About Us

Board of Directors

The Education Fund Executive Committee

  • Chair

    Cheryl Rees
    SVP & Director of Marketing
    Ocean Bank

  • Vice Chair

    Pablo J. Pino
    South Florida Market President - Commercial
    TD Bank

  • Secretary

    Jackie Martinez-Sancho
    Director, Account Management & Wellness
    Humana

  • Treasurer

    Nick Tootle, CPA
    Partner
    Kaufman, Rossin & Co., P.A.

  • At-Large

    Ernest P. Modock, Jr.
    AV Terminal Manager - Miami
    Ford Autonomous Vehicles, LLC

  • Immediate Past Chair

    Hector J. Ponte
    Region Bank President, Southeast Florida
    Wells Fargo Bank

  • The Education Fund

    Linda Lecht
    President

Board of Directors

  • Rolando Aedo

    CDME, Chief Operating Officer
    Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau

  • Beth Bailey

    Managing Partner, Government and Education
    Verizon Wireless

  • Victor R. Benitez

    VP & General Manager
    Gus Machado Ford

  • Angela Burgess

    SVP & Chief Actuary
    Assurant

  • Jennifer Stearns Buttrick

    Of Counsel
    Stearns Weaver Miller Weissler Alhadeff & Sitterson, P. A.

  • Alberto M. Carvalho

    Superintendent of Schools
    Miami-Dade County Public Schools

  • Melanie Dickinson

    President & Publisher
    South Florida Business Journal

  • Barbara Fonte, MHSA

    VP of Managed Care and Population Health
    Jackson Health System

  • Karla Hernandez-Mats

    President
    United Teachers of Dade

  • Robert Lasky

    Executive Vice President
    Worldwide Sourcing Group

  • Jose Mallea

    President
    Biscayne Bay Brewing Company

  • Danny Marks

    General Manager
    Metro Ford

  • Gail Mixer

    Civic Leader
    TriMix Foundation

  • Jason Mizrachi

    Director, Strategic Partnerships and Business Development
    Univision Communications Inc.

  • Gary M. Pappas

    Shareholder
    Carlton Fields

  • Dr. Marta Perez

    School Board Member, District 8
    Miami-Dade County Public Schools

  • Lillian M. Peters

    Senior Vice President
    PNC Wealth Management

  • Rachel Pinzur

    President
    Pinzur Communications

  • Joseph Roisman

    Perry Ellis International

  • Rachel Sapoznik

    President & CEO
    Sapoznik Insurance

  • Anita Sharma

    Senior Director, Information Management
    Florida Power & Light

  • Vanessa M. Valle

    2021 Teacher of the Year
    Miami-Dade County Public Schools

  • Miguel Veloso

    Principal
    Miami-Dade County Public Schools

  • Rafael. A Villalobos

    2020 Principal of the Year
    Miami-Dade County Public Schools

Advisory Board

  • Brenda Bassett

    Cefalo-Basset, LLC &
    Eat This Drink That Go!

  • Bobby Brochin

    Partner
    Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP

  • Dr. Lawrence S. Feldman

    School Board Member, District 9
    Miami-Dade County Public Schools

  • Rolando Garcia

    Civic Leader

  • Gerald E. Greenberg

    Founding Partner
    Gelber Schachter & Greenberg, P.A.

  • Victoria Hernandez

    Hernandez Consulting

  • Arthur H. Hertz

    (In Memoriam)

  • Betsy H. Kaplan

    (In Memoriam)

  • R. Kirk Landon

    (In Memoriam)

  • Myrna Palley

    (In Memoriam)

  • Lucy Woodward Petrey

    (In Memoriam)

  • Helena Poleo

    President
    Influence Communications

  • Angela Ramos

    Program and Public Affairs Director
    Univision Communications Inc.

  • Raj Rawal

    Managing Partner
    SF Mango Investments, LLC

  • Benjamine Reid

    Shareholder
    Carlton Fields

  • Barbara Romani

    Retired, Citi

  • Nelly Rubio

    Retired, CBS4 WFOR-TV

  • Lisa Sloat

    Consultant

  • Dr. Carlos Wolf

    Facial Plastic Surgeon
    Miami Plastic Surgery

  • Louis Wolfson, III

    Partner
    Pinnacle Housing Group

  • Carol Graham Wyllie

    Executive Vice President
    The Graham Companies

  • Dr. Sanford Ziff

    (In Memoriam)