BOARD OF DIRECTORS

John A. Marshall, Chairman, Spokesman for Florida Environmental Institute

Chair, Environmental Action Committee, South Florida Water Management District; member, Everglades Coalition; Colonel, United States Marine Corps, retired (1993); U.S. civil servant system engineer; retired (1997); recipient “Conservationist of the Year” award from Audubon Society of the Everglades and from the Florida Wildlife Federation; recipient of the 2003 “Conservationist of the Year Award,” Flagler chapter of Daughters of American Revolution; board member of Friends of the Refuge; board of trustees of the Commandery of The Palm Beaches, the Sovereign Order of St. John of Jerusalem, Knights Hospitaller; B.S. geology, University of Florida, M.S. system engineering, University of West Florida.

Nancy Marshall, President

Board of Directors, National Wildlife Refuge Association; President of Board, YWCA of Palm Beach County; Marriott marketing executive, retired; marketing consultant to Pine Jog Environmental Education Center, Florida Atlantic University, retired; past president Fine Arts Association, Gainesville Florida; honorary chairwoman, Belfair Artists Association, WDC; honorary member Phi Sigma Sigma Sorority; co-recipient of 2001 “Conservationist of the Year” award from Audubon Society of the Everglades; co-author, Everglades Restoration, Cypress Tree Planting, McGraw Hill publication on Cunningham Saizo website, October 2001.

Dr. Patrick Gleason, Second Vice President

Vice-President, CDM; past member, South Florida Water Management District Governing Board; editor, Environments of South Florida, Present and Past; contributor, Everglades and Tree Islands of the Everglades; past president & treasurer, Friends of the Academy of Environmental Science & Technology, Forest Hill High School; past president, Grassy Waters Preserve; B.S. geology, University of Notre Dame; Ph.D., geology, The Pennsylvania State University.

Bernadette Shalhoub, Secretary

Co-Chair, Marshall Foundation River of Grass Gala. Mrs. Shalhoub and her husband, Bob, are well-known local philanthropists. Mrs. Shalhoub has been instrumental in planning recent gala events including The Kravis Center’s Reach for the Stars event and the American Heart Association Palm Beach Heart Ball. She has also served as Silent Auction Chairwoman for the YWCA of Palm Beach County and is a long-time supporter of the Legal Aid Society of Palm Beach County.

Debra Sears, Treasurer

Chief Financial Officer for the City of Miami General Employees’ and Sanitation Employees’ Retirement Trust, a multi-million dollar trust fund; Mrs. Sears is a CPA who has worked as an auditor in public accounting for 22 years, specializing in government and not for profit organizations. She formerly served as a senior manager with Caler, Donten, Levine, Druker, Porter and Veil in West Palm Beach, as Director for Grant Thornton LLP in Fort Lauderdale and as a senior for Deloitte and Touch in West Palm Beach.

Jane Cummings

Jane Cummings' family came to Florida in the 1970's from Montreal, where she was involved with numerous charitable activities. The Palm Beach resident is a longtime philanthropist with a passion for the environment, children, and the arts.

Roberta Drey

Ms. Drey, of West Palm Beach, is a well-known local philanthropist who is a member of the International Society of Palm Beach, the Palm Beach Round Table and the Palm Beach Opera Guild. She is former board president and chairman of the annual gala for the Lord’s Place Auxiliary, former co-chairman of the Salvation Army gala, former chairman of the Heart Association Auction and a graduate of the University of Miami.

Mary E. 'Meg" Gale

Meg has consistently contributed to the Marshall Foundation's Summer Intern Program since its inception. In November 2008, Meg's Family Foundation, the Molly Bee Fund, agreed to establish the endowment fund for the Arthur R. Marshall Foundation's Summer Intern Program. Meg's philanthropic gifts have had a huge impact on numerous organizations, both locally and nationally including Grassy Waters Preserve and the Academy of Environmental Science and Technology at Forest Hill Community High School, now named in honor of Meg as the Gale Academy, in West Palm Beach, Florida.

Joyce McLendon

Sam and Joyce McLendon are well-known Palm Beach philanthropists. Among Joyce’s many volunteer commitments are serving as Board Chair for The Lord’s Place and the Mideast Arthritis Foundation, being an officer for the Florida Arthritis Foundation Chapter, and sitting on the boards of the Palm Beach United Way and the World Affairs Council. She has been named “Executive Woman Volunteer of the Year” by the Palm Beach Chamber of Commerce and “2006 Outstanding Volunteer Fundraiser” by the Palm Beach County Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals.

Sydelle Meyer

Mrs. Meyer and her late husband Arthur have been noted community leaders for many years, responsible for endowing such local landmarks as the Meyer Amphitheater and the Arthur I. Meyer Academy. Among her many charitable commitments, Mrs. Meyer has lent her support to the Jewish Federation of Palm Beach County, the Kravis Center, the Palm Beach County Cultural Council, the Norton Museum of Art, the South Florida Science Museum, Ballet Florida, Palm Beach Opera and the Community Foundation for Palm Beach and Martin Counties.

Deborah L. Nichols, AIA

President, DL Nichols, Inc., an architecture practice in historic renovation, commercial and mixed-use projects; past president and current alternate state director of the Palm Beach Chapter American Institute of Architects; former City of West Palm Beach Planning Board member; City of West Palm Beach Downtown Action Committee member; juror for the Pathfinder Awards TVA category; Bachelor in Design (1984) and Masters in Architecture (1991) from the University of Florida.

Elaine Rainwater

Consultant and former Director of Development, the Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing at Florida Atlantic University; Former Executive Director, American Cancer Society; board memberships include the Professional Women’s Network of the National Association of Female Executives, Lighthouse Gallery League and Pineapple Main Street. Originally from Columbus, Ohio, Elaine received her bachelor’s degree from the Ohio State University and currently resides in Charlottesville, Virginia. Her areas of expertise are special events planning and management, donor development, volunteer management and alumni program development.

Gisa Wagner

Gisa has over 30 years experience in international banking and business management. She has worked with JPMorgan Chase bank in the United States, Europe and Asia, where she was Regional Manager South East Asia, located in Singapore. In 1996, Gisa founded GW INTERNATIONAL, a consulting company specializing in management issues including strategic planning, reorganizations and Human Resources training and development. Since relocating from Singapore to West Palm Beach, she has committed to supporting environmental actions with a focus on the Everglades.

Deena Reppen

Deena Reppen is well-versed in environmental and water resources issues, having served in several capacities with Florida's Department of Environmental Protection prior to joining the staff of the South Florida Water Management District in 2007, where she was named Deputy Executive Director for Government and Public Affairs. Ms. Reppen's communications and citizen services experience also includes serving as Press Secretary to former Florida Governor Jeb Bush and as the Director of Operations for the Reef Environmental Education Foundation -- a marine conservation organization based in Key Largo, Florida. Born and raised in London, England, Ms. Reppen received a Bachelor of Science degree in Zoology from Kings College, University of London and a Master's Degree in Public Administration from the University of North Florida.