Board of Directors

Jeb bush is the 43rd governor of the state of Florida, serving from 1999 through 2006. He serves as honorary chair of Volunteer USA Foundation’s Board of Directors and is the Founder of a foundation that is committed to quality education by advocating reforms that raise standards, increase accountability, provide incentives for success and offer choices.

Barney Bishop of Tallahassee, was named President of Associated Industries of Florida in January 1, 2005 and elected Chief Executive Officer of AIF and appointed to the AIF Board of Directors on March 6, 2006.A decade after moving to the state capital, he founded and became President and CEO of The Windsor Group (TWG), a full service,Tallahassee-based firm which provided strategic public affairs, communications and government relations services to corporate, governmental and political clients. In July 2003, Barney was named the Chief Political Officer for Associated Industries of Florida (AIF), an eighty-five year old business advocacy association.

Timothy E. Gage is the attorney who is responsible for government, regulatory, and public affairs matters in Comcast’s Southern Division. In this position, Mr. Gage is a member of the leadership team responsible for Comcast operations in Florida, Alabama, Louisiana, Georgia, Kentucky, Tennessee, South Carolina, Mississippi, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia and Arkansas. He is on the Board of Directors of The Cable Television Association of Georgia and Vice President of the South Carolina Cable and Telecommunications Association, PAC Board Member of Tennessee and Arkansas Cable Associations, and serves on the Board of Directors for the Piedmont Park Conservancy in Atlanta.

DAVID GRIFFIN is president/ceo of David Griffin Consulting, a business and political consulting firm, and has over 20 years of experience in public, private and athletic enterprises. From 1999-2003 he served as Florida Lottery Secretary under Governor Jeb Bush, and Executive Director of the Bush/Brogan second term Transition Office. During his tenure with the Bush administration, David was also Chair of the Governor’s State Agency Mentoring Initiative and Communications Liaison to all executive agencies for the Service First Initiative.

Alan Levine is the senior vice president of Health Management Associates, a Naples-based operator of 60 hospitals in 15 states. Over the past 20 years, Levine has served as CEO for hospitals and health systems throughout Florida and was appointed by former Florida Governor Jeb Bush and Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal as a chief health policy advisor. He’s a committed philanthropist as well, involved in youth mentoring programs like Big Brothers-Big Sister's, Boys Scouts and has served as a Guardian ad-Litem.

LIZA MCFADDEN serves as president of the Volunteer USA Foundation – a foundation aimed at strengthening families through volunteerism and community service. Prior to her current position, Ms. McFadden was president/CEO of Volunteer Florida Foundation, a foundation whose mission was to strengthen Florida’s families through volunteerism and community service.

BILL SIMON has responsibility for the operations of the retailer’s more than 3,800 Discount, Supercenter, and Neighborhood Market stores in the United States. Bill continues to have responsibility for Asset Protection and in February 2008 assumed responsibility for Logistics and Transportation. He was promoted to his current position in 2007 Bill was previously Executive Vice President of professional services and new business development where he was responsible for the management of the specialty services areas of Wal-Mart, including Pharmacy, Optical, Tire and Lube Express, Photo, and Connections. Bill joined Wal-Mart from Brinker International in March 2006, where he was Senior Vice President of Global Business Development responsible for the growth of their portfolio of restaurants outside the U.S.

Gwynn C.Virostek, senior vice president of The Bank of Bonifay and a highly respected financial consultant. Gwynn previously managed retail banking and branch operations for approximately half of the financial centers across the country for Washington Mutual. Her area included the groups of South Florida, Mid-Atlantic, New York Liberty, New York/New Jersey Empire, Illinois, and Texas.

^{Romero Britto, International Pop Artist}

Born in Brazil, joyful themes and bold compositions are the fundamental elements that have led Romero Britto to become the premier Pop Artist of our time. He creates a completely new expression that reflects his optimistic faith in the world around him while alluding to influences of early and modern masters. His work was featured at the 2007 Super Bowl and is collected by countless celebrities. Britto, who now lives in Miami, is also a literacy champion, creating a signature oil on canvas piece titled, "Celebrate Literacy," especially for the Florida Family Literacy Initiative. The painting was unveiled at the 2007 Celebration of Reading event hosted by former Governor Jeb Bush, along with Mrs. Columba Bush, President George H.W. Bush and Mrs. Barbara Bush.

Jill Conner Browne - Author

Jill Conner Browne is "America's #1 Humor Writer." She burst onto the scene in 1999 with humorous material on the trials and tribulations of being a middle-aged woman. Next she turned her refreshingly candid advice about love, life, men and marriage into the bestseller, "The Sweet Potato Queens' Book of Love." Her other books include, "The Sweet Potato Queens' Guide to Raising Children for Fun and Profit," and "The Sweet Potato Queens' Field Guide to Men."

^{Brad Meltzer, Best-Selling Author}

Brad Meltzer is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of "The Book of Fate," as well as the bestsellers "The Tenth Justice Dead Even," "The First Counsel," "The Millionaires" and "The Zero Game." He is also one of the co-creators of the TV show, Jack & Bobby - and is the number one selling author of the critically acclaimed comic books, "Identity Crisis" and "Justice League of America," for which he won the prestigious Eisner Award. His newest thriller is "The Book of Lies”.

^{Art Smith, Celebrity Chef}

Art has brought back meaning and symbolism to the word “table” and has united families and friends through the sharing of a meal. A native of Jasper, Florida, Art once served as executive chef to Florida Governor Bob Graham, and later was personal chef to Oprah Winfrey and Stedman Graham. He’s a restaurant owner and best-selling cookbook author, receiving the James Beard Foundation Award for “Best Cookbook” for his first cookbook, Back to the Table: The Reunion of Food and Family. Art is also a humanitarian, using his fame, goodwill and charm to get much of the food donated when he prepares meals for charitable causes, including his support of family literacy efforts.