Advisory Councils
Executive Advisory Council - Tampa Campus
Chair
John Townsend
Vice President, FuturePlan
John Townsend is FuturePlan's vice president and national head of client service and
operations. FuturePlan is a retirement administration, plan design, and actuarial
firm. Previously, Townsend was vice president of T. Rowe Price Group, Inc. and the
general manager of its Tampa Financial Center. He was responsible for retail account
management and retirement client services. Townsend joined T. Rowe Price in 1993 and
has held several leadership positions there, eventually serving as the manager of
the firm's Participant Service Center in Owings Mills, MD. He left T. Rowe Price in
2004 and joined BISYS Retirement Services as vice president of client services. In
2005, he returned to T. Rowe Price and remained there until joining FuturePlan in
2017. Townsend graduated from Randolph-Macon with a Bachelor of Arts in English. He
earned a Doctor of Business Administration degree from the University of South Florida.
He is also a Series 7, 24, and 63 FINRA registered representative.
Council Members
Chris Alvarez
Chief Financial Officer, Florida Medical Clinic
Chris Alvarez is the chief financial officer of Florida Medical Clinic, PA. The independent,
multi-specialty physician practice has more than 300 physicians in approximately 55
locations across Tampa and Eastern Pasco County. Alvarez has more than 20 years experience
in health care. He began his career as an auditor in Ernst and Young's healthcare
practice and served in senior financial roles with two large hospital systems in the
Tampa Bay area before joining Florida Medical Clinic.
Stacey Allaster
Chief Executive - Professional Tennis, United States Tennis Association
Stacey Allaster is tasked with setting the strategic vision for the USTA's pro tennis
division - including oversight of the U.S. Open, Emirates Airline U.S. Open Series,
Davis Cup, Fed Cup, and more. She works closely with the USTA Board of Directors and
the USTA professional tennis staff to ensure the continued viability of professional
tennis in the United States. Allaster has a long history in tennis. She began with
her first job, at age 12, cleaning red clay courts at a community club. She was active
in the sport through high school and college. After a post-college stint at the Ontario
Tennis Association, Allaster joined Tennis Canada, where she served in a variety of
positions - including tournament director of the Canadian Open in Toronto, now known
as the Rogers Cup. From 2006-2015, Allaster worked with the Women's Tennis Association,
beginning her tenure there as president and eventually serving as CEO. There, she
generated an estimated $1 billion in diversified contracted revenues, built and grew
the brand locally, and secured a 10-year media agreement, the largest live media rights
and production venture in women's sports history. Allaster was named to Forbes' inaugural
"50 Over 50" roster in 2022.
Brad Baker
Senior Vice President / Chief Financial Officer,GTE Financial
Brad Baker is senior vice president and chief financial officer of GTE Financial.
Prior to joining GTE, Baker worked for Texaco/Star Enterprises, (a multibillion-dollar
joint venture between Texaco and Saudi Aramco which included oil exploration and drilling,
refineries and retail distribution), as the assistant controller for the Florida region.
A 1985 graduate of USF, Baker earned bachelor's degrees in Management Information
Systems and Accounting. His credit union and community involvement include serving
on the board of the Tampa Chapter of Credit Unions, and he is a graduate of Leadership
Tampa class of 2003.
Arnie Bellini
Philanthropist
Arnie Bellini is the former chief executive officer of ConnectWise. He co-founded
the business with his brother, David, in 1982 after recognizing the impact that microcomputers
would have on business. In 1998, Bellini transformed the company's best practices
into an integrated, workflow-driven business management solution that would benefit
all IT services companies. The result was the creation of the ConnectWise business
operating system, which became one of the world's top business management platform.
The company quickly exceeded industry standards, which boosted revenue. He sold the
business in 2019, creating 70 millionaires in the process. Bellini, who is a certified
public accountant, earned a bachelor's degree in accounting from the University of
Florida and a master's degree in business administration from the University of South
Florida.
Brad Bernstein
Founding Partner, SE Capital, LLC
Brad Bernstein is a managing partner at Chicago-based SE Capital, LLC, a private equity
firm that he co-founded in 2001. Bernstein focuses on identifying new investment opportunities
and works with existing portfolio companies on strategic planning, financial management,
and ongoing corporate development. He is also responsible for the overall administration
and management of SE Capital's day-to-day operations. Bernstein has more than 25 years
of private equity and investment banking experience. He has served on the board of
directors of numerous private companies and non-profit organizations. He earned a
BA in finance from the University of South Florida and also earned an MBA from The
Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University.
Adam Besnard
CEO/President, Besnard Insurance
Adam Besnard is president and chief executive officer of Besnard Insurance, a large
national insurance agency/broker in the United States. Besnard Insurance has offices
in Tampa, Minneapolis, and Key Largo and conducts business in all 50 states. Besnard
represents the largest global insurance companies and insurance markets around the
world, including Lloyds of London. Among other things, Besnard Insurance insures
more than 8,000 restaurants in the United States. Besnard has more than 25 years'
entrepreneurial and business consulting experience supporting the largest worldwide
brands across countless industries. Prior to Besnard Insurance, Besnard was CEO/President
of Galleon Technologies, which delivered global strategy, process, and technology
consulting services to the largest worldwide companies including the public sector.
Besnard received a bachelor’s degree in management of information systems from Florida
State University.
Marc Blumenthal
Partner, Florida Funders
Marc Blumenthal is a serial entrepreneur and visionary leader in the technology industry,
as well as an active investor in early-stage companies, providing advice and counsel
to their founders. With his three decades of experience in the world of startups,
Blumenthal was a natural choice to help build Florida Funders, a Florida-focused investor
network and online investing platform, where he is also an investor-member and serves
on the company's Board of Managers. Blumenthal has spent his career leading companies
and sales organizations in business-to-business technology solutions. His firms have
provided clients throughout North America and Europe with business technology solutions
and software for enterprise resource planning, customer relationship management, and
human capital management.
Gautam Bose
Managing Director, Citi Shared Services - Tampa & Delaware Lead, Citi
Gautam Bose leads the Finance and Risk Shared Services in Tampa and Delaware and also
the Citi Shared Services Site Lead for Tampa. Bose leads the North America based Finance
and Risk Shared Services centers which drive Citi’s regulatory reporting processes
and continuous improvement efforts. He moved to America to assume this role in 2017;
he was previously based in the Philippines. Bose has 30+ years of diverse global experience
as a business leader, chief financial officer and head of shared services in global
financial institutions across India, the Middle East, the Philippines and in the United
States of America. Prior to joining Citi, Bose worked with global organizations such
as Deutsche Bank, American Express, GE Capital and National Bank of Bahrain. He held
diverse roles as a chief finance officer, controller, and as a business leader of
shared services within these organizations. Bose is a Chartered Accountant from India
and a Financial Risk Manager from Global Association of Risk Professionals, USA.
Colleen Chappell
President & CEO, ChappellRoberts
Colleen Chappell leverages nearly 30 years of experience, specializing in brand development,
integrated marketing, advertising, pricing strategies, market segmentation, distribution
channel launch, and growth. She has made lasting impacts on the community serving
key leadership positions for Tampa Hillsborough Economic Development Council (chair/executive
board), American Marketing Association Professional Chapters Council (national member),
Tampa Bay American Marketing Association (president) and Feeding Tampa Bay (development/marketing
chair), and Leadership Tampa (chair). Recently inducted into the Tampa Bay Business
Hall of Fame, Chappell received numerous prestigious awards including Tampa Bay Chamber
of Commerce Woman of Distinction, Tampa Bay Business Journal’s Businesswoman of the
Year, University of South Florida’s Outstanding Alumnus, and Women of Distinction
honoree by Girl Scouts of West Central Florida. She and her team have been recognized
as winners of the coveted international Gold Stevie Award for Management Team of the
Year and the international Bronze Stevie Award for Business Services Female Executive
of the Year. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communications from the University
of South Florida and is a Dale Carnegie graduate. Chappell received her accreditation
by the Public Relations Society of America.
Doug Cohn
After serving his country as a lieutenant in the U.S. Army Engineers, Doug Cohn joined
Trane Air Conditioning in the then-nascent air conditioning industry. In December
of 2020, after a 58-year association with Trane, Cohn sold his business to Trane Technologies
having built the business to 350 employees with seven locations along Florida’s Gulf
Coast. Cohn was promoted to a sales manager position and then was granted an exclusive
Trane Franchise for the 13 counties on the West Coast of Florida with a staff of just
six. He grew the business by Investing people and in their individual success. He
added sales staff, expanded the initial backroom parts and supplies business to 6
locations, grew from one to 110 service techs, entered the digital temperature controls
business employing 40, took on numerous energy enhancement projects on which his company
financially guaranteed energy savings in excess of $1,000,000 annually and designed,
built and operated a 10,000-ton district cooling plant for Jeff Vinik’s Tampa Water
Street project. Cohn was inducted into the Tampa Bay Business Hall of Fame in 2019.
A native of Omaha, Nebraska, Doug Cohn graduated with a mechanical engineering degree
from Purdue University. He also attended the University of Chicago and SMU business
school.
Craig Cuffe
President, Kablelink Communications
Craig Cuffe is the founder and president of Kablelink Communications, which provides
installation work for Bright House Networks. Though the firm is just 15 years old,
it now boasts nine offices throughout Florida. Cuffe is also a co-owner of two restaurants
in Seminole Heights, The Refinery and Fodder and Shine. He is a Tampa native, an alumnus
of both Jesuit High School and USF.
Thomas R. Feindt
Chief Executive Officer, Grow Financial Federal Credit Union
Thomas Feindt is the chief executive officer at Grow Financial Federal Credit Union.
At Grow Financial, he’s been able to live out his values as a service-focused leader
within an organization that strives to serve people over profit. In his second year
as CEO, Feindt earned recognition as a Top Workplaces Leader for 2021. Prior to joining
Grow as executive vice president in 2011, Feindt developed a passion for serving the
financial needs of others during his nine years in various positions at North Carolina
State Employees’ Credit Union and seven years leading home equity lending and branch
operations at Navy Federal Credit Union. Feindt describes himself as a lifelong learner,
and his educational background includes an undergraduate degree in economics from
High Point University, an MBA from Queens University and numerous executive education
programs from Darden, Wharton, Cornell, Stanford, and the Center for Creative Leadership.
Scott Fink
President & CEO, Hyundai of New Port Richey
Scott Fink is president/CEO of six dealerships in the state of Florida, including
Hyundai of New Port Richey, the nation's largest volume Hyundai dealership. Fink started
in the automotive business at Ford Motor Company in 1983. He left Ford in 1989 and
became the operational partner at Clearwater Mitsubishi (Clearwater FL). Fink grew
the dealership to consistently rank in the top 10 in sales volume from 1989 to 2000,
reaching the # 1 volume dealership in the nation for the years 1994-1995. In 1998,
Fink and a partner purchased Clearwater Toyota and eventually sold it to Sonic Automotive.
In 2003, Fink opened Hyundai of New Port Richey, a store that has, for the past 110
consecutive months, achieved status as the largest volume Hyundai dealer in the Southern
Region, setting and resetting numerous sales records. Fink also serves on many business
and philanthropic boards.
Robert Fisher
Retired President and Chief Executive Officer, Grow Financial Federal Credit Union
Robert Fisher was president and chief executive officer of Grow Financial Federal
Credit Union in Tampa until he retired in 2019. Fisher has been active on the boards
of several organizations. He has also served on various industry boards and committees.
Fisher has also served on the advisory committee for the Industrial Management and
Systems Engineering department at USF. Fisher is an actively licensed Certified Public
Accountant in Florida. He earned a bachelor's degree in business from Miami University,
in Oxford, Ohio, with concentrations in economics and marketing, and attended Yale
University's School of Management to study advanced management studies.
Ron Floto
Director of Strategic Development, Fintech
Ron Floto joined Fintech in May 2009 as director of strategic development.
A former resident of Hong Kong, Floto served as CEO and was on the board of directors
of Dairy Farm International Holdings, Ltd. Floto has decades of experience, including
positions at the Pentagon and Department of Transportation, and corporate management
positions at Jewel Food Stores, Buttrey Food Stores, Kash n' Karry Food Stores, and
the Super K Division of Kmart Corporation. He received an MBA with high distinction
from Harvard Business School and was named a Baker Scholar. He also holds a BS in
engineering from the United States Military Academy. Floto served in the United States
Army and is a Vietnam veteran.
Steven D. Freedman
President, Freedman's Office Furniture & Supplies
Steve Freedman founded Freedman's Office Furniture in 1980, shortly after graduating
from the USF Muma College of Business with a BA in finance. The firm has grown to
include two furniture showrooms, a 40,000-square-foot distribution center, and the
opening of Freedman's Office Supplies. Freedman is an active member of the Tampa Bay
business community, belonging to several civic organizations, and also contributes
to many charities. He has also served as a mentor in the USF Muma College of Business
Corporate Mentor Program.
Brian Fuhrer
Senior Vice President, Product Strategy and Thought Leadership, Nielsen
Brian Fuhrer is SVP, Product Strategy and Thought Leadership for Nielsen. He focuses
on the streaming ecosystem and helps guide Nielsen’s product strategy in that area,
while using our data to find stories and insights. Most recently, Fuhrer has been
working with a broad range of clients to focus on the dramatic changes being introduced
by streaming and direct-toc-consumer offerings and developing appropriate measurement
solutions for them. With over 35 years in media research and product development at
Nielsen, Fuhrer’s experience spans the U.S. media and advertising industry as well
as overseas markets where Nielsen has a media presence in more than 30 countries.
He frequently speaks at industry events and has been extensively quoted in the press. Based
in Tampa, Florida, he is a site leader at Nielsen’s Global Technology and Innovation
Center. Fuhrer earned a Bachelor of Arts in Marketing from the University of South
Florida, and has multiple research-related patents.
Scott C. Gault
Market President, The Bank of Tampa
Scott C. Gault serves as the market president for The Bank of Tampa. Gault also has
enterprise-wide responsibility for the banks SBA and Treasury divisions. Gault has
over 25 years of diversified banking and finance experience. Prior to coming to The
Bank of Tampa, Gault was with SunTrust Bank in Orlando, where he was a senior vice
president and led the commercial bank in Central Florida and the eastern Florida coast.
Gault’s areas of expertise includes leadership, management, finance, and business
development. Gault serves on the executive board of Habitat for Humanity of Pinellas
County, the board of St Anthony’s Hospital Foundation and the board of the Tampa Bay
Chamber of Commerce. He is a past board chairman of the University of South Florida
St. Petersburg, Kate Tiedemann College of Business and served on the St Petersburg
Chamber of Commerce Board of Governors for five years.
Gilbert Gonzalez
Founder and President, Mission Critical Solutions
As founder and president of Mission Critical Solutions, a leading-edge technology
solutions provider, Gilbert Gonzalez heads branch and project offices located throughout the
United States. His vast experience in designing IP-converged technology and IT/telecommunications
mission critical solutions for commercial, military and other federal, state and local
government clients helped the firm become the fastest-growing,privately owned technology
firm in Tampa Bay for four consecutive years. The company is a two-time finalist for
the Greater Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce Small Business of the Year award. Gonzalez
holds both low-voltage and unlimited electrical contractor licenses and he is a registered communication
distribution designer. He received an MBA from University of South Florida in Tampa, doing
so with honors and with concentrations in management of information systems and economics.
he also earned a DBA from USF.
Henry Gonzalez
Tampa Market President, Mutual of Omaha Bank
Tampa native Henry Gonzalez has enjoyed a lengthy career in banking. He began his
banking career as a loan representative at The Bank of Tampa in 1992. He worked for
First Union for two years in the mid-90s before returning to The Bank of Tampa in
1997, serving in increasingly responsible roles, eventually as executive vice president,
before leaving the bank in 2011 to take on an entrepreneurial challenge: running Firm
Solutions Holdings, LLC as president. Platinum Bank brought him back to banking when
it hired him to serve as president of its Tampa Bay region in 2012. In 2015, he joined
Mutual of Omaha Bank. Over the years, Gonzalez has held numerous leadership roles
in the Tampa community. He serves on several community boards and is a member of the
Krewe of the Knights of Sant' Yago. Gonzalez is a dual-degree alumnus of the USF Muma
College of Business, earning a Bachelor of Arts in Finance and an MBA from USF.
Steve Griggs
President, Tampa Bay Lightning & Amalie Arena
Steve Griggs became the president of the Tampa Bay Lightning and Amalie Area less
than four years after joining the organization as its chief operating officer. Before
coming to Tampa Bay, he spent nearly three years serving as executive vice president
of sales and marketing for the Orlando Magic. During his time in Orlando, Griggs oversaw
the Magic's corporate partnerships, premium sales and services, season ticket services
and operations, brand management, event presentation and ticket sales departments.
Griggs served for eight years as the vice president of sales and service for the Minnesota
Wild of the National Hockey League and its parent company, Minnesota Sports & Entertainment.
Prior to joining the Wild, Griggs served as the vice president of corporate sales
and service for Sportsco International, LP and SkyDome. The Aurora, Ontario native
also worked for both the NBA's Toronto Raptors and the NHL's Toronto Maple Leafs as
the director of ticket sales and service.
Andy Hafer
Co-Founder, DCE Productions; Co-Founder, Synapse
Andy Hafer is a tech industry veteran and an innovation entrepreneur with decades
of experience in driving new business and economic growth through collaboration between
public/private partnerships and education. His most recent enterprise is Synapse Florida,
a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that guides Florida’s innovation communities to
help accelerate success and drive economic growth. Hafer also founded and serves on
the board of several other companies, including DCE Productions (a company revolutionizing
virtual and live event experiences). Hafer also serves on the board for several start-ups.
Previously, Hafer served as CEO & President of the Tampa Bay Technology Forum. Prior
stops in his career include CIO of Pride Enterprises, CIO of Yara, senior consultant
with Accenture, process control engineer for Proctor and Gamble, and IBM. Hafer earned
a DBA from USF in 2021, his third degree from USF as he earned a Bachelor of Science
in Electrical Engineering and an MBA from USF. His companies have spent nine straight
years in the USF Fast 56 – highlighting the fastest growing Bull-owned companies in
the world. In 2004, Hafer received the CEO’s Leadership Award from PRIDE Enterprises.
In 1996, he was distinguished as University of South Florida Young Alumnus of the
Year.
Richard Hume
Chief Executive Officer, Tech Data Corporation
Richard T. Hume joined Tech Data in 2016 as an executive vice president and chief
operating officer. Here, he was in charge of the strategic direction and go-to-market
execution of the company's regional operations in Europe, Asia Pacific and the Americas.
He oversaw Tech Data's acquisition of Avnet's Technology Solutions business, its completion,
and integration while developing an advanced global strategy for the newly combined
company. Before joining Tech Data, Hume worked with IBM for more than three decades,
most recently as general manager and COO, Global Technology Services. He was responsible
for the operations of IBM’s $32 billion infrastructure and outsourcing services business.
During his career at IBM, Hume led the company's System X Servers, Global Inside Sales
and North American PC businesses, and served as COO for the Global Consulting business.
He was previously a Certified Public Accountant and is a member of the American Institute
of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) Hume earned a Bachelor of Science in Accounting
and Finance from Pennsylvania State University.
Linda Marcelli
Vice President, Lucky's Real Tomatoes
Linda Marcelli serves as vice president for Sunrise Sun-Ripened Tomatoes, Inc. (Lucky's
Real Tomatoes), which grows and provides vine-ripened tomatoes to restaurants and
purveyors nationwide. She is the former first vice president and managing director
(Tampa Bay Complex) for Merrill Lynch, joining the firm in 1975 as a financial consultant.
She served as district director of New York City for many years. In 1990, she was
named to the New York Academy of Women Achievers. In 2001, Marcelli relocated to Tampa
and was appointed director of the Merrill Lynch Tampa Bay Complex. She serves on the
boards of countless local organizations, ranging from education to the arts. She received
a BA in psychology from The Ohio State University. She is also a graduate of the Securities
Industry Institute at Wharton and the Tuck Institute at Dartmouth College.
Craig McKenney
As former head of Citi’s Tampa Campus, Craig McKenney represented Citi in the local
community and chaired the Citi Tampa Senior Leadership Team for the strategy and development
of Citi’s Tampa campus. McKenney was also head of Citi’s Global Supply Chain Operations,
responsible for Citi’s global supply chain systems, third party risk operations, analytics/data-science,
source to pay / expense processing, and regions - Mexico, LATAM, EMEA and APAC. Before
joining Citi, McKenney was chief procurement officer, vice president of procurement
and vendor management at Best Buy, the world’s leading electronics retailer, also
serving on the board of the Metropolitan Economic Development Board, supporting Minnesota
entrepreneurs of color, and the National Minority Supplier Development Council. Before
Best Buy he occupied roles at both Accenture and IBM, focused on IT and Business Process
Outsourcing. Earlier in his career, he founded two successful technology companies,
focused on development of workflow and Internet solutions. McKenney studied engineering
at the University of Alberta, has an MBA from the University of Toronto, and has a
Master of Science in Risk Management from New York University. In 2016, McKenney was
recognized as ‘Practitioner of the Year’ by the Shared Services & Outsourcing Network
for his leadership in the transformation of Citi’s Global Supply Chain Operations.
Roxann Moore
Executive Vice President, SunTrust
Roxann W. Moore has over 30 years of experience in corporate and commercial banking
and has been with SunTrust for 21 years, serving in many leadership positions over
her career. She is currently an executive vice president and the commercial executive
with SunTrust. Moore graduated Magna Cum Laude with a BA in finance from the University
of South Florida in 1981. She was inducted as a member of Phi Kappa Phi in 1981 as
well. In 1985, she graduated from the National Commercial Lending School at the University
of Oklahoma. Moore has served on several community and nonprofit boards and committees.
George Morgan
Operating Advisor, OMERS Private Equity of Toronto
George Morgan served in executive and financial management for more than 20 years.
He is the former president and chief executive officer of Virtual Radiologic, a national
radiology firm that works with local practitioners and hospitals to optimize radiology's
pivotal role in patient care. Morgan previously served for seven years as executive
vice president of U.S. Oncology, one of the nation's largest networks of community-based
oncology physicians dedicated to advancing cancer care in America. He held executive
roles for five years at HCA, the largest private operator of health care facilities
in the world, including service as president of the Ambulatory Surgery Division, COO,
and CFO of the Western Group. Morgan is a member of the boards of the University of
South Florida Foundation and the USF Research Foundation. The Sarasota resident earned
a bachelor's degree in accounting from the University of South Florida and was a Certified
Public Accountant prior to entering health care executive management.
Leslie M. "Les" Muma
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (Retired), Fiserv, Inc.
Les Muma co-founded Fiserv, Inc., a Fortune 500 company providing technology products
and services to more than 17,000 financial institution clients worldwide. He served
as president of the company from 1984 to 1999; Muma retired from Fiserv in 2006. Muma
had more than four decades of business experience when he retired, in a range of career
positions in fields from data processing to information technology. He and his wife,
Pam, are known for their civic service, expressed through both their personal means
and via their family foundation. In 2004, he received an Honorary Doctorate of Business
Administration from USF. The university has presented him with many other awards,
including its 2008 American Fundraising Professionals Philanthropist of the Year Award.
In 2003, he received the Muma College of Business Free Enterprise of the Year Award.
He has been named a community honoree by USF's Beta Gamma Sigma honor society as well.
Pamela Carnes Muma
Philanthropist
Pam Muma has a long history of philanthropy within the Tampa Bay area. She recently
announced the creation of the Pamela Muma Women's Health Center, a comprehensive,
concierge medical practice focused exclusively on women's care at USF Health. With
her husband Les, Pam Muma has given generously to support neonatology research and
care. They established an endowed chair and research laboratory for neonatology research
at USF and funded the Jennifer Leigh Muma Neonatal Intensive Care Unit as a partnership
between USF and Tampa General Hospital. They are the namesakes of USF's Muma College
of Business. In 2012, Junior Achievement selected Pam from more than 138,000 volunteers
to win the Gold Leadership Award, the organization's highest award for volunteerism.
She is also a founding member of USF Women in Leadership and Philanthropy and received
its Community Leadership Award in 2008.
Ray E. "Chip" Newton
Senior Managing Director (Former), Evercore Partners, Inc.
Chip Newton is the former senior managing director of the private equity group, Evercore
Partners, Inc., a leading investment banking firm. Newton currently serves on the
board of directors as treasurer for the National Psoriasis Foundation. Newton's past
employment includes senior managing director at Perseus, LLC, from 1999-2008, where
he focused on investments in the consumer and business services sectors. He also served
on the company's board of directors. Prior to Perseus, LLC, Newton was a general partner
at J.H. Whitney & Co., and in 1992, he was named the youngest general partner in J.H.
Whitney's history. Newton also served as the former director of Brothers Gourmet Coffee
and the former director of North Face, Inc.
Steven S. Oscher
Owner and President, Oscher Consulting
Steven S. Oscher is the managing director of Oscher Consulting, a firm that provides
support services and financial analysis to the legal community. Prior to forming Oscher
Consulting, he served as an audit and quality review partner and was the director
of litigation services with an international accounting firm. He has also taught numerous
professional education courses, is a member of several professional organizations,
and has served on multiple boards and committees, both locally and nationally. Oscher's
longstanding service to USF has been recognized with the Distinguished Alumnus Award
and the Don Gifford Service Award.
Paresh Patel
Chairman & CEO, HCI Group, Inc.
Paresh Patel is a founder of HCI Group, Inc. and currently serves as chairman of the
board of directors and chief executive officer. Patel has been a director of HCI Group
since its inception and has served as the chairman of the board since 2007. He also
as chairman of the board of directors and president of HCI's principal operating subsidiary,
Homeowners Choice Property & Casualty Insurance Company, Inc. Patel has broad experience
in finance and technology. He has served as chairman of the board of First Home Bancorp,
Inc., a bank holding company in Seminole, Florida, is a founder of NorthStar Bank
in Tampa, Florida and from 2006 to 2010 served on the board of directors of its parent
company, NorthStar Holding Company. Since 2014, he has served as chairman of the board
of directors of Oxbridge Re Holdings Limited, a publicly held Cayman Islands reinsurance
holding company with shares trading on the NASDAQ Stock Market. From 2006 to 2012,
Patel was president of Scorpio Systems, Inc.. Patel earned bachelor's and a master's
degrees from the University of Cambridge in United Kingdom.
David Pizzo
Market President, Market President, West Florida Region
David Pizzo oversees Florida Blue's operations in Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco, Hernando,
Sarasota, Manatee, Lee, and other western counties south to Collier. Prior to this
role, Pizzo served as Florida Blue's Vice President, advertising, brand management
and market communications since 1997. Prior to joining Florida Blue in 1997, Pizzo
served as SVP for Commonhealth (now Ogilvy CommonHealth), the world's largest health
care marketing communications firm. Pizzo holds a Bachelor of Science from Rutgers
University and an MBA from NYU's Stern Business School. He serves on many business,
civic, and philanthropic boards.
Kevin Plummer
Head, Tampa Preparatory School
Kevin became the seventh Head of Tampa Preparatory School in July 2007. Kevin's new
roots go deeply into the Tampa community where he serves on the Executive Steering
Committee of the Friends of the Riverwalk, Vice Chairman of the Tampa Downtown Partnership,
Moffitt Hospital Board of Directors, the Creative Tampa Bay Board and has been a trustee
for the George Steinbrenner Boys and Girls Club. Kevin also proudly serves as Vice
President of the Florida Council of Independent Schools and is the Chair for The Enrollment
Management Association. Kevin is also a member of the Bay Area Association of Independent
Schools and served as President of B.A.A.I.S. (2009-2010). He is a 1989 graduate of
Colby College where he was named a Lacrosse All-American. Kevin was awarded the highly
competitive and prestigious Klingenstein Fellowship at the Teachers College of Columbia
University where he received a Master of Education Administration in 1999.
Jeff Reynolds
Senior Vice President, The Reynolds Group at Morgan Stanley
Jeff Reynolds is a third generation financial advisor with nearly two decades of experience. He
focuses on private banking, business/personal lending, and wealth management. He has
been involved in numerous local organizations and foundations including the USF Alumni
Association, Brandon Rotary and Boy Scouts of America.
Susie Levin Rice
President, RMC Property Group
Susie Levin Rice, chairman of RMC Leasing & Management, oversees the company's corporate
and real estate operations. She has been active in the commercial real estate business
in Florida for 20 years. Rice began her career as a commercial bank examiner with
the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. As an industry expert, Rice has spoken and presented
to organizations such as Commercial Real Estate Women, the Real Estate Investment
Council, and the International Council of Shopping Centers. Rice is actively involved
in the community and has served on several boards. She currently is a trustee at the
Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center. She earned a bachelor's degree in finance from George
Washington University. She is a licensed real estate broker in Florida and an active
member of the International Council of Shopping Centers. She was named the Young Business
Woman of the Year in 2005 by the Tampa Bay Business Journal.
Scott Riley
Chief Executive Officer Emeritus, FinTech
Riley has been part of the majority ownership group of Fintech since 1996 and has
served on the board continuously since then. He was named CEO in 2005. Fintech is
an electronic data and payment solutions company which allows alcohol distributors
to be paid electronically by their retailers. Before he worked with Fintech, Riley
owned an advertising agency, which was later sold to a national firm. He also worked
as a regional manager for a TV and radio broadcast group and was instrumental in the
development of the Real Estate Channel on cable TV. Riley co-founded Parker Communications
Network, Inc., a satellite-based monitor system distributing commercials to large
grocery chains throughout the country for companies such as Coca-Cola, General Mills,
Procter & Gamble and Nabisco. He also co-founded In Store Media, which worked with
major grocers such as Publix, Kroger, and Albertson's to merchandise their private
label products. Riley is on the boards of numerous charitable and community organizations.
In addition, Riley established the Riley Family Education Foundation, whose mission
is to provide scholarships to assist with special needs education.
Kimberly Ross
Kimberly Ross has served in several C-suite financial roles for companies such as
WeWork, Bakes Hughes and Avon. Prior to her association with Avon, Ross served as
Executive Vice President and CFO of Royal Ahold N.V. from 2007 to 2011 and held various
other finance positions at Royal Ahold from 2001 to 2007. Ross earned a Bachelor of
Arts degree in accounting from the University of South Florida and became a certified
public accountant after graduation. She serves on the board of directors and the audit
committee of Chubb (formerly ACE Limited). She is also on the boards of Nestle Switzerald,
Cigna and KKR Special Acquisition Corp.
Yvette Segura
Regional vice president, USAA's Tampa Office
Yvette Segura is the former regional vice president of USAA's regional offices in
Tampa, Florida, where she led 3,700 USAA employees across Tampa Bay and served as
the senior USAA officer in Florida. She was also the senior on-site integrator/coordinator
for Community Affairs, Corporate Communications, Facilities, Information Technology,
Business Continuation and People Services. Segura began service in Tampa as regional
vice president in 2015. Segura has worked in the insurance industry since 1984 and
has been with USAA since 1989. At USAA, she has held a variety of leadership positions.
In 2007, she was named vice president of claims service operations in USAA’s home
office in San Antonio, Texas. She was responsible for as many as 2,800 claims employees
across the country as well as USAA’s international offices in Frankfurt and London. Segura
earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in business administration. In addition, she
attained the CPCU and CCLA designations.
Lisa M. Simington, CFP
Executive Vice President, PNC Wealth Management & Hawthorn Family Office
Lisa Simington, CFP, is an executive vice president and regional managing director
for PNC Wealth Management & Hawthorn Family Office with responsibility for its full
Florida region. She is responsible for all new business development, portfolio management,
trust administration, estate planning, wealth planning and private banking activities
within the region. Simington has more than 30 years of experience in financial services
including 10 years as regional president of BNY Mellon Wealth Management in Florida.
Prior to that, Simington held numerous leadership and production positions with Goldman
Sachs and Wells Fargo (then Wachovia). Simington serves on numerous community boards
in both Tampa and Naples including Straz Performing Arts Center, Tampa Museum of Art,
and Earn to Learn Florida, to name a few. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Finance
from the University of Florida. She also holds the Certified Financial Planning designation.
Neal Thurman
President, Busch Gardens and Adventure Island
Neal Thurman is president of Busch Gardens and Adventure Island. Prior to joining
SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment in 2020, Thurman held various executive roles at Six
Flags Entertainment for 25 years including roles as president of Six Flags Fiesta
Texas in San Antonio, Texas; Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, New Jersey; and
Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, California. Thurman is a process-driven leader
and a driver of change with a focus on the employee and guest experience. He is on
the board of the Tampa Chamber and Visit Tampa Bay.
Nick Vojnovic
President, Little Greek Franchise Development, LLC
Nick Vojnovic is the president and majority partner of Little Greek Franchise Development,
LLC, a restaurant chain based in Tampa. Before joining Little Greek in 2011. In 2015,
Vojnovic became the owner of the USF / Fowler Avenue location in Tampa and rebranded
the company Little Greek Fresh Grill. It is a fast growing, high-quality Greek restaurant
chain based in Tampa but with locations in Texas, Arkansas, Kentucky, Ohio and Illinois.
Before joining Little Greek, Vojnovic Beef ‘O’ Brady’s grow from 30 units, mostly
in the Tampa area, to a chain of more than 260 units located in 23 states. Before
joining Family Sports Concepts, Vojnovic was Vice President of Human Resources for
Famous Dave's of America, a 140-unit barbeque, and blues chain headquartered in Minneapolis,
Minnesota. Vojnovic also was the Director of Recruiting and Training at Sunstate Ventures,
a 13-unit franchisor of Chili's Grill and Bar in Tampa. Vojnovic is very involved
in the industry. Currently, Vojnovic sits on the Board for Big Brothers Big Sisters
in Hillsborough County. Vojnovic was chair and Hillsborough County chapter president
for the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association (FRLA). Vojnovic sat on the Techonomic
Advisory Board and the National Restaurant Association (NRA) Fast Casual Executive
Board as well. His charitable work includes partnerships with Autism Speaks, Strivin’
for Stephen, National Wheelchair Basketball Association where he sits on the Paralympic
Executive Board, Real Men Wear Pink, Florida College for the Deaf, St. Jude’s Children’s
Hospital, American Diabetes Association, and Be the Match. Vojnovic was awarded with
the 2019 Florida Restaurateur Hall of Fame award, the Elliot Motivator of the Year
award, a Nation’s Restaurants News Golden Chain award, and was an Ernst and Young
Entrepreneur of the Year finalist. He graduated from Cornell University's School of
Hotel Administration in 1981 and earned an Executive MBA from USF in 2012.
Bonnie Wise
Chief Financial Administrator, Hillsborough County
Bonnie Wise joined Hillsborough County in April 2011 as the Chief Financial Administrator
and is responsible for the financial activities and functions within the departments
organized under the County Administrator. Prior to joining Hillsborough County, Bonnie
served as the Chief Financial Officer for the City of Tampa for 8 years, overseeing
various departments and the City's $787 million budget. Bonnie also served as Senior
Vice President of William R. Hough & Co. in Public Finance, and Vice President of
Raymond James & Associates, Inc., in Public Finance. Outside of her professional duties
and affiliations, Bonnie is active in her community. She donates her time as a Board
member and Investment Vice President of the Tampa-Orlando-Pinellas Jewish Foundation,
and the Advisory Board of Tampa Jewish Family Services. Bonnie holds a Masters of
Business Administration and Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, both from
the University of Florida.
Monica Wooden
Co-Founder & Chief Revenue Officer, MercuryGate International, Inc.
Monica B. Wooden co-founded MercuryGate International, Inc. in 2000 and is currently
its Chief Revenue Officer. Prior to MercuryGate, Wooden served as a consulting executive
at IBM for nine years. During her time at IBM running the Florida consulting practice
and creating new business ventures in transportation and distribution, she realized
the demand for robust automate transportation processes, those that can accommodate
3PL and shipper businesses, which sparked the foundation of MercuryGate. She is a
member of the Committee of 200 (C200) - a community of the most successful, inspiring
women in business whose mission is to advance women’s leadership and change the face
of business. She also received the 2013 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year award
for the Southeast region and recognized in Forbes and Southeast Women in Business.
She received a Bachelor of Science from Ithaca College in physical education and a
Master of Arts in measurement and evaluation from the University of Georgia. In her
current role as the chief revenue officer, she helps facilitate future business growth,
as well as designs and implements business strategies, plans and procedures concentrate
on growth.