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); named 2001 “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” from Flagler chapter of Daughters of American Revolution; vice president 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
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. She has served on the Board of Directors of the Washington D.C. based National Wildlife Refuge Association, and locally on the Board of Directors of YWCA of Palm Beach County. She has been the recipient of numerous awards for her volunteer services including: The Regional Director Award from U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service for championing efforts to provide state of the art interpretive Everglades’ exhibits at the Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge; the 2011 George M. Barley Conservationist of the Year Award, at the Annual Everglades Coalition Conference, a 55 member state and national organization, and on May 5, 2011 Executive Women of the Palm Beaches awarded her with their annual "Women in Leadership Award, Volunteer Sector." Married to John and has one daughter, Josette, who is Executive Director of the Marshall Foundation.
Joyce McLendon
First Vice President
Joyce McLendon and her late husband Sam, have been well-known Palm Beach philanthropists for many years. 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, Alzeheimer's Association and the Fellowship of Christians and Jews. 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. She is also one of the founders of the largest automobile museum in the world and also holds the world record as the oldest women ever to fly a combat jet.
Dr. Patrick Gleason
Second Vice President
Retired, 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.
Gisa Wagner
Secretary
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.
.png)
Debra Sears
Treasurer
Chief Executive Officer for the City of Boca Raton Retirement Systems, multi-million dollar trust funds; Ms. Sears is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) who has worked in the public sector and as an auditor in public accounting specializing in government and not-for-profit organizations. She formerly served as the Chief Financial Officer for the City of Miami General Employees' and Sanitation Employees' Retirement Trust, as a senior manager at the West Palm Beach firm of Caler, Donten Levine, as the Director of Government Services at the International firm of Grant Thornton LLP in Fort Lauderdale, and as a senior accountant at the large international firm of Deloitte and Touche West Palm Beach office.
Dr. Kenneth R. Beer, M.D.
A distinguished physician who has operated a successful dermatological practice in West Palm Beach since 1994, Dr. Beer brings nearly two decades of community leadership in Palm Beach County. He has contributed numerous articles to medical publications and textbooks, as well the New York TImes, The Wall Street Journal, Time magazine, Vogue, Cosmopilitan and many others. Kenneth Beer earned his B.S. in Zoology (Magna Cum Laude Dean's List) at Duke University in North Carolina, spent a semester at Oxford, and received his M.D. from the University of Pennsylvane School of Medicine. He spent three years in Dermatology Residency and a year as a Dermatopathology Fellow at the University of Chicago. In addition to servong on the Marshall Foundation Board, he is on the Advisory Board for New Hope Charities,Inc. and is on the Board of Directors for Suncoast High School Foundation.
Carla Cove
Recently retired after 30 years as a Private Client Manager with U.S. Trust and Bank of America. Carla spent her career servicing the investment needs of ultra-high net worth clients. Carla has a Bachelors degree in Business Management from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, and completed her certification of Financial Planning from Boston University Center for Professional Education. She and her husband John reside in Palm Beach since moving from the Boston area in 2004. Carla is a Member of the Town of Palm Beach County Budget Task Force. She is also a member of the Finance Committee at Sacred Heart School in Lake Worth, where she volunteers working with elementary school children.
Nancy Lewis Heins
Nancy Lewis Heins holds a B.A. in Business Management (F.A.U.) and an M.A. in Organization Development and Behavior (Vermont College of Norwich University). Her experience includes managing a real estate firm for 5 years; working with Florida Power & Light Company for nine years in the areas of Customer Service, Accounting, and Corporate Resource Allocation & Planning; and 18 years with her own consulting firm, "Change Strategies." A respected professional, Nancy has worked in the private, public/government, and not for profit community sectors. Nancy provides human resources and organization development consulting to grow the performance of people and organizations for such clients as The Tribune Companies; Nortel, CALA; Palm Beach County; Pratt & Whitney; Florida Power & Light Company; and Employment Learning Innovations, Inc.
Thais Piotrowski
Private Wealth Advisor and Certified Financial Planner for Ameriprise Financial. She is also licensed as a Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor and Small Business Financial Advisor. Thais holds a Batchelor of Arts degree from the University of Florida, and is a huge fan of the Gators. Growing up with two parents who have careers in Agronomy, and being born in Brazil , where nature is valued and cared for, she has a true appreciation for the Everglades and understands its importance to future generations. She lives in Boca Raton with her husband, Matt Piotrowski, and their dog Vida.
Matt Raffenberg
Matt Raffenberg is a water resources professional and Environmental Manager for Florida Power & Light Company (FPL). Matt joined FPL in 2005 to develop FPL’s Clean Water Act (316(b)) Compliance Program for operating power plants in Florida. He then began supporting the licensing and construction of new power plant projects, with a focus on water and the environment. Matt is currently the Licensing Manager for FPL’s Turkey Point Units 6 & 7 New Nuclear Project with responsibility for local, state and federal environmental licensing and permitting. Matt is an aquatic ecologist and has a M.S. in Fish and Wildlife Biology from the University of Vermont and a B.S. in Fisheries Management from The Ohio State University. Matt lives in Pal City with his wife Ann, and their three sons-twins Thomas and Andrew, twins age 8, and Joseph age 5.
Bernadette Shalhoub
Bernadette and her husband, Bob, are well-known local philanthropists.She 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. She recently spear headed the first 5K walk for the Catholic Diocese of Palm Beach County. She helps orchestrate auctions around the U.S., and Co-Chaired the 50th Anniversary for Cardinal Newman High School.
Benjamin Shenkman
Benjamin Shenkman has practiced law in Palm Beach County, Florida for 18 years, focusing his practice in the areas of estate planning, estate and trust administration and asset protection planning.
Born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Mr. Shenkman earned a Master of Laws degree (LL.M.) in Estate Planning from the University of Miami School of Law, a Juris Doctor degree from St. Thomas University School of Law in Miami, and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Temple University in Philadelphia. He is a member of The Florida Bar and the Palm Beach County Bar Association, and the Real Property, Probate and Trust Law Section and Tax Law Section of The Florida Bar, President of the Palms West Estate Planning Council, and a Trustee of the Central Palm Beach County Chamber of Commerce. Mr. Shenkman lives in Wellington with his wife, Juanita, and daughter, Amanda.
Kathe Thompson
Kathe Thompson grew up in the Midwest, attended the University of Illinois and graduated in 1963 from the University of the Pacific in Stockton, CA. She taught music in elementary, middle and high schools; worked in law offices in Texas and D. C. as a receptionist, office manager, and paralegal; framed art work in a gallery on the West Bank in New Orleans; been a docent at the Audubon House in Key West; a grounds keeper at the Dolphin Research Center in Grassy Key, Florida; worked in the Laubach Adult Literacy program in Homestead; and, found time to hike the Appalachian Trail! Kathe and husband, John settled in Wellington in 2002 and in 2008 she joined the League of Women Voters of PBC. As president of the League from 2009-2011 she made the League and Palm Beach County the focus of her energy. A supporter of the Arthur R. Marshall Foundation's mission, Kathe found the foundation to be the perfect recipient of her time and focus after the League presidency.