Board of Directors

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.

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.

Laura Trosclair is Executive Vice President of Domestic Retail Banking for Amerant, heading the bank’s retail operations, and the strategy for the Bank’s domestic retail expansion, which includes branches in Florida, New York, and Texas. Prior to joining Amerant, Trosclair was Executive Vice President for Regions Bank, responsible for retail franchising, which included the oversight of the organization’s 110 banking centers throughout the region. Her 27-year career at Regions included roles as Senior Retail Executive, Executive Vice President and Chief Retail Banking Officer, and Executive Vice President, to name a few. She is a Board Member of the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Southern Florida and a former Board Member of the Chamber of Commerce of the Palm Beaches. Laura holds a Bachelors Degree in Science in Business Administration from Florida Southern College and is a graduate from the University of Washington, Pacific Coast Banking School.

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. Stephanie joined FPL, which is the largest rate-regulated electric utility in Florida, in April 2009.

During her time at FPL, she has managed the company’s sponsorships and led home energy and electrical safety makeovers and non-profit energy makeover events all over the state. Originally part of the company’s marketing group, she promoted the company’s energy efficiency and electric vehicles programs, managed trade shows and guided key customer communications. Stephanie also led high-profile events for FPL, including the dedication of the world’s first solar-thermal hybrid power plant, which included participation by Gov. Rick Scott and garnered national media attention.

Prior to joining FPL, Stephanie worked at WPBF-TV 25 and the Northern Palm Beach County Chamber of Commerce. Stephanie has always been actively engaged in her community. Currently, she serves on the Steering Council for the Northern Palm Beach County Chamber of Commerce’s Women in Business group and the Palm Beach Gardens Police Foundation Board. In addition, she is on the Quantum House Advisory Council and she has been a member of the Steering Committee for the ArtiGras Fine Arts Festival for nine years. She was named runner-up for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s 2012 Woman of the Year campaign, raising more than $23,000, and she is an active campaign candidate mentor. Stephanie is also a member of the Leadership Palm Beach County Class of 2015.

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 Palm Beach Gardens.

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.

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.

Jay Botsch joined Starwood Retail Partners at Wellington Green as General Manager in early July.  He comes to the West Palm Beach area after being General Manager of WestShore Plaza in Tampa for over 13 years plus many years of history within the industry.  While in Tampa, Mr. Botsch was strongly involved with facilitating extensive redevelopment plans for the property, which were announced in late 2018.  Additionally, Mr. Botsch was an active member of the WestShore (Business) Alliance and recently completed his term as President.  The WestShore Alliance serves the largest critical mass office district in Florida which over the years has been at the front line of FDOT Interstate expansion plans, establishing a future multimodal site and generated comprehensive studies to steer future road and transit improvements.

Jay and his wife Glynn will relocate to the area in the coming months.

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.

Robbin Lee served as the Chief Executive Officer at Wellington Regional Medical Center and has over twenty-five years as a seasoned, senior health care executive. Before joining Wellington Regional Medical Center, Robbin served as Chief Operating Officer at HCA’s Lawnwood Regional Medical Center and JFK Medical Center, as well as the Chief Executive Officer at Northlake Medical Center in Atlanta. Robbin’s major focus is leading not-for-profit and for-profit, academic and community based healthcare organizations and is a results-oriented, decisive leader with success in providing overall leadership and direction supporting strategic visioning, operational improvements, financial performance and physician alignment initiatives. She has a proven track record of building teams, physician relations, and strategic planning. Robbin holds a Masters in Business Administration from Goizueta Business School, Emory University in Georgia, a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, Magna cum Laude, from Shorter College in Georgia and a Diploma in Nursing from Georgia Baptist Hospital School of Nursing in Georgia. Robbin has professional associations with the American College of Healthcare Executives and Women’s Healthcare Executive Association.

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.

David G. Bates is a shareholder, serves on Gunster’s board of directors, and is co-chair of the firm’s Technology & Emerging Companies practice. David joined the firm in 1992 after graduating from Tulane University with his JD/MBA in 1991. For over two decades, David has counseled clients in the areas of technology law, venture capital, licensing and distribution, mergers and acquisitions, and corporate finance and securities. David has represented companies and investors in a wide variety of industries and at all stages of growth, from private start-up ventures to large public companies. David provides strategic counseling on mergers and acquisitions, equity and debt financings, corporate governance and joint ventures. David also advises clients on corporate structuring and restructuring, employment, compensation and non-compete arrangements, securities, franchising and licensing, distribution, sports and other business agreements. David is the president of the Gold Coast Venture Capital Association and two-term chairman of the Enterprise Development Corporation. David’s honors include being named Corporate Lawyer of the Year for West Palm Beach in 2016 and 2013 by Best Lawyers in America, as well as one of the Top 100 lawyers in Florida by Florida Super Lawyers. He has been listed among Florida Trend’s Legal Elite for more than 10 consecutive years, and in Best Lawyers for corporate law, mergers & acquisitions law and technology law.

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.

Chadi Irani serves as the Senior Director of Sales Strategy at The Palm Beach Post. He has developed a team of experts who execute on high-level campaigns and strategic accounts, handling all aspect of digital media strategy, planning, media placement, optimization, and reporting. Chadi plays a pivotal role as our liaison between our vendors, partners, and GateHouse Media digital leaders to bring best practices and the latest technologies to Palm Beach County businesses. Chadi has led client seminars with representatives from Google, Facebook and our top digital vendors.
Prior to joining The Palm Beach Post, Irani served as Retail Advertising Manager at The Ithaca Journal, Ithaca, NY, where he built and lead the local sales department, leveraging his sales and technical knowledge to successfully execute advertising campaigns for The Ithaca Journal.
Irani is a graduate of Leadership Palm Beach, class of 2009, and currently resides with his family in West Palm Beach.

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.

Mark Eggen is founder and CEO of TSI Supercool, an ISO: 9001:2008 certified manufacturer of Specialty Synthetic Lubricants, U/V Dye, Leak Stops, and Flush products. TSI Supercool has earned a reputation for superior quality throughout the international marketplace and will be celebrating its 25th Anniversary in 2019. Mark is a lifelong resident of Palm Beach County and serves as chairman of the finance board at Our Savior Lutheran Church in Lake Worth. He and his wife Eileen have 2 daughters, Erica Dunhill and Rachel Azqueta, who also currently live in Palm Beach County.

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.

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.

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 Palm Beach County’s largest higher education institution 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 has opened a fifth campus, improved student success rates, increased enrollment growth, and was designated top status of GOLD in the Florida College System ranking in 2017. In addition, PBSC was named by Diverse: Issues in Higher Education magazine as one of its 2019 Most Promising Places to Work in Community Colleges.

PBSC also has set enrollment records, with the highest fall enrollment in the College’s history achieved in fall 2018. An esteemed educational leader at the local, state and national levels, Parker serves on the Advisory Committee of Presidents of the Association of Community College Trustees. She also is the Policy and Advocacy Chair and Chair of the Florida College System Council of Presidents.

Before joining Palm Beach State, Parker was executive vice president and chief operating officer at Florida Polytechnic University. She served for more than a decade on the Florida Board of Governors of the State University System, including serving as board chair; she also served on the University of Central Florida’s Board of Trustees and was general counsel at Edward Waters College.

A native of Santa Rosa County in Northwest Florida, Parker earned her B.A. and J.D. degrees from the University of Florida. She and her husband, Joe Gibbons, are the parents of twins, Bailey and Parker.

John Powell is Commercial Banking Leader at Wells Fargo serving Palm Beach and Broward Counties.  Wells Fargo’s Business Banking, part of Wholesale Banking, primarily serves small to lower middle market businesses that have annual sales from $5 to $25 million.  Business Banking provides a comprehensive offering of business lending, and cash and business risk management products and services.  John has more than 30 years experience in commercial banking and commercial real estate finance and has been in the South Florida market since 1987.  Prior to joining Wells Fargo in 2009, he held various senior positions with GE Capital, Wachovia and Bank of America.  He is a 2004 graduate of Leadership Palm Beach County, Trustee of Chamber of Commerce of the Palm Beaches and past Board President of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Palm Beach County.  John graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a B.B.A. degree in finance.

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. In addition, he oversees management at the Tryon International Equestrian Center, the Colorado Horse Park, and the Rolex Central Park Horse Show. 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.