Board of Directors

Lyn Cacella joined Florida Public Utilities in November of 2013. She has been involved with the Chamber for several decades, serving in many roles- as a member, BOD member, Trustee, committee chair and event chair.

In her current position with FPU, Lyn pursues strategic opportunities for growth and reputation by cultivating partnerships and strengthening relationships with community organizations, energy partners, contractors, economic/business development and government agencies.  She provides leadership for business development team members and programs, works cross-functionally with company stakeholders to design and execute growth initiatives and manages related activities and event planning.
Ms. Cacella currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Central Florida Clean Cities Coalition, is a Committee-member for the Southern Natural Gas Association, the Florida Natural Gas Association, and the Florida Propane Gas Association. She is immediate past-Secretary for the Deerfield Beach Historical Society and over the years has served on the Boards for the Florida Chapter of the National Agri-Marketing Association, Florida Ag in the Classroom, Leadership Palm Beach County and the Palm Beach Chapter of the Florida Nursery Growers and Landscape Association.
She holds a Six Sigma Green Belt, is a graduate of the Wedgworth Leadership for Agriculture and Natural Resources program, Leadership Palm Beach County, Florida Atlantic University’s Frontline Leadership Training/Leadership Skills for Women in Management program; in her leisure time uses her Range Officer Certification from the National Rifle Association and her Level I Instructor certification from the National Sporting Clays Association to teach/introduce  women to the exciting world of sporting clays.

Florida Public utilities was established in 1924 and currently provides electric, natural gas and propane products and services throughout Florida. It is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Chesapeake Utilities.

Pam Tahan currently serves as the Chief Operating Officer at Wellington Regional Medical Center and has fifteen years as a seasoned, senior health care executive. Before joining Wellington Regional Medical Center, Pam served as the Chief Operating Officer at Wilkes-Barre General Hospital in Pennsylvania and Heart of Florida Regional Medical Center. Additionally, Pam served as the Chief Executive Officer at Summit Medical Center in Arizona.

Pam holds a Master in Healthcare Administration from Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, a Bachelor of Science in Policy Analysis and Management from Cornell University. Pam has a professional association with the American College of Healthcare Executives and sits on the Board of Cornell University – Sloan Program in Health Administration, King’s College School of Business – MHA Program and Healthy Northeast Pennsylvania Initiative.

Eddy L. Rodriguez is a Senior Vice President Palm Beach Commercial Lending for First Horizon Bank. He manages the Commercial Portfolio for Palm Beach County and the Treasure Coast focusing on Middle Market Companies ranging from $10MM to over $250MM in revenue. Although Eddy specializes in the Agribusiness and Healthcare industries, he also serves clients in Importing/Export, Manufacturing, and Service Industries throughout the footprint. Eddy earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting and Financing as well as his Master’s in Business Administration with a Finance Concentration from Palm Beach Atlantic University. He also has over 17-years of experience in commercial banking and the finance industry; also, he has been an active member of the Central Palm Beach County Chamber since 2005. Eddy is a Palm Beach County native and resides in Wellington with his wife Lisa and their two children, Eduardo and Zoë.

John Carter is the Vice President of Planning & Development with Minto Communities – Southeast Florida. John Carter is a 20+ year veteran of the civil engineering/development industry. Over his career he has specialized in program management of large-scale development programs and building successful teams to implement development programs. John is also a Certified Professional Planner. John’s first professional post was with a national engineering company (Kimley-Horn) where he departed after building a successful practice and being invited into the ownership structure of the company. Most recently John focused his talents as Vice President of Planning and Development for WCI Communities where he managed a development portfolio of $700 million with an annual cash flow in excess of $100 million. In this leadership role John and his team were responsible for all land acquisition, planning, engineering, and construction of amenity-rich master planned communities. Currently, John directs the land acquisition, planning and development activities for Minto-Southeast Florida operations.

Florida Power & Light Company External Affairs Manager Stephanie Mitrione is responsible for the communities of Northern and Western Palm Beach County, as well as Okeechobee County. In this role, she serves as the external representative for the company and is responsible for building and maintaining relationships with elected officials and other key stakeholders in these communities. Stephanie joined FPL, the largest rate-regulated electric utility in Florida, in April 2009.

Stephanie takes great pride in being active in her community. Currently, she serves as Chair of the Board of the Palm Beach North Chamber of Commerce, is on the Executive Committee of the Central Palm Beach County Chamber of Commerce, and is also on the Board for Quantum House, the Lake Okeechobee Regional Economic Alliance, the South Florida Fair, SunFest and the Economic Council of Okeechobee County. In addition, she is a graduate of the Leadership Palm Beach County Class of 2015 and was the recipient of the 2017 ATHENA Young Professional Leadership Award.

Stephanie earned a Bachelor of Science degree from the Carroll School of Management at Boston College. She’s a Palm Beach County native, and currently resides in Jupiter with her husband, son and daughter.

Francisco J. Gonzalez is an attorney and partner at the Wellington-based law firm of Gonzalez, Shenkman & Buckstein, P.L., where he heads the firm’s commercial and residential real estate and business transactions practice. Gonzalez, formerly of Steel, Hector & Davis, LLP, earned his B.S. with honors in Journalism and Communications from the University of Florida in 1991, after which he attended the Catholic University of America, graduating in 1994 with his Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree. Active in the community, Gonzalez sits on Board member and is legal counsel for our association; concurrently, serves as vice-chair of the Central Palm Beach County Chamber Economic Development Task Force. He has served on the board of Junior Achievement of the Palm Beaches and is a Class of 2002 graduate of Leadership West Palm Beach. Frank and his wife, Christina, reside in Wellington with their three sons, Nicholas, Nathan and Daniel.

Andrew McGinnis is Regional Vice President of the Palm Beach & Treasure Coast Market for TD Bank.  Andrew’s primary responsibilities include managing the Middle Market, Commercial and Small Business lines of business for Palm Beach, Martin, St. Lucie, and Indian River Counties.  Andrew began covering the Palm Beach market in May 2015, and prior to that he spent the majority of his 23+ year banking career in Central Florida.  Andrew is a 1993 graduate of the University of Florida with a Bachelor’s Degree in Finance.  His wife Laura is a grammar school principal and they have two daughters, Meredith and Elizabeth.

Current Responsibilities

Matt is an interim General Manager at the Mall at Wellington Green for the JLL Retail Group. He currently serves as the primary property management contact for the property. Matt leads a team that includes, but not limited to: management, operations, marketing, and specialty leasing. He also serves as a Leasing Manager for MacArthur Center (VA), Northlake Mall (NC), River Ridge (VA), Westland Mall (FL) and The Mall at Wellington Green (FL).

Experience

Prior to the interim General Manager position with The Mall at Wellington Green, Matt trained as a General Manager at The Galleria in Fort Lauderdale, FL. He worked closely with the current General Manager and gained experience in managing a mall.

Before Matt’s time at The Galleria, he spent 2 years in Tenant Coordination and Construction for the JLL Retail Group. He was responsible for managing Tenant Construction at Halcyon, which is a new mixed-use development in Alpharetta, GA. He ensured that each tenant at Halcyon was performing in accordance to the objectives and goals set out by the client.

Matt also spent time in the Retail Rotational Program at JLL, where he spent several months learning the basics in each department in the Retail Group which included: Property Management, Operations, Leasing, Development, Marketing, and Accounting.

Before his time at JLL, Matt spent 5 years in outside sales for United Distributors in Smyrna, GA. He was responsible for beverage distribution to grocery stores in Buckhead, Brookhaven, and Sandy Springs. Matt represented several large portfolios such as MillerCoors, Diageo, InBev, Sweetwater and Heineken.

Education and Affiliations

Matt is a graduate of Hampden-Sydney College and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology. He played middle linebacker for the Hampden-Sydney Football team and was a four-year letterman in the program. During his tenure, the Tigers won 2 ODAC Conference Championships with a combined record of 35-5. Matt has a real estate license in the State of Georgia and is an active member of the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC).

Mary Lou Bedford became the CEO of the Central Palm Beach County Chamber of Commerce on July 1, 2015. Since accepting the position, Mary Lou has provided direction to maintain the organization’s philosophy, vision, mission, while focusing on the goals and objections. She has implemented new procedures as well as improved programs to better serve the membership. Under her leadership, there has been a greater emphasis on advocacy and economic development resulting in higher levels of partnering, collaboration, and finding solutions to better serve the needs of the business community.

Mary Lou received her B.S. in Communications with concentrations in Public Relations and Media from California State University, Sacramento.

A resident of Wellington for the past 23 years, Mary Lou and her husband, Scott, are involved in many organizations throughout Palm Beach County. They have two wonderful daughters, Hilary and Amy.

Rikki Lober Bagatell is a Partner in Shutts & Bowen’s Corporate and Real Estate Practice Groups in the West Palm Beach Office.  In her corporate practice, she represents domestic and foreign clients in connection with the purchase and sale of businesses through asset transfer, stock transfer, merger, and other structures; the formation of business entities and joint ventures; strategic planning and compliance matters; private offerings of securities and venture capital transactions; contracts, including commercial agreements, sales agreements, license agreements, confidentiality and non-disclosure agreements, employment agreements and non-competition agreements; split-ups; and general corporate matters.  Her healthcare practice includes structuring of new healthcare-related ventures, purchase and sale of provider and healthcare businesses, shareholder agreements, employment agreements, governance issues, and general corporate advice. She has extensive experience in the area of sophisticated commercial real estate transactions, including all phases of real estate acquisitions, development, financing, including tax credit financing, leasing and dispositions.

Ann-Marie Batten is the Owner and Agency Principal of Batten Insurance Services – a Premier Exclusive Allstate Agency. Ann-Marie has over 25 years experience in the Insurance industry and has been an agency owner for over 5 years serving the western communities with two locations in Wellington and Palm Beach Gardens/West Palm Beach (Ibis).

Her team is currently one of the largest Allstate agency in Palm Beach County and among other levels of recognition has earned the title of Top Commercial Producer several years in a row.

Ann-Marie has a Bachelor’s degree in Marketing from Florida Atlantic University and a Master’s degree in Organizational Leadership from Palm Beach Atlantic University.   Ann-Marie enjoys volunteering and has been involved with many organizations in Palm Beach County over the years.

As Vice President of Land Development for WGI, Jeff oversees the design and approvals of private land planning projects throughout Palm Beach and Broward Counties.  His experience includes all aspects of the approval process from due diligence and design through entitlements and construction on a diverse range of projects including residential, commercial, institutional, industrial, infill and redevelopment efforts. Originally from Canada, Jeff relocated to West Palm Beach in 2000 to join the planning firm of Land Design South, where he was managing partner.  He is a registered Landscape Architect in FL, having previously served as State Chapter President of the American Society of Landscape Architects.

Bio coming soon…

Rob Holden has been a part of the Palm Beach County business community for over 10 years. He spent his early childhood with his family in England, before returning to the states where he completed his education and graduated from Florida Atlantic University with a Bachelor Degree in Marketing. His career spans retail sales and management, waste management, recycling and event operations. His career began at Olde Native Trading Company where he served as the Territory Manager for South Florida and then National Sales Manager. In 2008 he joined the team at Southern Waste Systems where he served as the Senior Account Manager until their recent acquisition. Currently, Rob oversees the Construction Accounts Division for Waste Management of Florida, Inc.

His dedication to serving the community includes serving on the Habitat for Humanity Northern Palm Beach County Golf Committee and the PGA Hope Foundation Committee.  He is a member of the Construction Association of South Florida, the Associated General Contractors of America and the AEC Trendsetters as well as a Honda Classic Ambassador.

Holden is a graduate of the 2014 Leadership Palm Beach County Focus Program and a member of the 2009 Central Palm Beach County Chamber Leadership class.

Rob and his wife Lauren live in Jupiter with their daughters, Emma and Ealyn.

Chadi Irani serves as the Senior Director of Sales Strategy at The Palm Beach Post. He has developed a team of experts who execute high-level campaigns and strategic accounts, handling all aspects of media strategy, planning, media placement, digital optimization, and reporting. Chadi plays a pivotal role as liaison between vendors and partners, leveraging relationships with digital leaders through The Post’s parent company Gannett as a part of USA Today Network to bring best practices and the latest technologies to Palm Beach County businesses. Chadi has led client seminars with representatives from top digital media agencies, such as Google and Facebook.
Irani is a graduate of Leadership Palm Beach, class of 2009, and currently resides with his family in West Palm Beach.

Ken Kosza is the Chief Operations Officer of Retreat Premier Addiction Treatment Centers, providing executive leadership to over 600 employees for the past five years. Ken has been instrumental in the rapid growth and expansion of the company from a local treatment center in Lancaster, PA to a nationwide brand. In 2016, Retreat opened its flagship location here in Palm Beach County, and is currently orchestrating the opening of a location in New Haven, CT; further expanding the footprint of Retreat and the capacity to serve our communities with nearly 400 residential beds.

Prior to joining Retreat, Ken had a strong clinical background, working as an outpatient therapist for several years at Rehab After Work/Life Counseling Services and progressing quickly into the role of Director of Business Development. Through this role and then eventually as the Executive Director and Vice President, Ken was a key contributor as the company expanded to become a more global healthcare provider; Onward Behavioral Health, which included over 25 branch locations and 400+ employees.

Ken completed his undergraduate studies in Psychology at Springfield College and earned his Masters degree in Clinical Psychology from Lasalle University. He serves as a board member of DASPOP (Drug and Alcohol Services Providers Organization of Pennsylvania). He resides in Wellington with his wife Andrea and their five children.

Kimberly is passionate about the role education plays in improving lives and creating opportunities for students and communities.  She serves as the Campus President of Keiser University, Florida’s Career University, in West Palm Beach. She is on numerous local boards including the Career Source of Palm Beach County, the Economic Council, the Education Foundation, the Literacy Council, the YWCA, and Junior Achievement and is a Class of 2016 graduate of Leadership Palm Beach County.   Kimberly has served on multiple panels discussing issues in higher education and leadership.  She enjoys supporting organizations which are dedicated to promoting education as well as helping to advance and support women and children. Kimberly lives in Jupiter and has four amazing children.

David Leland is the co-founder and CEO of Print It Plus, a commercial printing company that he and his wife, Kimberly Leland, started in Royal Palm Beach in 1988. David has worked to improve the western communities where he has lived and owned his business for nearly 30 years. As an active member of the Central Palm Beach County Chamber of Commerce since 1989, serving on the board from 1990 to 2000 and most notably serving as Vice President of Operations in 1993 and President in 1995. In his 28 year tenure as a member of the chamber, David has given his time to assisting in the staging and production of the Central Palm Beach County Chamber Holiday Parade nearly every year. In addition to his dedication to the chamber, David sits on the Planning and Zoning board of the Village of Royal Palm Beach and has also been involved in the Crestwood Middle School SAC Committee, the Royal Palm Beach Jaycees, the Royal Palm Beach High School Parental Debate Committee, and was a youth football coach for over 30 years. David and his wife have three children. Their oldest daughter Kathryn Leland Napier works for E.J. Gallo Winery. Their middle child, Kayla Leland Pragid works as an attorney at the Law Firm of Akerman. Their youngest child, Dallas Leland is in College at UCF.

Ana Machado-Rosacker joined Bethesda Hospital in 2012 as the Director of Nursing for Bethesda Hospital West, with the responsibility of assisting with the opening of Bethesda Hospital West and, in 2016, she advanced her career within Bethesda to the position of Assistant Vice President, Patient Care Services.   In May of 2020, Ana was promoted to Vice President of Administration for Bethesda Hospital West.  Prior to her employment with Bethesda, Ana worked for 18 years at the Palm Beach County, Health Care District.  During her 18 years with the Health Care District, she held many different clinical positions and was an integral part of opening the replacement hospital, Lakeside Medical Center, where she was the Director, Critical Care, Telemetry and Medical Surgical.  Ana consecutively held clinical positions at Palm West Hospital, for 7 years.

Ms. Rosacker received her Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing from Florida Atlantic University, and later her Master of Science in Nursing with a dual in Nursing Administrative Leadership and Healthcare Management.  She has continued her education through the University of Berkley, Executive Education, for Leading Innovate Change.  Ana is a member of the American Organization of Nurse Executives, belongs to the Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society and holds certifications for Hospital Incident Command System (HICS) and FEMA Emergency Management Institute.

Ana was born in Miami, Florida and raised in Clewiston, Florida.  She has one son, Brenton, that graduated from Florida State University and is currently attending The University of Denver Law school.

Mr. Malefatto has been practicing environmental, land use and administrative law in Florida since 1980. He has represented Fortune 500 companies, developers, home builders, small businesses, and local governments in a variety of environmental permitting, enforcement and transactional matters, and in all manner of Florida land use proceedings.

He leverages his in-depth knowledge and broad experience in environmental and land use law to keep clients up-to-date on regulatory trends before regulations are adopted and counsels clients when environmental issues arise. Mr. Malefatto is intimately familiar with all aspects of environmental permitting and land development entitlements, and has handled a broad range of projects and activities, including condominium, marina and mixed-use developments, brownfields redevelopment, land use and environmental approvals for utility plants, contaminated property remediation and the defense of enforcement actions by local, state and federal governmental agencies. He also guides clients involved in corporate and real estate transactions through necessary and Important due diligence evaluations.

Mr. Malefatto holds an AV® Preeminent™ Rating from Martindale-Hubbell and has been listed in Best Lawyers in America, Super Lawyers and every edition of Chambers & Partners USA Guide since its inception in 2003. Mr. Malefatto earned his J.D. from the University of Florida College of Law in 1979, and a B.A. from New York University in 1975.

Johnathan was born and raised in South Florida. He attended Sacred Heart Catholic School and Cardinal Newman High School. He has a 6 year old son named Nathan and is married to his wife Morgan Manning. He worked at the Palm Beach Kennel Club for 12 years Managing their Poker Room before joining his dad in July of 2017. He is also an avid golfer.

Adam McCarthy is a Principal at PROforma Turnkey Marketing and is responsible for the overall oversight of the company’s sales growth and business development initiatives. PROforma is a full-service marketing company that specializes in cutting-edge services and products to meet clients’ needs and challenges across all industries. PROforma’s key offerings are Promotional Products, Commercial Print, Direct Mail, Digital Media, Smart Communications, Online Company Stores and Corporate Apparel.

When approaching a new opportunity, McCarthy concentrates on designing and implementing programs to help clients achieve their marketing goals. His breadth of product knowledge and decades of experience have styled him into something of an expert at connecting clients with different products and practices to help round out their strategy. This very approach has lent itself to countless sales achievement and excellence awards within his own industry year after year.

While not a native of Florida, McCarthy moved to the Sunshine State in 1985 to Wellington, and has spent the better part of his life here. He attended Florida State University and has been an active member of the Palm Beach County business community for the last 20 years. He is a former Trustee Member of the Central Palm Beach County Chamber of Commerce.

Adam and his wife, Denise, live in Lake Worth and are the proud parents of son, Parker, and daughter, Ella.

Michael Morgan currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer at the Center for Bone and Joint Surgery of the Palm Beaches, PA.  Michael has been in the healthcare industry for six years, demonstrating a commitment to providing the citizens of Palm Beach County accessible, quality orthopedic care in the midst of a vastly changing industry.  Michael graduated with honors, earning a bachelor’s degree in accounting and finance at the University of Kentucky and is currently finishing his MBA at Florida Atlantic University.

With 20-plus years in the financial services industry, Carol O’Neil founded CEO Financial Services about five years ago to help people get their “financial house in order” – and keep it that way for the rest of their lives. Her idea was simple: create a comprehensive financial plan for each client and then manage this plan toward each goal. This allows clients more time to concentrate on things they cannot delegate. The business has expanded and now offers far more comprehensive financial services. “After many years in this business, the financial issues have become the easy part; what motivates me now is empowering our clients to make the most intelligent choices with their money, fulfill their aspirations and seeing them experience genuine happiness and security in their lives,” O’Neil said. “This gives us a sense that we are making a difference helping coach people.” She holds degrees in economics and communications from Allegheny College in Pennsylvania and is a certified financial divorce analyst. She is pursuing her certified financial planner designation and a master’s in taxation. O’Neil and her husband, Jim, live in Lake Worth. Most of their free time is spent with their immediate family or involved with the community.

Palm Beach State College President Ava L. Parker leads the County’s largest higher education institution with a strategic approach emphasizing innovation, student success, and business and community collaboration. Parker is the first female president in the history of the institution, which opened in 1933 as Florida’s first public community college. Under Parker’s leadership, the College is taking proactive, transformative measures to meet the evolving needs of our community and has recently added two new bachelor’s degree programs and established a cross-cultural equity institute with a vision to lead institutions worldwide in research, development, and implementation of culturally relevant practices to support successful outcomes for all students.

Parker is engaged in higher education policy issues as a member of the governing board for the American Association of Community Colleges and the advisory board for the Community College Research Center which is a part of the Teacher’s College of Columbia University. Her leadership extends beyond higher education. She serves on the board of directors of Orchid Island Capital as well as the Board of Professional Holding Corp., the financial holding company for Professional Bank. She is a member of the Florida Council of 100, the Women’s International Leadership Forum, Leadership Florida Board, South Florida’s Orange Bowl Committee and on the board of our own Central Palm Beach Chamber.

Before joining Palm Beach State, Parker was executive vice president and chief operating officer at Florida Polytechnic University and served for more than a decade on the Florida Board of Governors of the State University System, the University of Central Florida Board of Trustees and general counsel at Edward Waters College.

Most recently, Parker was recognized as one of Florida’s Most Influential Business Leaders in Florida Trend’s 2020 Florida 500 issue.

Tad Rowe was born in Florida, graduated from Forest Hill High School in 1985 and received his Bachelors of Science in Civil Engineering from the University of Florida in 1994.  He currently resides in Palm Beach Gardens with his wife and 2 children.  Tad is a professional engineer and has been with Simmons & White since 1996.  His areas of expertise include commercial, residential and equestrian land development including design and permitting of paving, drainage, and water and wastewater systems.  Mr. Rowe has managed and supervised many projects from inception through completion, working with all involved parties – clients, elected officials, regulatory agencies, attorneys, funding agencies, sub-consultants, construction contractors, and the public.

Judy Clayton Sanchez is the Senior Director of Corporate Communications and Public Affairs for the United States Sugar Corp. She joined U.S. Sugar in 1994, transferring from its South Bay Growers vegetable operations. She is responsible for U. S. Sugar’s media and public relations activities and its public education/information programs, and coordinates all external and internal communications functions, acts as corporate spokeswoman and assists with the company’s public affairs efforts. Sanchez has a bachelor’s degree in communications and attended the University of Florida’s College of Journalism and Communication and Florida Atlantic University. She serves on the board of directors for the Agriculture Institute of Florida, Western Palm Beach County Farm Bureau, Sustainable Florida and the Lake Okeechobee Regional Economic Alliance of Palm Beach County. Sanchez serves on the Public Education Advisory Committee for The Sugar Association and the steering committee of the Lake Okeechobee Regional Initiative, Collins Center. She is member of the Belle Glade and Clewiston chambers of commerce. She also served on the South Florida Water Management District’s Water Resources and Advisory Council and its Lake Okeechobee subcommittee. Sanchez and her husband, Julio, live in Belle Glade and have two grown sons. She is a member of the First United Methodist Church.

Mickey Smith received his undergraduate degree, in engineering, from Virginia Tech and his law degree, with high honors, from Duke University School of Law. Smith has practiced trial law in Florida for more than 30 years. He is board-certified and recertified as a specialist in civil trial law by both The Florida Bar and the National Board of Trial Advocacy. Smith’s practice is limited to representing individuals and families who have suffered serious personal injury, wrongful death or have been victimized by the bad-faith practices of an insurance company. For many years, Smith represented the interests of insurance companies, but since 2002, he has exclusively represented ordinary people with valid claims. His efforts have been repeatedly recognized by his peers. Smith has been elected to The Best Lawyers in America (personal injury and insurance law); The Lawdragon 500 Leading Plaintiff’s Lawyers in America; Florida Super Lawyers; Florida Legal Elite; Florida’s Top Lawyers; and the American Board of Trial Advocates (past president of Palm Beach chapter and current executive committee member). Smith is also a member of MENSA. He has lived in the western communities for more than 25 years with his wife, Elizabeth, a public school teacher. He realizes that being a good lawyer involves not only knowledge of the law, but also being compassionate and responsive to clients’ needs.

Michael Stone is an integral part of the Equestrian Sport Productions (ESP) and International Equestrian Group (IEG) team. He currently serves as the President of ESP, overseeing all aspects of management at Palm Beach International Equestrian Center (PBIEC), as well as holds responsibility for community outreach efforts, alongside marketing and promotional campaigns for ESP. He is the representative and liaison to the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF), Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI), and other related organizations.

Caroline Villanueva is South Florida External Affairs Manager for Florida Crystals Corporation where she is responsible for projects pertaining to policy, economic development and community relations in Palm Beach County. Ms. Villanueva has worked closely with agricultural property owners and local governments for over a decade.

Prior to joining Florida Crystals Corporation, Caroline was a senior land planner at Urban Design Kilday Studios where she prepared comprehensive plan amendments including for the Florida Crystals’ South Florida Intermodal Logistics Center in western Palm Beach County. Prior to UDKS, Caroline was an Asset Manager for Lennar Homes’ joint venture projects in St. Lucie County. She was responsible for managing corporate partnerships and entitlements of large, master planned property holdings. Caroline began her career at the U.S. Government Accountability Office in Atlanta where she was responsible for policy analysis of certain federal programs. She received her Master of Science in Public Policy and Management from the Heinz School at Carnegie Mellon University and undergraduate business degree from the University of Miami.

Caroline is the company’s board member to the Central Palm Beach County Chamber of Commerce. She is a board member of the Lake Okeechobee Regional Economic Alliance of Palm Beach County and a board member of Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies Coalition of Palm Beach County. Caroline also represents the company at the Glades Career Readiness Roundtable. She is a graduate of Leadership Palm Beach County. Caroline is a member of the Palm Beach County Planning Congress. She also is a mentor in HMHB’s Cribs to Caps Program and volunteers with Junior Achievement.

Rene Herrera currently works at Office Depot as an IT Audit Director responsible for managing audit projects across Office Depot business units. Prior to Office Depot, Rene worked at Verizon for 15 years in International Operations and Internal Audit. He led projects in Latin America, Europe and Asia. Rene has a Computer Engineering degree from Universidad Simon Bolivar in Caracas Venezuela. He was the recipient of a scholarship-loan from the World Bank to complete an MBA from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland Ohio. He was the recipient of the Enterprise Development Scholarship at the Weatherhead School of business. He attended the BI Norwegian School of Management in Sandvika Norway for his last MBA semester.

Through his career, Rene has been committed to support the community and his Company’s Hispanic Employees Resource Group (ERG). He served as the Mid-Atlantic chapter president and later as a National president of the Verizon Hispanic Support Organization ERG. He founded and lead the Office Depot Hispanic SOMOS ERG. He has volunteered at the Chacao Homeless Children Foundation in Venezuela, NY Junior Achievement and HISPA. He received the 2012 ASPIRA Hispanic Circle of Achievers award in recognition of his professional accomplishments as well as his commitment and service to the Latino/Hispanic community. He received the HISPA 2010 and 2013 Role Model of the year recognition award for his consistent participation as a role model in schools across New Jersey. Currently, he serves in the board of HISPA (Hispanics Inspiring Student’s Performance and Achievement) and brought the HISPA role model program to schools in South Florida.

Brandon Lopez began his professional career in media before he could legally vote. Fresh out of high school, he started as an intern at an award-winning local lifestyle magazine, where he was quickly promoted to Assistant Director of the Digital Marketing division.

From the magazine, Brandon made the switch to television, working in various positions at WSVN and WTVJ before moving north to West Palm Beach as Senior Digital Producer at WPBF.

He joined the station in the middle of the 2016 political season, affording him the opportunity to create digital and social media strategies, including the Florida Senatorial Debate between Marco Rubio and Patrick Murphy.

Brandon then returned to WTVJ and WSCV and served as a Duopoly Digital Producer and Reporter, where he maintained the station’s digital and social media platforms, and contributed segments to NBC 6 News and the station’s lifestyle show, 6 in the Mix.

Now, Brandon returned to West Palm Beach and serves as the Digital Media Manager at WPBF, overseeing the station’s digital operations, implementing social and digital strategies and more.

Throughout his career, he has covered major events such as the tragic Marjory Stoneman Douglas shooting, the FIU Bridge collapse, three Presidential elections, a Presidential debate and has covered much lighter stories, such as the red carpet at Premios tu Mundo, the grand opening of Toy Story Land at Walt Disney World and has interviewed many celebrities like Halle Berry, Sofia Vergara and Prince Royce.

In his spare time, Brandon enjoys traveling, meditation and visiting new restaurants in the South Florida area.

Maggie Wiegandt has been a healthcare administration for over 18 years. In her current role as Administrative Director for Outreach and Liaison Development, she leads business development and philanthropic activities for Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital in Palm Beach County. In her past role as Vice President of Oncology Services, she was responsible for providing programmatic, operational and strategic leadership to further the growth, improved outcomes and integration of cancer services within the Memorial Healthcare System. Memorial is located in Broward County and it the 3^rd largest public healthcare system in the nation.

Maggie has had extensive involvement in the community.  Her community commitments have included Gilda’s Club of South Florida Executive Committee Chair, American Cancer Society Board Member, Making Strides against Cancer Committee Chair, Pink Angels of the Memorial Foundation Executive Committee Member, and Past Chair of the Board for Miramar/Pembroke Pines Chamber of Commerce. Most recently she has been very involved with the Junior League of the Palm Beaches and was a member of the Central Palm Beach Chamber’s Women of Worth committee. Her awards have included South Florida Business Journal Power Leaders in Healthcare, 1,000 Plus Woman of the Year, Hispanic Woman of Distinction and South Florida Business Journal Up and Comers.

Maggie earned her Bachelor of Science Florida State University and a combined Master of Healthcare Administration and Master in Business Administration from the University of Houston.  She lives in Palm Beach County with her family.