Mission & History | Board |
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FPN Board of Directors
Steven
E. Marcus Ed.D., Chair
Dr. Marcus is president and
CEO of the
Health Foundation of South Florida
in Miami. The foundation has embarked on transforming its grantmaking by focusing its responsive grant program on four
community focus areas: healthy lifestyle promotion, preventative
measures, primary care and oral health. Marcus was previously
executive vice president of the Mount Sinai Medical Center
Foundation in Miami Beach, where he served for nearly 13 years. Marcus received his doctorate in higher education administration
from the University of Georgia in 1988 and is a Certified Fund
Raising Professional. He is past president of the Greater Miami
Chapter, a member of the Association of Health Care Philanthropy, Grantmakers in Health and the Council on Foundations. Currently, he
serves on the boards of Miami-Dade County Alliance for Human
Services and The Miami-Dade County Children's Trust and the Center
on Nonprofit Effectiveness in Miami.
Mark
Brewer, Vice Chair
Mark Brewer is president and chief executive officer of the
Community Foundation of Central Florida
in Orlando. Brewer's leadership at the foundation has been
focused on improving charitable investment strategies for donors and
philanthropists and strategic grantmaking to build the capacity of
nonprofits in the region. His background includes more than a
decade as a management and performance consultant in the nonprofit
sector. Later, as a licensed investment professional, he
assisted donors with estate and planned giving strategies. Brewer plays a leadership role in a number of community initiatives
and serves on several community boards including the Central Florida
Partnership, the Central Florida Homeless Commission and he is Chair
of the advisory board of the Donors Forum of Central Florida. He has
also served in leadership roles with the Association of Fundraising
Professionals and the Central Florida Planned Giving Council, and is
a Past Chair of the Florida Federation of Community Foundations.
Eileen
Boyle, Secretary/Treasurer
Eileen Boyle has served as
president and CEO of
Allegany Franciscan Ministries, Inc.
(AFM) since May 2005. Prior to joining AFM, Boyle was executive vice
president at United Way Palm Beach County, leading strategic change
initiatives and creating significant memberships with funding
organizations, providers and others in the community. In the 1980s
and early 1990s, Boyle was in Massachusetts, first with Project
Bread-The Walk for Hunger in Boston, providing leadership to the
area's premier organization helping hungry and homeless people. She
then served as executive director of LynnArts, a nonprofit community
arts organization dedicated to bringing the arts and the community
together and supporting community redevelopment efforts. Boyle
currently serves on many committees and several boards including
Blue Ridge Institute for Southern Community Service Executives,
United Way of Florida and United Way of Pasco County, and is a
graduate of Leadership Palm Beach County.
Jane
Curran
Jane Curran is the executive director of
The Florida Bar Foundation
in Orlando, which is the administrator of Florida's Interest on Trust Accounts program.
Curran joined the foundation in June, 1982, having moved to Orlando from Washington, D.C., where she was the assistant director of the Consortium of Universities of the District of Columbia. Prior to that, she served in several capacities including assistant to the executive director of the American Judicature Society in Chicago. Curran has served on the board of the National Legal Aid & Defender
Association and chaired its personnel committee. She is a
member of the ABA IOLTA Commission and is a past president and board
member of the National Association of IOLTA Programs. She also is a
past president of the National Conference of Bar Foundations. Curran
served for several years on the design team for the joint
ABA/NLADA Equal Justice Conference, and was as a member of the
ABA Law Day Working Group and Ad Hoc Committee on State Justice
Initiatives.
Belinda
Turner Lawrence
Belinda Turner Lawrence joined the
John S. and James L. Knight
Foundation in July 1997 as director of administration. In July 2001, she was promoted to vice president and chief
administrative officer, and was elected as Secretary, Board of
Trustees in 2008. She is a member of the Executive
Committee and leads the foundation's operations strategies for
human resources, performance and talent management, leadership
development, facilities, and information sharing systems -
including information technology and records, archive and
library. Before joining the foundation, she served as a
consultant with Florida Power & Light in Miami, Fla. A
native of Louisville, Ky., Lawrence was Vice President of Human
Resources for Glenmore Distilleries and the senior personnel
officer for Vencor Inc. She has worked in local
government, and was a consultant with the National Institute for
Corrections. Lawrence serves on the board of Donor's Forum
of South Florida, and is a member of United Way of Miami-Dade
Women's Executive Leadership Council. Her professional
affiliations include Society for Human Resources Management,
American Society for Training and Development, Foundation
Financial Officers Group and Foundation Administrators of
California. Lawrence earned her bachelor's degree from
Barry University and holds Senior Professional in Human
Resources certification from the Human Resource Certification
Institute in Washington, D.C.
Sherry P. Magill Ph.D.
Since 1993, Dr. Sherry Magill has been president of the
Jessie Ball duPont Fund. Located in Jacksonville. Prior to joining the
fund's staff in 1991 as program officer for education, Dr. Magill served as vice president and deputy to the president of Washington College. She holds bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Alabama and a doctorate in American studies from Syracuse University. In addition to having served as chair of the State of Florida
Supreme Court Judicial Nominating Commission, the P.A.C.E. Center
for Girls state board, and the Florida Funders Group, Dr. Magill is
past president of the Jacksonville Women's Network board, a past
member of the Southeastern Council of Foundations board and the
Leadership Jacksonville board. She is chair of the program committee
of the Southern Education Foundation board, a founding member and
past chair of the Florida Philanthropic Network, and
serves on the board of directors of the Council on Foundations in
Washington, D.C. Dr. Magill is an alumni member of Leadership Jacksonville, Class of 1993 and Leadership Florida, Class XIV.
David A. Odahowski J.D.
In addition to his role as president, CEO
and board member of the
Edyth Bush Charitable Foundation, a prominent grantmaking foundation in Winter Park,
David Odahowski is a frequent speaker and writer on philanthropic issues. He serves on the Executive Committee for the Donors Forum of Central Florida at the Philanthropy and Nonprofit Leadership Center at Rollins College, Council on Foundations' National Working Group to establish Stewardship Principles for Independent Foundations, and the Nemours Children's Hospital Committee Advisory Board. He is a former board member of United Arts of Central Florida, Community Foundation of Central Florida, and Southeastern Council of Foundations. Odahowski came to the Edyth Bush Charitable Foundation in 1990 from the Wasie Foundation in Minneapolis. He received a bachelor's degree in political science from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point and a law degree from the Hamline University School of Law. He completed the Management Certificate Program at Rollins College's Roy E. Crummer Graduate School of Business.
Katie Scanlan
Katie Scanlan
is the southeast region executive for global corporate social
responsibility at
Bank of America, based in Tampa. A 21-year veteran of Bank of America,
Scanlan has held various management positions during her tenure
including Florida community relations manager, Florida sponsorship
marketing manager and Florida public relations manager. In her
current role, she is responsible for all philanthropic,
sponsorship and civic activities in Florida, Georgia, Tennessee,
Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana. Scanlan serves on the board of
directors for Communities in Schools of Florida (CISFL) as well as
on the resource development committee for CISFL. She was a member of Leadership Florida's Class of 28. Scanlan is an active member of Leadership Tampa Alumni,
Tampa Bay Funders Forum and Florida Philanthropic Network. She
graduated from Auburn University with a B.A. in Public Relations.
Ian
Smith
Ian Smith is senior vice president and chief
communications officer for the Helios Education Foundation, where he
provides strategic brand, marketing and public relations
leadership to the foundation. As the most senior-level
representative for Helios in Florida, Smith manages the
foundation's Tampa
office and is responsible for statewide community relations. He
brings more than 13 years of professional television, print
media, public relations and corporate communications experience to
Helios. A former news producer and an Accredited Public Relations
Counselor (APR) and Certified Public Relations Counselor (CPRC),
Smith's professional experience includes serving as communications
director for the Florida Housing Finance Corporation, director of
public affairs for the Florida Home Builders Association, and
deputy director of communications for the Florida Department of
Community Affairs. He was a member of Leadership Florida's Class of 28. Smith earned his Master of Arts degree in
English from Florida State University and a Bachelor of Arts
degree in English and Journalism from Florida A&M University.
Javier
Alberto Soto
Javier Alberto Soto currently serves as president
and CEO of
The Miami Foundation, the community foundation for the Greater Miami
area. Previously, Soto served as senior vice president and
general counsel of Dutko Worldwide, heading the Miami division of
the multi-disciplinary public policy management firm. Prior
to joining Dutko in 2005, he held a variety of positions with
Miami-Dade County. He was the transition chairman for the
Office of Mayor Carlos Alvarez from 2004-2005 and the chief of
staff for the Office of Mayor Alex Penelas from 2001-2004, and he
served as the director of intergovernmental affairs and as
assistant county attorney. He was an associate in the
Litigation Department at Holland & Knight before moving into
county government. Soto has been involved in a variety of
professional and community organizations, serving as chairman of
the Community Advisory Committee of the John S. and James L.
Knight Foundation. He was born in Madrid, Spain, is a
graduate of Florida State University and has a law degree from
Georgetown University.
Susan
Towler
Susan Towler is executive director of community
affairs for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida and vice
president of
the
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida Foundation, where she is
responsible for the company's community investment programming. She joined the company in April 1996, and was formerly public
relations director for the company. Towler is actively
involved in the philanthropic and nonprofit sector. She is
currently a board member for the Nonprofit Center of Northeast
Florida and Jacksonville Community Commission, Inc. and is a
member of the Women's Giving Alliance. In 2008, she was
appointed by Governor Charlie Crist to a three-year term on the
Governor's Commission on Community Service. She is the past
board president for All Saints Early Learning and Community Care
Center and is a past president of Esprit de Corps. She was
named a "Woman of Influence" by the Jacksonville Business
Journal in 2004 and an "Up and Comer" by the same publication
in 2003. Towler is a graduate of Leadership Florida and
currently serves on its regional council. She graduated from
the University of Florida in 1985 with a bachelor's degree in
Public Relations.
FPN Staff
David Biemesderfer, President
& CEO
813-983-7396
David Biemesderfer joined FPN as vice president in January 2009
and was appointed president & CEO of the organization in June
2010. He came to FPN with more than 15 years of experience in
philanthropy and association management work. He spent 10 years with
the Minnesota Council on Foundations as director of communications
and external relations and then as vice president of communications
and information services. In addition to managing MCF's strategic
communications, he led its research operations, government relations
and public policy program, and additional member programs and
services. Starting in 2005, Biemesderfer provided consulting
services to a number of philanthropic organizations across the
country in the areas of strategic communications, public policy, and
accountability and ethics. Biemesderfer has served on the boards of
several nonprofit organizations. He currently serves as vice chair
of the board of
directors for the Forum of Regional Associations of Grantmakers in
Arlington, Va. He holds a bachelor's degree in communications from Gustavus Adolphus College and a master's degree in business from the University of Minnesota.
Maggie
Osborn, Vice President
813-983-7397
Maggie Osborn was appointed vice president of FPN in October
2010. She was previously grant director of the Conn Memorial
Foundation in Tampa, where she worked since 2003 managing the
foundation’s $1 million annual grant portfolio for 40+
organizations. In this role, Osborn facilitated agency
capacity-building through evaluation training, coaching and
professional support for 50+ organizations annually; developed
curriculum and facilitated training with the Nonprofit Leadership
Center of Tampa Bay; and served as a community liaison for the
foundation. As president & CEO of MGO Partners, Inc., Osborn
has provided results-oriented support to local, national and
international clients in the areas of strategic planning, board
development, philanthropic advising, organizational
capacity-building and sustainability; and has been a faculty
practitioner in nonprofit management at the University of Tampa
School of Business. Osborn has served in numerous volunteer
leadership capacities for local, regional and national philanthropic
organizations, including as a member of FPN’s Education Affinity
Group and Membership Committee; chair of the Funders Forum of Tampa
Bay; chair of the Southeastern Council of Foundations' Hull Fellows
Program from 2007 to 2009 and a member of the Hull Program Committee
since 2004; and a past board member for Connect for Kids in
Washington, D.C. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the
College of Notre Dame of Maryland and a Master
of Arts degree in leadership & philanthropy from Antioch University
Midwest.
Olivia
Cortez-Figueroa, Member Services Associate
813-983-7399
Olivia Cortez-Figueroa was appointed FPN's member services
associate in January 2011. In this position she serves as a
key point of contact for FPN members, provides support for FPN's
programs and other members services, and manages FPN's internal
office operations. She previously was director of student
finance for Everest University Online in Tampa, and prior to that
was community liaison for Rural Social Services Partnership Inc. She has served as a board member for the Latino Coalition of Tampa
Bay and has studied nonprofit management.
