortune 100 corporation.
Preceding his time in business, John served five years as a US Navy Nuclear Submariner, where he received the Operations Tactics Award as the top performer in his peer group (1 of 150). Graduating Phi Kappa Phi, with Distinction, from the US Naval Academy in 1991, John earned a BS in Mechanical Engineering while gaining leadership distinction, as he was ranked in the top five of 970 classmates in leadership and received the award as the most distinguished athlete in academics, athletics, and leadership. He was also recognized for the athletic talent he displayed as a four –year starter on the lacrosse team, being named Division I All-American, Academic All-American, and member of the North-South All-Star team. In 1998, John earned his MBA with Second Year Honors from Harvard Business School.
John is currently on the Community School of Naples Foundation Board of Directors as well as the Lee Health Foundation Board of Trustees. He has served on the Board of Directors of the Harvard Business School Alumni Association’s Orange County Chapter as well as President of the US Naval Academy Alumni Association’s Los Angeles and Orange County Chapter. On a fun side note, while living in Orange County, John played competitive pick-up basketball with luminaries such as Tony Gonzalez and AC Green. He currently enjoys golfing, tennis, skiing, physical fitness, fine dinning, traveling, yachting, spending time with his family and friends, and coaching his girls’ Community School of Naples Elementary Girls’ Lacrosse Team.
Amy Quinn is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist specializing in treating teens and young adults with depression and anxiety. She is also certificated in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy, a specialized treatment for trauma.
Amy also has a master’s degree in organizational behavior and evaluation science. She has extensive experience designing, implementing and evaluating prevention interventions in school districts, organizations and non-profits. She spent several years evaluating outcomes of emotional awareness training for middle school and high school students in the Los Angeles County School Districts. She has served as an Adjunct Faculty in the Graduate Program of Organizational Psychology at Vanguard University of Southern California where she taught Applied Research Methods, Stress and Health in Organizations and advised students on their research projects.
Amy is currently working on her PhD in Educational Leadership at Northwest Nazarene University, where she is writing her dissertation on burnout and graduate training for mental health professionals. She has published several articles on teen mental health, resilience, complex PTSD, and trauma at GoodTherapy.org. She currently serves on the Board of Trustees for the Community School of Naples and the Kids Minds Matter Advisory Board. She enjoys weekend bike rides with her three children, family beach days, and summers returning to her native Southern California.
Cindy and Sam have been in the building and development business, including rental management, real estate sales and restaurants, as well as the Surfside Pier in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. They recently completed a 60-acre oceanfront resort, the North Beach Resort & Spa, with 600 condos, single-family homes, restaurants and spa.
Sam, who graduated from West Virginia Tech, served on several boards, including BB&T. Cindy, who attended Penn State, served on the board of Waccamaw Community Hospital. Cindy has also been a big supporter of the Waccamaw Area Rescue Mission, an animal rescue group, as well as the South Carolina Poodle Rescue.
During their years in Myrtle Beach, Cindy and Sam have donated a home and built a building for the youth center of the Church of the Resurrection, an Episcopal Church, an office building for the Waccamaw Community Foundation, plus three homes they sold with funds directed to children’s charities.
Generous supporters of the Naples Children & Education Foundation, Cindy and Sam attended the Naples Winter Wine Festival in 2019 and 2021 and purchased auction lots at both. They recently donated a home on First Avenue in Naples to the Naples Community Hospital, which sold the house for $2.8 million, and the funds went to remodeling the emergency room at NCH as well as a sculpture in the Garden of Hope at NCH.
Cindy and Sam enjoy boating and hiking in the mountains of North Carolina, where their summer home is located. They also enjoy cooking together, and Sam has his own baking kitchen.
Both originally from Michigan and proud University of Michigan Wolverines, Catherine and John Van Hulle split their time between Naples and Walloon Lake, Michigan. Their careers have allowed them to travel extensively, fostering a love for exploring new places.
Catherine started her own contract pharmacist company after recently retiring from The Cleveland Clinic Outpatient pharmacies. She is also active in several pharmacy professional associations, serving on various professional boards and volunteering to promote the practice of pharmacy.
John has had a long career in the chemical industry and is currently CEO of Aurorium, a global manufacturer of specialty materials and ingredients. He has also served on a number of private equity portfolio company boards.
Since moving to Naples, Catherine and John have both been involved in various leadership positions at their golf community. In addition, Catherine has been volunteering at the Shelter Guild, which supports The Shelter for Abused Women and Children in Naples.
Catherine and John have been attending the Naples Winter Wine Festival since 2021, allowing them to bring together their love of travel and wine. They are excited to have the opportunity to work with NCEF as Trustees.
John R. Walter is Chairman of Ashlin Management Company, a private investment and management services firm. He is the retired President and COO of AT&T Corporation, a position he held from 1996 to 1997, and retired Chairman and CEO of R.R. Donnelley & Sons Company, a position he held from 1989 through 1996. Mr. Walter joined R.R. Donnelley & Sons Company in 1969 and held various positions during his career.
Mr. Walter has served as a Director of Manpower Inc. since 1998, and served as Non-Executive Chairman of the company from 1999 to 2001. Mr. Walter also serves as a Director of ecoAmerica and The Conservancy of Southwest Florida. He previously served on the boards of other companies, including Echo Global Logistics, VASCO Data Securities, Media Bank, LLC, Groupon, Deere & Company, Abbott Laboratories, Inc., AT&T Corporation, Target Corporation and Jones Lang LaSalle. Mr. Walter was the founding Chairman of InnerWorkings, Inc. Mr. Walter also served as Chairman of SNP Corp. of Singapore and an Advisory member of the Singapore Economic Development Board.
Mr. Walter is on the Board of Trustees for Steppenwolf Theater, Northwestern University and The Naples Children & Education Foundation.
Mr. Walter was previously a Director of NorthShore University HealthSystem and Chairman Emeritus of the NorthShore University HealthSystem Foundation Board. In addition, he was a Director of the African Wildlife Foundation, the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Mr. Walter earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Management and holds an Honorary Doctorate Degree from Miami University, Oxford, Ohio.
Carol has been on the board of several organizations in Chicago and is currently on the Women’s Board of The Boy’s and Girl’s Clubs of Chicago, The Field Museum and The Joffrey Ballet. She served on the board of The Children’s Place Association and was instrumental in starting their women’s auxiliary board. Along with their commitment to help underprivileged children, the performing arts and cultural institutions, both John and Carol are passionate about animal welfare and have served on the development board of Paws Chicago, working to create a no-kill in Chicago.
Since moving to Naples three years ago, Carol has joined the Sustaining Leadership Council at The Naples Botanical Garden.
The Walters have two daughters and three grandchildren who reside in Chicago.
Joy & Chuck Waterman, have been NWWF patrons since 2017 and Trustees since 2021. Chuck was Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of South Holland Bancorp, Inc., served as President of the Illinois Bankers Association, and held numerous positions with the American Bankers Association. An engineering graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, Chuck served aboard a nuclear submarine and later earned his MBA from Northwestern. Philanthropic service was in many Chicago arenas including Chairmanship of Ingalls Health System for seven years. He currently, in Naples, is a member of the Moorings Park Foundation Board of Directors. Joy’s career was in teaching after her graduation from West Liberty State College, and she has a long history of philanthropic and community involvement including past service on the Board of Trustees at Thornton Community College in Illinois. Joy is a member of Christ Child Society of Naples and enjoys travel, golf, reading and daily exercise.
Mr. Williams has over 40 years of experience in the insurance industry, including significant knowledge of international insurance markets.
Mr. Williams commenced his insurance career in 1975 with Harlock & Galli, a Melbourne, Australia-based property and casualty insurance broker. He moved to London in the late 1970’s to work with Lloyd’s Underwriters before moving to the United States in 1981 to become President of Robert H. Bradshaw & Co., a sports disability underwriter. Mr. Williams established Reinsurance Alternatives in 1985, an accident and health reinsurance intermediary, which was acquired by Willis Re in 1992. Prior to his retirement in 2005, he became National Director for Life, Accident & Health of Willis Re.
From 1994 to 2016, Mr. Williams was Chairman of Wattle Creek Winery, which he established in Sonoma County, California in 1994 and sold in 2016.
Mr. Williams served as HCC’s President from May 2011 until becoming its Chief Executive Officer in December 2012, a role he held until September 2018. Mr. Williams has served as a member of HCC’s Board of Directors since May 2007, including as Chairman of the Board from August 2008 to May 2011.
Following the merger of HCC with Tokio Marine Holdings in October 2015, Mr. Williams began focusing on the management and strategy of the Tokio Marine Group as a member of Tokio Marine’s International Executive Committee. Expanding on this group role, he was appointed Co-Chairman of Tokio Marine’s Global Retention Strategy Committee in April 2017. Mr. Williams’ role within the group was further expanded in September 2018 when he became Managing Executive Officer and Co-Head of International Business for Tokio Marine.
Patrick has over 50 years of experience in the pharmaceutical / life sciences industry, including 32 years at Hoffmann-La Roche Inc, North America. Patrick joined Roche in 1969 as a sales representative and over the years held a number of marketing and general management positions, both in the United States and Switzerland, where the company was founded. In 1988, he was elected to the U.S. company’s Executive Committee and Board of Directors. In 1993, Patrick was named President and Chief Executive Officer of Hoffmann-La Roche, Inc. and appointed to the global pharmaceutical executive committee. He retired in 2001.
Long active in industry, academic and civic affairs, Patrick is a past Chairman of the Health Care Institute of New Jersey and The Myositis Association. He also served on the Board of Directors and Executive Committees of the Pharmaceutical Research & Manufacturers of America and the Biotechnology Industry Organization.
Since retiring from Roche, Patrick has been elected to several public and private company Boards of Directors and since 2017 has been Lead Director and Chairman of the Compensation and Governance Committees for Selecta Biosciences.
Patrick holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Creighton University and an MBA from Fairleigh Dickinson University. He is currently on the Board of Trustees at Creighton and recently retired as Chairman of the Board of Trustees at Fairleigh Dickinson.
Elizabeth Bingham (Betsy) Ryan was born and raised on a small lake in northern New Jersey, near New York City, and grew up enjoying the best of both worlds: nature and culture. She attended Wheaton College in Massachusetts and graduated from the University of Massachusetts Amherst with a bachelor’s degree in English and a teaching certificate. For eight years, Betsy lived simply with seven friends on a small farm in western Massachusetts raising their food, making their own clothes and furniture, learning various other crafts and starting their families.
Betsy moved to Radnor, PA in 1981 where she raised her three children, facilitating their varied athletics, musical and academic activities. Betsy earned her master’s in theater at Villanova University and taught theater to middle schoolers for several years. She worked with the League of Women Voters making short TV presentations on local politics, taught Sunday School, Girl Scout Brownies and ran Arts Week for the middle school for two years. She was also a patron of the arts in Pennsylvania, particularly Peoples Light theater, the Philadelphia Art Museum and the Please Touch Museum.
In 2004, Betsy discovered Florida and in 2008, they moved to Naples and also to London, where they were patrons of the British Museum, Royal Ballet, National Theatre, British Film Institute and the Almeida Theatre.
Still maintaining a flat in London, Betsy has been residing in Florida for five years and has been supporting the arts here as well. As an active attendee of the Naples Winter Wine Festival for five years, Betsy had the great pleasure of winning several awesome travel experiences at the live auction. She and Patrick look forward to becoming more involved with the wonderful work being undertaken for the children of Collier County. Betsy is also an avid knitter, and has the good fortune to have six beautiful grandchildren who enjoy Nana‘s creations.
2003-2013
Monte Ahuja is the founder of Transtar Industries, which is the leading U.S. Company in the distribution of automotive transmission replacement parts to the aftermarket. Mr. Ahuja started the company after his completion of his MBA at Cleveland State University where he graduated with honors (Beta Gamma Sigma). Mr. Ahuja received his Masters Degree in mechanical engineering from Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. Although, Transtar Industries has been restructured and has a new equity partner, Linsalata Capital, he remains a key investor and Chairman of the company.
Transtar has earned dozens of awards for its outstanding growth and community involvement. Monte has also received numerous awards including, Distinguished Alumni Award from Cleveland State University, International Executive of the Year Award, Ellis Island Medal of Honor, Runner-up for the National Entrepreneur of the Year and many more recognitions and awards. He has also appeared on a TV series as one of the most distinguished NRI’s from India and was inducted into the Inside Business Magazine, Northeast Ohio Business Hall of Fame.
Monte served as Trustee of the Cleveland State University Board for nine years and its Chairman of the Board for six years. He is the Chairman of the board for the University Hospital System of Cleveland, on the Executive Committee for United Way, and on the board of the Ohio Business Alliance for Higher Education and the Economy.
Usha received her Ph.D. in mathematics at Ohio State University. She has previously taught at University of Maryland, Kent State University, Cuyahoga Community College and Cleveland State University. She served on the College Board in Cleveland, the India Association Board and University Hospitals Development Committee.
Monte and Usha have been married for 37 years and have two daughters, two grandchildren, and a son-in-law. Ahujas have been a part of the Naples Winter Wine Festival Board of Trustees for one year.
NCEF Trustee Patricia Aluisi is Senior Vice President, Chief Administraive Officer of MB Real Estate, based in Chicago. Pat has enjoyed a long career in law, real estate and construction. She was a director of Bovis LTD based in London and headed the Private Finance group after serving as General Counsel. She has been a consultant to the Brennan Group, a founding member of Qorval, LLC and a partner in a small law firm in Baltimore, MD.
Patricia served on the board of the Boys & Girls Club of Collier County, serving both as Secretary/Treasurer and on the board of NCEF. Patricia also completed the Greater Naples Leadership program, as a member of Class IV.
Now splitting her time between Sun Valley, ID and Chicago, Patricia continues community involvement by serving on the board of the Community School of Idaho. Patricia also does volunteer work for the the Company of Fools, a professional non-profit theater company in Hailey, ID.
Lee R. Anderson, Sr. is Chairman of the APi Group of companies, headquartered in St. Paul, Minn. APi Group Inc. is made up of 36 separate construction, manufacturing and fire protection companies operating out of 160 international offices. The fire protection, detection and alarm division is the second largest such company in the United States and the largest in Canada. APi’s total sales are in excess of $1.2 billion. APi is one of the region’s fastest growing, highest return of earnings corporations in Minnesota as well as a member of Forbes 400 largest private companies.
Lee is a Director of Pan O’Gold “Country Hearth” Baking Company. He is also a lifetime trustee at Breck School, a trustee on the board at the University of St. Thomas, International Seakeepers Society and the Naples Children & Education Foundation. He is the recipient of “Entrepreneur of the Year” from St. Thomas’ School of Entrepreneurial ship and also the “L. B. Hartz Professional Achievement Award” from the University of Moorhead, College of Business and Industry. In 2008, Lee was inducted into the Minnesota Business Hall of Fame and in 2009 he earned the national Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award in the real estate, hospitality and construction category. He is a member of Minnesota Executives Organization, World Presidents Organization, Chief Executive Organization, Aquatennial Foundation Board and a regular member of the Boone & Crockett Club. In addition, he is a Heritage Member of Ducks Unlimited, a Golden Club Member of U. S. Sportsmen’s Alliance and a Foundation Director of FNAWS, Foundation for North American Wildsheep. Lee is a 1957 graduate of Breck School located in Minneapolis, Minn. and a graduate of the class of 1961 from U. S. Military Academy at West Point with a degree in civil engineering. He holds a Doctor of Law degree from University of St. Thomas in honorarium.
2002-2012
Ann Bain, is a native of Holyoke, Mass. She graduated with a BA in international relations and economics from Colgate University in 1985. Upon graduation, she moved to Boston to join Shawmut Bank’s Corporate Lending Training Program. After seven years, Ann left Shawmut as a vice president to go to State Street Bank, in Boston. In 1996, Ann left banking to pursue her interest in the golf industry. She spent two years as general manager and clothing buyer for Boston-based Boston Links and one year as an analyst for Bain, Willard Companies. Ann retired in 1998 to focus on family and not-for-profit endeavors. She has previously served on the advisory board for The Posse Foundation and Suskind Young at Arts in Boston.
Ronald Davis Balser graduated from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania with a degree in economics. In 1961 Ron entered the insurance industry and looked to the emerging area of executive benefits. Ron was a founder of Balser Companies, a nationally recognized advisor to Fortune 1000 companies. The company was sold in 2007.
Since selling the business, Ron has been active in the Art World. He is the founder of Balser Art Ventures, LLC, a design, production and distribution company which promotes his personally produced works of art. His photography, electronic prose, engraved granite benches and sculptures are in private and public collections throughout the country.
Ron and Barbara founded the Wharton Executive Education Advisory Board where Ron Chaired the Board for 20 years, and has served on Boards of Wharton Undergraduate School, Santa Fe Opera, Atlanta’s High Museum of Art, M Life and Balser Companies. He currently serves as a National Commissioner of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), and is member of the ADL National Executive Committee, is a trustee of ADL Foundation, a member of the American Friends of the Israel Museum, serves on the Advisory Board of The Peggy Guggenheim Collection, The U.S. Board of Historical Royal Palaces, The Board of the Artis-Naples Baker Museum of Art, and is a trustee of the Naples Children and Education Foundation. NCEF sponsors the Naples Winter Wine Festival, the world’s largest charitable wine auction, benefiting children at risk. He is recipient of the 1999 Alumni Award for Distinguished Service from University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School. In 2006 Ron endowed the Barbara B. Balser Lifetime Achievement Award for ADL lifetime leadership.
He and his wife Barbara, former National Chair of ADL, are Founding members of the Georgia Aquarium, National Museum for Women in the Arts, The Booth Western Museum, and Founding Lifetime Members of the United States Holocaust Museum Circle of Freedom Donors. They received the Atlanta Jewish Federation’s King Solomon Society Award, True Blue Award from Spelman College, and are the first Wharton Atlanta Chapter recipients of The Joseph Wharton Award.
The Balsers were each awarded the Anti-Defamation League’s highly coveted Abe Goldstein Human Relations Award, Barbara in 1994 and Ron in 2006. Barbara served as National Chair of the ADL, and Ron served for 5 years as SE Regional chair. Ron is a former member of American Mensa.
Ron and Barbara endowed the Abraham H. Foxman Exceptional Leadership Award for persons for world leaders who have exhibited exceptional leadership in promoting the ideals of ADL. Each award recipient will receive an original sculpture of “The Spirit of Leadership” by Jesus Moroles, specially designed in conjunction with Ron for these awards.
The Balsers are avid art collectors. Their offices and homes in Atlanta (Impressionist, Modern, Contemporary Art, Photography, Contemporary Art glass and Art Deco/Nouveau fixtures/furniture/glass), Naples (Modern, Glass and photography) and Santa Fe (Western, Contemporary, Glass and photography) each contain unique collections.
Ron has combined his love of the arts with his personal, civic and philanthropic endeavors. In addition to their museum and civic art gifts, Ron and Barbara endowed The Wharton School Balser Art Collection, which includes work by Albers, Dali, Miro, and Warhol. In 2006 they purchased 180 art works constituting The Balser Art Collection at Emory University’s Goizueta Business School, with pieces by Braque, Chagall, Hockney, and Lichtenstein.
In addition to the foregoing, their philanthropy has covered a diverse group of charities, civic and educational endeavors, including Naples Jewish Community Fund, Naples Winter Wine Festival, Naples Philharmonic and Museum, Aid and Comfort of Santa Fe, Santa Fe Community Foundation, Santa Fe Opera, Santa Fe Chamber Music, Camp Sunshine, North Avenue Presbyterian Church, Georgia Student Leadership, and Jewish Federations of Southwest Florida and Atlanta. Barbara B. Balser has been described as an influential change-maker, an intuitive leader and a reliable team player. In community, business and family life she has worked to make a difference in the lives of people, branding each encounter with her own personal style and offering others her personal best.
In a book published by Ellie Wymard entitled, Conversations With Uncommon Women, Barbara attributed the consensus-building leadership style that she exercised in her employee benefits firm to the traditional feminine roles she played in her early years. “I don’t know if I would have had the same strengths, if I had gone right into business after college. I think I bring a certain sensitivity to my relationships.”
Barbara served as Co-chair & CEO of Balser Companies, a nationally-known think tank that designs special benefits programs for companies like Home Depot and UPS, Barbara first entered the finance and insurance arena decades ago as an “exception to the rule,” a woman who was also the family bread-winner. A newly single mother with three young children in the mid-1970s, Barbara built her business helping ordinary working people identify their retirement dreams, family protection concerns and other personal financial goals. Barbara gained understanding of the importance of finding custom solutions for her clients’ lifestyle goals. She acquired critical insights into benefit planning in a time before “human resources” was even coined. As corporations became the chief providers of benefit programs, and women broke through corporate glass ceilings, Barbara was soon consulting in a business she thoroughly enjoyed and became acquainted with other women in powerful corporate positions. A founding member of The Committee of 200, an organization of the top businesswomen in America and internationally, Barbara quickly became part of this sisterhood of achievers. She still cannot find enough hours in the day to accomplish all she would like, and this drive isn’t limited to business.
Her commitment to education, social issues and the arts has resulted in five decades of personal involvement through numerous organizations and projects. A Magna Cum Laude alumna of Boston University, this Richmond, Virginia native played a major role through the Anti-Defamation League and B’nai B’rith Women as president of Support Atlanta Schools, part of an Atlanta coalition of 50,000 women, who together worked to keep public schools open and to foster a smooth transition to the newly desegregated classrooms and faculties.
As a volunteer, Barbara has aligned her time with organizations that reach beyond the norm. It may seem like a tall order to secure justice and fair treatment to all citizens, yet that has been the purpose of the Anti-Defamation League since 1913. Barbara served this international organization as National Chair from November 2003 to November 2006, becoming the first southerner and first woman to hold the post. At the conclusion of her term, Barbara was presented with the newly created Barbara B. Balser Lifetime Achievement Awarded, to be presented thereafter to a person within the ADL Family who has devoted decades of service and leadership advancing the mission of the Anti-Defamation League. She continues to serve the League today as a Trustee of the ADL Foundation and a member of the National Advisory Committee.
Blending her business zeal and passion for learning, Barbara served on the Goizueta Business School Advisory Board at Emory University in Atlanta and the Executive Education Advisory Board at The Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania.
In addition, their philanthropy has covered a diverse group of charities, civic and educational endeavors, including the Naples Winter Wine Festival, Aid Atlanta, Aid and Comfort of Santa Fe, the Board of the National Center for Civil and Human Rights, the Friends of the Israel Museum, the President’s Council of the School for Advanced Research, the Santa Fe Opera, the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, Camp Sunshine, and the Jewish Federation of Southwest Florida … just to name a few.
Barbara and Ron have six children and nine grandchildren. Their children and mates are Barton Friedland, Lisa and Dan Balser, Deborah and Jon David Friedland, Jennifer and Jonathan Balser, Ginger Balser Reid, and Laura G. Balser and Matthew D. Smith.
Ron and his wife Barbara are Florida residents, and have homes in Naples, Atlanta and Santa Fe.
2011-2021
Robert A. Clifford is a nationally prominent attorney who founded a firm nearly 25 years ago in Chicago and rose among the ranks to be selected one of the “five most respected and feared plaintiffs’ attorneys in the country” by Corporate Legal Times. He was featured on the cover of the inaugural issue of Illinois Super Lawyers where they called him “Chicago’s Most Likeable Tough Guy.” He currently serves, by court appointment, as Liaison Counsel for the 9/11 litigation pending in the New York Federal Court. Bob has represented victims in every major commercial airline crash in the United States in the last two decades. He also has represented many high-profile clients such as NBC’s Dick Ebersol and his family members who were involved in a chartered jet crash; Bob Collins, Chicago’s most popular disc jockey on WGN morning radio, who was killed in a small plane crash; and a prominent Miami family who lost loved ones in the Chalk seaplane crash off the Florida coast. He represents a number of families in the Comair crash litigation in Lexington, Kentucky, as well as the Chicago family whose six year old boy was killed when a Southwest Airlines jet skidded off the runway at Midway Airport and crashed into his family’s car. He was on the front page of Chicago’s newspapers representing an internationally acclaimed violinist who survived after being dragged by a commuter train when the conductor failed to watch out for her as she exited.
Bob Clifford finds time to give back to the legal profession in his tireless work for the American Bar Association and several community based groups. He has been honored by numerous prestigious legal organizations. He endowed the first Chair on Tort Law and Social Policy to his alma mater, DePaul University College of Law. The generous gift provides for an annual symposium where academicians, lawyers and judges from around the country, from U.S. Senator John McCain to television personality Bill Kurtis, gather to speak on a timely topic relating to societal needs and the law. He resides in Chicago, Lake Geneva and Naples with his wife Joan. They have two daughters, Erin and Tracy.
Joan Clifford, a former elementary school teacher, recently retired from the Travel Industry where she owned and operated travel agencies in the Chicagoland area as well as in London, England. She currently works as a docent at the Chicago History Museum and serves on the Boards of the Goodman Theatre, Children’s Memorial Hospital and the Chicago Parkways Foundation. She is also involved in many other philanthropic organizations in Chicago. Joan has served as a member of the Grant Committee for the NCEF. In her spare time she enjoys spending time with her family and friends, traveling, reading and working on her golf game.
J.D. Clinton is Chairman of Independent Southern Bancshares (INSOUTH) and INSOUTH Bank. Before selling to E.W.Scripps; J.D. also served as Founder and Chairman of Summit America, a television holding company and previously served as Chairman of Shop at Home Television Network.
Mary Susan Clinton, a native of Savannah Tennessee began her career as a stock broker with Morgan Keegan Headquarters in Memphis, before founding Gallien Global Vision, Inc., an international wildlife documentary company in 1989. Trekking the African countries, her award winning co-productions with Londolozi Game Reserve, Turner Broadcasting, Buena Vista/Disney and The Discovery Channel, have aired in over 100 countries with her presentations in Cannes, France at the annual film trade shows MIP-TV and MIP-COM. She has garnered many awards including an Academy of Cable Entertainment Award for Best International Documentary Special.
Through the years her company has expanded to not only represent television media, but be a key player in retail product placement, image marketing for professionals and distribution to the mass markets. Gallien Global Vision’s focus is to design communication strategies specifically customized to generate the desired impact of the client by positioning, promotion and marketing requirements in today’s economy.
Not only with clients products; her entrepreneurial spirit enticed her to work with chemists after the positive scientific result of active glycolic acid in skin care products was discovered. She was the founder of the medical skin care line, Renaitre. The skin care products were sold in physicians’ offices, international trade shows, Internet sales, Shop at Home and QVC .
Mary Susan and her husband are Founding Trustees of The Naples Winter Wine Festival. She was Merchandising Chair for the Naples Winter Wine Festival in 2001; Auction Day Chair 2002; Co-Chair of the Auction Day in 2004; Non-Wine Lots Chair in 2005 and Merchandising Chair for 2008, 2009 and 2010. Currently, she serves on the Naples Children & Education Foundation Executive Board. J.D has served as Grant Chairman and on the Executive Board. The Clintons are also members of The Napa Valley Reserve.
The Clintons are actively involved with First Baptist Church of Naples, The Community School of Naples, where Mary Susan chaired the Angel Ball in 2001, served on the Committee for Advancement and both are active parents. Mary Susan is also on the Financial Task Force Committee of C’mon. Other past involvements of the Clintons include, Mary Susan being a Board member of Boys and Girls Club of Collier County and J.D. serving as a Trustee. The Clinton’s have been past fundamental in fundraising initiatives for Youth Haven and The Immokalee Foundation.
Mary Susan was named Gulfshore Life’s Woman of the Year in 2002 and Community All Star in 2006. She has served as a Board Member of the West Tennessee Healthcare Foundation, co-chairing the gala benefiting The Neighborhood Health and Healing Clinic in 2006. She currently serves on the advisory and style council boards for Gulfshore Life magazine.
Philanthropic endeavors in Tennessee for the Clintons include having a financial involvement with INSOUTH Bank for the Haywood County, TN “John Clinton Carl Perkins Child Abuse Center”; Boys and Girls Club of Haywood County and Habitat for Humanity. The Clintons have founded and solely support The Clinton Family Christian Foundation benefiting children at risk.
Brian Cobb is the president and principal shareholder of CobbCorp and Managing Director of Media Development Group. Brian has decades of experience in the broadcast industry as an owner, manager and broker, and was a principal and founder of Media Venture Partners before founding CobbCorp. He has been involved in the mergers and acquisitions of more television stations than any other individual in the country. Previously, Brian served as executive vice president of General Electric Broadcasting Company and is a former owner of television stations WTXL-TV (ABC) in Tallahassee and KADY-TV (IND) in Los Angeles. He has served on panels for many trade organizations including the National Association of Broadcasters and National Association of Television Program Executives, as well as being a past president of the National Association of Media Brokers.
Brian has been a trustee of Florida Gulf Coast University, a Founder and former board director of the International Seakeepers Society, and was a member of the Florida Council of 100, a non-partisan organization to advise Florida State government. He is currently on the board of directors of the Broadcasters Foundation of America, the largest charitable organization assisting broadcast families in need.
Denise Cobb had a long career in television, including being an award winning television producer, on-air talent, consultant and station owner. She began her career as an anchor and producer at a CBS station in West Virginia and from there went on to anchor news programs at ABC and NBC affiliates around the country. Denise was one of the original news anchors at CNN and was chosen to anchor the premiere newscast on CNN Headline News, making her the only person to appear on both networks’ first day. After leaving CNN, she helped launch the Travel Channel, hiring staff and helping to format the network. She then went on to form her own production company where she traveled internationally producing TV programs and consulting. When the Cobb’s owned television stations in Florida and California, Denise oversaw the news, public affairs and promotion departments.
Denise has served on the boards of the Guadalupe Center of Immokalee, the Boys and Girls Club of Collier County, Ave Maria University and Career Transition for Dancers-New York, where she twice chaired the auction for its annual gala. Currently, Denise serves on the National Board of Pace Center for Girls. She has also been involved in committee work for the American Cancer Society, St. Ann’s School, and other local non-profits.
Brian and Denise are founders of the Naples Children & Education Foundation/Naples Winter Wine Festival and continue to support as Emeritus Trustees. Brian chaired the 2002 Naples Winter Wine Festival (NWWF) and together with three other couples, they co-chaired the 2017 NWWF. Brian is a former chairman of the NCEF board and currently serves as the NCEF Lifetime Trustee board member. Denise was the long time chair of the public relations committee.
Together they were named Philanthropists of the Year on National Philanthropy Day in Southwest Florida in 2004 by the Community Foundation of Collier County. Denise was named one of Southwest Florida’s “Men & Women of the Year” in 2000 by Gulfshore Life magazine and in 2002, Gulfshore Life Magazine named Brian a “Man of The Year.”
2000-2011
Laura and Jim Dixon started HAYNES Corporation in 1972 with Laura’s father Laurance S. Haynes in Jackson, Michigan. At the time the company was involved in the supply of precision engine component parts to the US municipal power plants, marine, off highway and stationary markets. HAYNES dramatically expanded the business of manufacturing and rebuilding fuel injection systems for industrial diesel engines by acquiring strategic product lines from United Technologies American Bosch APF Product Line, the GM/EMD Unit Injector Product line from Diesel Technology Corporation and exclusively supplies several product lines to Caterpillar Inc. HAYNES supplies major companies such as EMD, Caterpillar, GE, Fairbanks Morse, Union Pacific Railroad, Canadian National, Canadian Pacific, BNSF, CSXT and numerous other major railroads throughout the world.
Laura and Jim found their way to Naples in January of 1989 when they acquired the Bendix manufacturing plant from Bendix Allied Signal. In 2013, they continued to expand their Naples manufacturing capabilities by building a new LEED Certified manufacturing plant to consolidate their production operations in Los Angeles, California to Naples, Florida. To date, Laura and Jim have received many prestigious awards such as the 2010 Economic Development Council’s “Excellence in Industry,” 2011 “Florida Companies to Watch” and most recently the coveted 2014 Junior Achievement “Collier County Business Hall of Fame Award.”
After their arrival to Naples, Laura and Jim established many new friends through their love of golf, boating, hosting gourmet dinner parties and passion for fine wines. The Dixons have a very extensive wine collection with many wines from Bordeaux, Burgundy, California and Italy and have contributed wines to numerous charities throughout the years. Laura Dixon was on the board for Youth Haven and was extensively involved with one of Youth Haven’s initial fundraising events which was the Youth Haven Wine Auction. The Youth Haven Wine Auction was transformed to Naples Winter Wine Festival by the original group of trustees whose initiative made it one of the premier wine auctions in the world. In 2010, Laura and Jim became Trustees of the Naples Children & Education Foundation, founders of the Naples Winter Wine Festival because of their love for the auction and for what it has accomplished for the betterment of underprivileged and at-risk children within the community. Jim is a former member of the NCEF Grant Committee and has also served as the Grant Chair, helping to allocate the funds raised at the NWWF. Through the years, the Dixons have contributed to the Naples Winter Wine Festival by both donating lots for the auction as well as purchasing several auction lots. Laura and Jim have raised two children who have graduated from college with business degrees and both have been involved in the family business. This has enabled Laura and Jim to devote more time to their community and the charities dear to their hearts.
Bob Edwards is president and senior PIM portfolio manager of Edwards Asset Management and has been named one of the nation’s top financial advisors by Barron’s for the past eight years, 2011 to 2018. He was recognized for the 11th consecutive year as a Southwest Florida 2018 Five Star Wealth Manager by Gulfshore Life magazine and Five Star Professional. Bob is a frequent speaker on the economy and investments in major markets nationally.
To the Naples community, where he has lived since elementary school, Bob is also known for his altruistic streak. He’s deeply dedicated to the Naples Children & Education Foundation and its Naples Winter Wine Festival, and he is also a champion for the arts. Edwards serves on the board of Artis-Naples and the Baker Museum as well as the Guggenheim Museum in Venice, Italy.
Bob and his wife Terry chaired the 2013 Naples Winter Wine Festival. Terry has served on the NCEF Grant Committee and is currently on the boards of the Conservancy of Southwest Florida and Naples Zoo. She is an emeritus trustee of The Shelter for Abused Women & Children.
Bob and Terry were named Gulfshore Life magazine’s “Man and Woman of the Year” in 2013, and Bob was selected as one of Naples Illustrated magazine’s “Super Men” in 2013. The Naples Daily News chose Bob in 2015 for its “25 Over 50” class, accomplished leaders honored for their vision, talent and impact on our community. The Edwards were named “Stars in the Arts” by the United Arts Council in 2015, and they received the Impact Award from the Naples Art Association in 2016.
Robert Elkins was chairman and CEO of Monarch Venture Group, a partnership that invests in private and public healthcare companies, and Internet infrastructure and service companies. He was chairman and CEO of Integrated Health Services, Inc., a provider of post-acute care services that he founded, it is recognized as a pioneer of a new market segment in which formerly hospitalized patients are treated in less expensive settings.
Robert had founded five companies in the healthcare and computer infrastructure business including Integrated Health Services, he had taken three of them public. He served on the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine Board of Trustees and was named “1991 Entrepreneur of the Year” in Maryland.
Shirlene Elkins was the principal of a catering company in the Washington Metropolitan Area for 12 years. When she relocated to Southwest Florida in 1992 she became involved in the following organizations: Immokalee Foundation; Naples Philharmonic; Naples Museum; Women In Transition; Youth Haven; Boys & Girls Club; Naples Winter Wine Festival; and the David Lawrence Center.
In 1999, Shirlene founded Children’s Charities, which sends local high school seniors to college, based totally on their need rather than grades. Currently there are six children in the program that are attending a Florida State College or University. Shirlene is the Chair of the 2004 Naples Winter Wine Festival.
Grace and Ken Evenstad founded Domaine Serene in the Dundee Hills of Oregon in 1989 with a mission to produce world class Pinot Noir. The Evenstads had faith and confidence in Oregon early on, before there was a national market for domestic Pinot Noir.
Today, Domaine Serene produces wines from seven individual vineyard estates, planted exclusively to Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Each estate offers a diversity of soils, clones, rootstocks, microclimates, slopes, and elevations that add distinguishing complexity and elegance to the wines. In total, the Evenstads own over 1,000 acres of land in the hills of Yamhill County, with 360 acres planted to vines.
In 2001, the Evenstads completed construction of their current state-of-the art, five-level, gravity flow Pinot Noir winery. In 2015, Ken and Grace acquired Château de la Crée, the respected wine estate located in the birthplace of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, the renowned Côte d’Or. They are the only Oregon-based vintners to own land and produce wines in Burgundy, France. Parcels are owned in 18 climats throughout the Côte de Beaune in Pommard, Volnay, Meursault, Puligny-Montrachet, Chassagne-Montrachet, Santenay and Maranges, 40% of which are Premier Cru.
In 2021, Grace Evenstad expanded their Burgundian vineyard holdings by taking control of the renowned Domaine Christian Confuron et fils estate. This 15-acre expansion increased Evenstad Estates’ vineyard footprint in the Côte d’Or by roughly 60%, adding vineyards in the Côte de Nuits to her current holdings in the Côte de Beaune. The estate is located mainly in Chambolle-Musigny and Nuits-Saint-Georges, including prestigious Grand Cru vineyard blocks in Bonnes Mares and Clos de Vougeot.
In 2017, Domaine Serene opened a new best-in-class hospitality center, the Clubhouse at Domaine Serene, that defined the landscape of fine wine hospitality in the Pacific Northwest.
In Spring 2018, they completed a new winery dedicated solely to the production of Chardonnay and Sparkling wine, the first of its kind in Oregon. The wineries are located on the beautiful Winery Hill Estate in the world-class Dundee Hills AVA.
Having achieved his goal of making the world’s finest Pinot Noir many times over, Ken Evenstad died at the age of 77 in October 2020. Under the guidance of Grace Evenstad, his legacy lives on as Domaine Serene remains focused on excellence in a never-ending quest to produce world-class Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Domaine Serene’s wines represent the achievement that is possible in Oregon, one of the finest regions in the world for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.
The Figges moved to Naples from Davenport, Iowa 10 years ago to spend winters here and summers in Sun Valley, ID. The rest of the family (six children, three in-laws and eight grandchildren) love to visit Jim and Sandy in their resort town. Jim has been a collector of wine since 1980 and admits his “hobby” has become a way of life.
A way of life that affects family vacation destinations and even the professional direction of one of their children. Son Peter received his Masters degree in Viniculture and is Central Coast Senior Manager for Franciscan Estate Vineyards, overseeing in excess of 1,800 acres of grapes. Collecting wine has always been fun for the Figges, but seeing wine become a catalyst for raising money for children’s charities in Collier County, takes their joy of collecting wine to a whole new level.
2007-2018
2000-2011
2010-2020
Don J. Gunther retired in June 1999 as vice chairman, director, and a member of the chairman’s leadership council of Bechtel Group, Inc. As vice chairman, he had responsibility for all of the global industry units, all corporate functions including project management, engineering, procurement, construction, information services, information technology and contracts. Don joined Bechtel in 1961 as a field engineer in the Refinery & Chemical Division. Seven months later, he was recalled by the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers to serve during the Berlin Crisis. He returned to Bechtel in 1962 and progressed through a series of increasingly responsible field positions in the United States, Canada, and in Europe over a 38 year career with the company.
Don received a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering, and an honorary doctorate from the University of Missouri at Rolla. He recently served on the board of trustees of the university and on the board of the Williams Energy Group. Don is a member of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers and a former member of the executive board for the Engineering and Construction Contracting Division of the AIChE. He is a past member of the Construction Industry Institute Executive Committee, and received their highest honor, the CII Award of Excellence. During his career Don served on the board of governors of the World Economic Forum, the World Energy Council, the boards of directors of the United States Energy Association, the U. S. – Russia Business Council, the British – North American Committee, and on the board of the United Way in Houston. Texas.
He and his wife, Mosey reside in their home in Naples, Florida. They enjoy all of the aspects of retirement and spending more time with their four children and 12 grandchildren. Don currently serves on the Bay Colony Community Association and Bay Colony Golf Club. He is the retired member of the Estates of Bay Colony Board and retired President of the Remington of Bay Colony Board. He is vice chairman of the Naples Children & Education Foundation and serves as an advisor to Northern Trust Bank, Bonita Springs, Florida.
Rosemary T. (Mosey) Gunther retired to Naples, Florida in 1999 with her husband, Don, after a career spanning almost 40 years with the Bechtel group of companies.
As Don’s career grew and his responsibilities increased over the years, the family was relocated 25 times, from jobsites and offices on the west coast to the east coast of the United States from the northern border in Canada to the southern U. S. border in Texas, including a five year assignment in London, England with global responsibilities.
In addition to relocating the entire family on each of the new assignments, Mosey frequently traveled with her husband over the last 25 years on business trips worldwide jobsites and offices.
One of Mosey’s favorite tasks when relocated was helping establish and organize a Bechtel Wives Group. Developing programs, identifying fund raising events for local charitable enterprises, helping other families settle in, many of them on their first assignment in a new environment or culture, was the fun part of her role as a partner on the Gunther team, and the world wide Bechtel family Mosey and Don have four children, and 11 grandchildren – the fun part of her new career.
Mosey and Don make their home in Naples, Florida. The highlight of retirement is when any of the children or grandchildren come to visit. The most exciting time is the annual arrival of all the children, spouses, and 12 grandchildren, who arrive ready to enjoy the Grandpa planned activities and the predictable mayhem.
Sharon and Chuck Hallberg moved to Naples in 2006 and have been involved in the NWWF for six years, and have a long history of involvement with children’s health and education.
Sharon‘s career spanned 24 years in pharmacy software applications. Her work on a pharmacy program implemented for the military and through the Department of Defense received the Presidential Recognition of Excellence award.
Chuck Hallberg founded MemberHealth, LLC, a pharmacy benefits management company. Among his many accolades, Chuck won the prestigious title of 2007 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the year in the health sciences category in Northeast Ohio.
Together Chuck and Sharon’s growth of Member Health in 2006 earned the accolade of America’s fastest growing private company by earning the #1 position in the Inc. 500.
Both are actively involved with University Hospital of Cleveland’s Rainbow, Babies and Children’s Hospital co-chairing fundraising efforts and serving on the Board of Trustees. The couple has been involved in fundraising endeavors for the Greater Naples YMCA, American Diabetes Association and Cystic Fibrosis.
2000-2011
John and Barbara Jordan became Naples residents in 1999 after the sale of their envelope manufacturing company in suburban Philadelphia. They continue their business interests as managing partners of Jordan Group LLC.
John is a graduate of Oklahoma Christian University. He is co-chair of “Gentle” Men Against Domestic Violence, with a goal to educate boys and young men to break the cycle of family violence. This group is associated with the Shelter for Abused Women and Children in Naples, where Barbara serves as a founding member of the Board of Trustees.
John and Barbara are on the Advisory Boards of shelters in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Shawnee, Oklahoma. They have worked together on the issue of domestic violence for more than 20 years along with other community service projects.
Prior to their marriage in 1985, and joining the family business, Barbara lived in New York. She was in the art publishing business for 18 years and worked with artists as diverse as Andy Warhol to the Norman Rockwell collection, distributing prints and limited editions worldwide.
Barbara received an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters degree from Cabrini College, located in Radnor, PA, with the graduating class of May 2008. This honorary degree was conferred for her “leadership and commitment to improving the lives of victims of social injustice.” She was selected one of the “Power of Ten” Women in Naples in 2008 and honored as a “Woman of Initiative” by the Community Foundation in 2009.
They both enjoy special times and golf with family and friends in both Naples and the historic Brandywine Valley in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Since 1999, Carol and Tom Lund have made Naples their home surrounded by great friends and family, not to mention wonderful golf courses and sunsets. During the summer the Lunds enjoy spending time at their lake home in Coeur D’Alene, Idaho. Before moving to Naples, the Lunds lived in Peoria, Illinois where they raised their six children, were very active in the community and where Tom ran his companies.
Tom is widely known as a pioneer of database marketing. His privately held company, Customer Development Corporation (CDC), specialized in database management and marketing for financial institutions and other various companies around the world. In 1987, CDC was honored by Inc. Magazine as the 8th fastest growing privately held company in the country. Tom, who is credited worldwide with many technical and creative innovations in the database marketing industry, also received the coveted “High-Tech Entrepreneur of the Year” award by Entrepreneur Magazine. Tom sold CDC in November of 1998 when he and Carol and their youngest daughter moved to Naples where Tom established Lund Capital Group, a private commercial real estate company that has holdings in various regions across the U.S. Soon after arriving, Tom and Carol became involved with several other families who wanted to start the Naples Winter Wine Festival of which Tom served on the first board of directors.
Carol was on the Board of Trustees at Seacrest Country Day School, served on the NWWF Grant Committee, and continues to be involved with both St. John’s Church and Barron Collier High School, where their daughter attends as a senior. Education and its delivery has always been a passion for the Lunds. They believe that learning should be, “fun for children as well as fascinating in order to engage them throughout their lives.” Their philosophy has been that “every child is uniquely gifted and it is the educator’s responsibility to build upon those gifts”. Because of this, the Lunds founded Praise and Leadership Schools (PALS) based in Peoria, Illinois, which creates a positive foundation in each child and the emphasis on learning is to make each child feel special and to find his/her gifts. The Lunds are joyful in the amount of money and dedication that their fellow Trustees and others have raised through the Naples Winter Wine Festival that has been channeled into impacting the lives of many underserved children in Collier County. They believe the reverberating effect that these gifts the children are receiving through the NCEF organization will impact generations to come and our community at large.
When not doing philanthropic work or tending to their various business ventures, the Lunds spend time with their children and grandchildren, many of whom live in Naples.
Simone Chassin Lutgert was born and raised in Pensacola, FL. She attended Memphis State University in Tennessee where she received a Bachelor of Science in Education. She was a member of Kappa Delta Phi National Honor Society and graduated magna cum laude in 1973. Simone lived in Memphis for 27 years raising her family and working as a sales & marketing executive, and in 1996 retired to Naples, Florida with her family. Simone spends most of her time volunteering for various charitable organizations. She was asked to be an Emeritus Board Member of the Golisano Children’s Museum of Naples, C’MON, after serving 7 years as a Board member and the Capital Campaign Chairman, where she raised over $30 million. Simone served three years as a committee member for the Hats in the Garden Luncheon, which benefits the Naples Botanical Garden. She is a 5 time member of the Magnolia Ball Steering committee, which benefits the Magnolia Endowment for Research and Education at NCH/Lutgert Cancer Center. Simone chaired the 2015 Ball along with her husband, Scott. Simone is co-founder of the Women of Means outreach program at the Shelter for Abused Women & Children. She served as VIP Party co-chairman for the 2012 Naples Winter Wine Festival, marketing and creative director for the 2005 and 2007 festivals, Auction Day co-chair for the 2004 festival, and served on the grant committee for the Naples Children and Education Foundation for 2 years. In addition, Simone and her husband have hosted vintner dinners for over 12 years and are Emeritus members on the Board of Trustees of the Naples Children and Education Foundation/Naples Winter Wine Festival. Simone’s numerous awards include: 2015 25 over 50, Naples Daily News; 2013 Stars in the Arts (along with Scott), United Arts Council of Collier County; 2013 Ken Venturi Award, The Shelter for Abused Women & Children; 2010 Woman of the Year, Gulfshore Life magazine; 2010 Donna Karan’s “Women Who Inspire” and 2010-2013 DK Style Ambassador; 2008 Outstanding Philanthropist (along with Scott), Community Foundation of Collier County; and 2008 Women of Style (now Women of Initiative), n magazine.
Simone enjoys spending time with her family and friends as well as traveling, playing tennis and golf, boating and working out. Together with Scott they have 7 children, 2 sons-in-law, 1 daughter-in-law and 8 grandchildren. In addition to Naples, they spend their summers at Linville Ridge Country Club in the mountains of Linville, North Carolina.
Scott Lutgert was born and raised in Chicago, IL. He attended Stanford University in California where he received a Bachelor of Science in Economics and a MBA from the University of Chicago.
He has been a resident and real estate developer in Naples and Southwest Florida since 1970 and serves as the Chairman of The Lutgert Companies. Through his leadership, The Lutgert Companies developed Park Shore, which includes 17 luxury high-rises. Additionally, the company is developed a total of eight luxury high-rises in Bonita Bay.
Scott has also developed two golf course communities, various shopping centers and office buildings including Estuary at Grey Oaks, Linville Ridge in North Carolina, The Village on Venetian Bay, The Promenade, The Northern Trust Building, Mercato, a mixed use center in North Naples, and most recently the Residences at Mercato. In 1984, Scott founded Premier Properties of Southwest Florida, Inc., to serve as the brokerage company for The Lutgert Companies’ developments. In November of 2010 Premier Properties affiliated with Sotheby’s International Realty; changed its name to Premier Sotheby’s International Realty; expanded throughout Florida; and currently operates offices from Orlando to Marco Island in Florida and offices in North Carolina. It’s headquarters is in Naples, Florida. The Lutgert Companies owns Lutgert Title, Lutgert Insurance, and Premier Commercial Properties. The company also owns many city web sites including www.naples.com, www.bonitasprings.com and www.marcoisland.com.
Scott is a member of many local and national associations and is currently on the Board of Directors for Florida Gulf Coast University and Florida’s Council of 100. He has served on the Boards of the Shelter for Abused Women and Children, The Philharmonic of Naples, Patty & Jay Baker Naples Museum of Art, Naples Community Hospital and the Naples Children and Education Foundation/Naples Winter Wine Festival, among others. He has been named a business Leadership Hall of Fame laureate by the Junior Achievement (2002) and Gulfshore Life’s Man of the Year (2004). Scott is the recipient of the Pathfinder Award from the Urban Land Institute (2004); the Outstanding Leaders in Philanthropy Award (2004) with the Trustees of the Naples Children and Education Foundation; the Edison College Foundation LIFE (Leadership In Fostering Education) Award (2007) with his father, Raymond L. Lutgert; the Outstanding Philanthropists Award (2008), and the United Arts Council – Stars in the Arts Award (2013) with his wife, Simone Lutgert.
Mr. Malone was the Founder and Managing Partner of Qorval, LLC., a financial and business restructuring, consulting and advisory firm. He has been the CEO of five Fortune 500 companies in as many industries.
Jim provided his experience and expertise to both business and community endeavors. He was an active board member of two NYSE-listed companies, Regions Financial Corporation and Ametek, Inc. and also served as a member of the Florida Council of 100. He previously served as Chairman of the Board of Governors for the nation’s third largest underwriter of property insurance, Citizens Property Insurance Corp. of Florida from 2008 to 2011. Malone also served as Gov. Jeb Bush’s appointee on the Board of Trustees of Florida Gulf Coast University from 2006 to 2011.
As a founding member of the Naples Children & Education Foundation, Jim served as co-chair of the 2007 Naples Winter Wine Festival.
Linda Richards Malone is a real estate professional with Premier Sotheby’s International Realty, as well as the owner of LRM Design Group. She was previously the co-founder of Ithaka, a luxury homebuilder.
Community involvement has always played a central role in Linda’s life, and no cause is closer to her heart than NCEF. A founding trustee of the Naples Winter Wine Festival, she has held nearly every position it has to offer, hosted a vintner dinner every year except one since its founding, and has chaired the event twice.
For the more than two decades she has called Naples home, Linda has been immersed in Collier County’s philanthropic, arts, and luxury real estate communities. From the time she first arrived, Linda supported organizations that aid at-risk and disadvantaged children, serving on the boards of The Immokalee Foundation and the Boys and Girls Club of Collier County. Currently on the board of the United Arts Council, she has also been a board member of the Community Foundation of Collier County, the David Lawrence Foundation, and the Golisano Children’s Museum of Naples (“C’mon”).
The Community Foundation of Collier County named Linda among its 2003 “Women of Initiative” and the “Outstanding Philanthropic Fundraiser” in 2007. A graduate of Leadership Collier Masters Class V, she was also listed among Florida Weekly’s 2013 “Power Women,” and Gulfshore Life’s 2014 “Men and Women of the Year.”
Linda is a native of Tulsa, Oklahoma, where she was a founding board member of the American Theatre Company, served on the boards of the Living Arts of Tulsa and Tulsa Ballet Theatre, and chaired many significant community events. Before her journey brought her to Naples, she was a board member of BalletMet in Columbus, Ohio, and the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center in Tampa, Florida.
Linda’s extensive travels have taken her to every continent, to the arts and cultural capitals of the world and to many developing countries. A person of diverse interests and experiences, she has lived in Panama and has a working knowledge of Spanish. In addition to travel, Linda enjoys golf, reading and design.
2009-2022
James W. McGlothlin has been Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer and President of The United Company since 1987. One of the country’s largest privately held companies, the United Company is headquartered in Bristol, Virginia with interests in financial services, oil and gas, roof supply distribution, golf operations and real estate.
The company started in March 1970 in surface coal mining. Jim founded the company and rode the coal boom through the energy crisis, mining and processing coal for a country hungry for energy. He has guided The United Company from its roots as one of the largest coal operations in Appalachia, into oil and gas, golf course ownership and design, financial services, and industrial distribution and manufacturing.
Along the way, the company evolved from a coal company to an investment and venture firm. United’s financial management division is now its largest: It manages assets, not only for United, but for individuals, endowments, retirement plans and trusts.
Under his leadership, the company has built significant oil-and-gas holdings in Texas and Canada, and invests in a wide variety of businesses, including pharmaceutical, Internet-based campus book stores, a mortgage-service company, and a computer chip company to name just a few.
Jim is married to Fran, an avid art collector and a member of the board of trustees of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.
2015 & 2016 Festival Co-Chairs
Sandi and Tom Moran have called Naples home for more than 40 years. Passionate about the community and its children, most of the couple’s charitable endeavors involve partnering with organizations to meet children’s needs, including nurturing their academic success and promoting arts education. As Trustees for the Naples Children and Education Foundation from 2010-2020, Sandi served as Chairman of the NCEF Board of Directors and Tom served on the Grant Committee. They co-chaired the 2015 and 2016 Naples Winter Wine Festivals, collectively raising more than $24 million for underserved children’s services in Collier County. The couple are founding patrons of Opera Naples.
Sandi is a three-time Tony Award winning Broadway Producer with current productions including Hadestown, Moulin Rouge, Mrs. Doubtfire and Tina: The Tina Turner Musical with productions of Moulin Rouge and Tina on the West End in London. She is a board member of Gulfshore Playhouse, in support of which, Sandi and Tom and the Moran Family Foundation recently pledged $5 million towards the construction of the Baker Theatre and Education Center.
Tom is the Chairman, CEO and CIO of Moran Wealth Management®. He has authored articles and been interviewed for Barron’s, The Wall Street Journal, and Naples Daily News and frequently lectures throughout the nation on the economy and financial markets. Most recently he was ranked a Forbes Best-in-State Advisor. Tom has also been designated a Barron’s Hall of Fame Advisor for his ranking as a Top 100 Financial Advisor each year for the last 12 consecutive years. He is a member of the Advisory Councils for Youth Haven and James Madison.
In recognition of their work and impact within Naples, the couple received the 2010 Philanthropist of the Year Lifetime Achievement Award; were honored among Gulfshore Life’s Men and Women of the Year in 2012; and were recognized in 2015 by the United Arts Council as Stars in the Arts for their dedication to arts education.
John S. Mueller is founder and Chairman and President of Relleum, Inc., a venture capital and real estate development company located in Naples, Florida with a satellite office in St. Clair County, Michigan. Under it’s subsidiaries of Granite Development, LLC and Granite Construction Limited, Relleum, Inc. is currently building custom homes in five communities in Lee and Collier counties, Florida.
John was born in Sarnia, Ontario, Canada, raised in Michigan and resided in California for nineteen years before immigrating to Naples in 1986.
John is a 1966 graduate of Michigan State University with a master’s degree in Marketing. He is a fourth generation descendent of the founder of the Mueller Company where he served as Owner/Director from 1975 to 1986. The Mueller Company, headquartered in Decatur, Illinois, manufactured water and gas distribution products and was the world’s largest manufacturer of fire hydrants. At the time of its sale in 1986, the Mueller Company had seventeen domestic and international production facilities and $600 million in annual sales.
John currently serves as a member of the Naples Children & Education Foundation Grant Committee.
John has two daughters and five grandchildren all living in Arizona and/or California.
2000-2004
2004-2014
2000-2009
Robert (Bob) Scott was President and Chief Operating Officer of Morgan Stanley, a global financial services firm with leading franchises in institutional and retail securities and credit services until December, 2003. He continues as an Advisory Director of the company. He was a member of the Morgan Stanley senior management team, which structured the 1997 merger with Dean Witter Discover, as well as head of the Morgan Stanley transition team for the merger. Bob was named Chief Financial Officer of Morgan Stanley Dean Witter at the time of the merger and became President and Chief Operating Officer in 2001.
Bob is a Trustee of Williams College and also serves as a member of the Advisory Council of the Stanford University Graduate School of Business. He was the co-chair of the 2003 U.S. Japan Private Sector/Government Commission. Bob is currently a Director of Genpact, a member of the Board of Trustees of the New York Presbyterian Hospital, Chairman of the American Museum of Fly Fishing and a former Executive Vice President of the Greater New York Council of the Boy Scouts of America.
Karen Scott has worked with Morgan Stanley and Thomas Publishing Co. She is a Trustee of the Naples Botanical Garden and served as Co-Chair of the 2008 Hats in the Garden Luncheon. The Scotts have five children and enjoy fly fishing and gourmet food and wine. They reside in New York.
Bruce Sherman is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of M4 Capital, and Chairman and Principal Owner of the Miami Marlins. He represents the fourth ownership in Club history after acquiring the team effective October 2, 2017. Mr. Sherman serves on Major League Baseball’s Business and Media Board, Long-Term Strategic Planning Committee, and Audit Committee.
In addition to building sustained success on and off the field, improved fan experience and a commitment to the South Florida community have been hallmarks to Mr. Sherman’s ownership as the Marlins continue investing significantly into ballpark enhancements as well as making a positive impact on our future leaders and their families through community outreach and Miami Marlins Foundation programming.
Mr. Sherman retired from his position as the Chief Executive Officer of Private Capital Management (“PCM”) in 2009. He launched PCM in 1986 and built it into the largest independent asset manager in the Southeastern United States prior to selling the firm to Legg Mason in 2001. Following the sale, he retained autonomy over PCM’s portfolio management and investment research and led the company to a prestigious #1 ranking in the country as measured by Nelson’s “World’s Best Money Managers” for the ten years ending December 31, 2005. He formerly served on the Board of Directors of Artis-Naples, the premier center for the performing and visual arts in Southwest Florida.
He graduated from the University of Rhode Island in 1969 and earned his MBA from Bernard Baruch College in 1973.
Bruce has two daughters and four grandchildren, and is married to Cynthia Sherman.
Cynthia was born and raised in New York City. She graduated from Queens College, summa cum laude, double majoring in European history and education. She taught Kindergarten in the Stamford public school system for three years and then attended Georgetown University Law Center, where she was a member of the Law Review.
Upon graduation from law school, Cynthia commenced her law career at Rogers & Wells in New York. She was promoted to partner in 1992. She was a corporate partner for eight years, specializing in transactions involving intellectual property ownership, acquisition and transfer, retiring in 2000.
Mr. and Mrs. Sherman founded the Bruce and Cynthia Sherman Charitable Foundation. The Foundation administers the Sherman Prize to recognize and reward leading individuals who go above and beyond to make exceptional, pioneering contributions and inspire tomorrow’s innovators in the fight to overcome Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. Honorees of the annual awards have hailed from the University of Miami Health System, Cleveland Clinic, University of Chicago, and Harvard Medical School, among many others. The Foundation also endows the Bruce and Cynthia Sherman Professorship in Urological Research and Innovation at New York University’s School of Medicine. In 2021, the Foundation partnered with the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine to establish the Palm Beach Vision Health Initiative, a vision screening program for pediatric underserved communities. The Foundation has also aligned with Boca Raton Regional Hospital’s Keeping the Promise campaign that will help innovate and modernize facilities, enhance and add capacity for key services, and deliver the highest quality patient care.
Elliott H. Singer is Founder and former Chairman and CEO of A+ Communications, Inc. (renamed A+ Network, Inc.). The company’s revenue grew from under $1 million to almost $100 million. Mr. Singer led A+ through a very successful Initial Public Offering in 1993 and through an approximately $300 million merger with Metrocall, where he served on the Board of Directors for over three years. He is a founding principal of Fairview Advisors, LLC, a Naples, Florida-based middle market merchant bank. Most recently, he was Chairman of the Board for BulletIN.NET, Inc., a leading provider of patent pending e-mail, wireless infrastructure and wireless applications. In addition, he was also a key advisor for SpectraFAX Corp., a leader in the unified messaging, wireless-to-print markets. Mr. Singer has a Bachelor of Administration from Tulane University and a Master of Business Administration from the Leonard R. Stern School of Business at NYU.
Retta Singer’s charitable contributions include past president of “Hero’s for Heart” for the American Heart Association, member of Davidson County Heart Board and past president of a Ronald McDonald House Christmas fundraiser and member of Un at de Vin (American Cancer wine auction charity event). She was the first female elected as President of a Junior Achievement Company and committee member for Meals on Wheels for the elderly. Retta was employed with American Airlines for 23 years.
The Singers have been married for 16 years and are enthusiasts regarding charities in their community. Their motto is: “Put something back on the table of life, you can’t just take, you must give back.”
2011-2021
2002-2015
Adria D. Starkey is the Collier County President for FineMark National Bank and Trust Company. She has 3 decades of experience in financial services. Throughout her career, Starkey held executive positions at major banking institutions including Regional President of Wachovia National Bank (Wells Fargo) and Northern Trust. She holds a degree in Finance from the University of Florida and has done post graduate work at Florida International University, University of Miami, and the University of North Carolina.
Starkey’s community involvement is extensive. She is currently a trustee of the Naples Children and Education Foundation and most recently Co-Chaired the 2014 Naples Winter Wine Festival. She also served on the Grant Committee of that organization for four years. She is on the Board of Gulfshore Playhouse, Florida Gulf Coast University College of Business Advisory Board and serves on an advisory committee for Angels Undercover. She is an Emeritus Trustee for The Shelter for Abused Women and Children and chaired that Board for 2 years. She was a founding member of Girls Inc. which developed into the Boys and Girls Club of Collier County. Past Directorships also include Artis Naples, The University of Florida Harn Museum, EDC (Economic Development Council of Collier County), The Education Foundation, FGCU Foundation Board and the Community School of Naples.
In 2008, Starkey received the Edison College Leadership in Fostering Education Award and in 2000; she was named Woman of the Year by Gulfshore Life and Woman of Achievement by The Community Foundation. She is a graduate of the 1999 Leadership Collier Class. She was most recently awarded a Glass Slipper for her continued commitment to Education by the Champions for Learning Organization.
2000-2008
2000-2009
2000-2007
Ralph C. Stayer is the owner of Johnsonville, LLC. Ralph joined his parents’ family business after earning a finance degree from the University of Notre Dame in 1965. He led the company from 1968-on, retiring as CEO in 2015. He served as Chairman of the Board until 2020, when his wife Shelly assumed the role. Under his leadership, Johnsonville expanded from a small butcher shop to a thriving global brand.
During his four decades as leader of the company, Ralph grew Johnsonville from a local Wisconsin brand, to an international leader in the food industry. The strong relationships he cultivated with customers, distributors and partners around the globe led to increased sales and an extensive presence worldwide. Today, Johnsonville is the No. 1 national sausage brand and is enjoyed by consumers in more than 40 countries.
Ralph’s accomplishments extend well beyond the company’s sales and financial success. His business operations method has been lauded for its “people-first” focus, blending teamwork and individual accountability, thus developing exceptional talent at all levels. In 1982, Ralph developed “The Johnsonville Way,” a unique and highly regarded company culture focused on growth, accountability and developing one’s God-given talents. More than 40 years later, “The Johnsonville Way” continues to guide how the organization and its members operate.
In 1990, Ralph established the Leadership Dynamics consulting firm, which specialized in coaching leaders of large organizations on strategy and execution through people. He wrote “How I Learned to Let My Workers Lead,” which was published in the Harvard Business Review – one of their top 100 most reprinted articles. He also co-authored the business best-seller, Flight of the Buffalo, published by Warner Books. His current book, Love Your Neighbor, will be in bookstores in Fall 2023. Ralph also writes two monthly book reviews for Gulfshore Life magazine.
Ralph was named CEO of the Year by Tom Peters in 1988 and was a finalist in the Ernst & Young National Entrepreneur of the Year Award in 2000.
Ralph is a First Tee Trustee and a Trustee of Boys and Girls Clubs in the Midwest Region. He has served on the Board of Directors of Brunswick Corporation, was Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Marian University and was on the Boston College Board of Trustees. Ralph also served on the Board of Advisors for the Notre Dame Executive Education Department and on the Board of CEO.org.
Shelly Stayer is co-owner and Chairman of the Board of Johnsonville, LLC, the nation’s No. 1 sausage brand that has grown from a small butcher shop into a billion dollar global operation.
Beyond business, her true passion is philanthropy. She founded the Shelly Stayer Shelter for Human Trafficking Victims in 2018. Located in Immokalee, Florida, the 15,000-square-foot shelter in Collier County provides a safe haven for victims of human trafficking and domestic violence.
In addition to Shelly’s philanthropic efforts, she has also co-authored The Weight of a Father’s Shadow.
Shelly has chaired some of the highest profile fundraising endeavors in the states of Florida and Wisconsin. Her work spans national and local political campaigns, philanthropic endeavors and non-profit organizations. Shelly’s involvement in community relations in Naples, Florida and the State of Wisconsin has helped countless children and families in-need as is evidenced by her many affiliations, which include:
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