Leading Our Future
At The Education Foundation of Alachua County, we have an active, engaged, working Board of Directors. Our board members are passionate about investing in education to ensure equal opportunity and success for the students within our Alachua County Public School District. Our board works alongside The Education Foundation’s staff to make the biggest impact possible by volunteering as mentors with the Take Stock in Children program, by helping with event planning, and by offering oversight within the various committees.
Board members serve three-year terms with the ability to serve two consecutive terms. The board meets monthly as a group to discuss the work within the committees and the organization as a whole.
2024-2025 Board Member Bio Information
Kay Abbitt
School Board of Alachua County Board Member
Erik Anderson
Senior Team Leader – Project Development
Scorpio
Erik worked for Charles Perry Partners, Inc. from 2005 to 2012 in project management with the diversified projects division serving clients UF, UF Health Shands, UAA, Santa Fe College, Department of Juvenile Justice, SBAC and other state entities. Managed several hundred projects from start to finish, but most notably ended his time at Charles Perry Partners, Inc. completing the Santa Fe College Building O Construction & Technical Programs facility as well as UF/UAA’s Indoor Tennis Facility.
Erik moved forward with his career to work with McLeod General Trades from 2012 to 2023 as a senior manager, vice president, visionary and part owner. McLeod General Trades is a specialties trade contractor and serves all major markets in Florida as well as southeast Georgia. Erik sat in a few seats, but primarily led the leadership team with a focus on strategic planning, client relationships and expanding our market share. During his time at McLeod General Trades, the company grew 5 times in both revenue as well as team size. A few larger and notable projects McLeod General Trades recently completed are Sarasota Memorial Hospital in Venice, FL, FIS Corporate Headquarters in Jacksonville, FL and Orlando Health Jewett Orthopedics Hospital in Orlando, FL. Currently, Erik serves as the Senior Team Lead in Project Development at Scorpio. He leads the procurement team in providing community-centered construction solutions with passion and purpose.
Bea Awoniyi
Assistant Vice President – Student Affairs
Santa Fe College
Originally from Nigeria, Bea received her B.S. and M.S. degrees from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale (SIU-C) and her PhD. from Colorado State University in Ft. Collins, Colorado. Bea is engaged with the Association on Higher Education and Disability (AHEAD) at the national level as well as the state affiliate level. She served on the Board and also as President and is one of the founding members and the past President of the Florida AHEAD affiliate (FL-AHEAD). She was also engaged with the National Association of Student Personnel
Administration (NASPA) and served as Chair of Region III Disability Concerns. Bea a Director on the Johnson Scholarship Foundation Board and a member of the North Central Florida’s Center
for Independent Living (NCFCIL).
Mary Benedict
Community Volunteer
eSchool/Council PTA
While at Chiles, Mary started a Weekend Food Backpack Program for food insecure students. It merged with programs at Terwilliger & Norton to become Food4Kids Backpack Program of North Florida. As the Enrollment Coordinator for Food4Kids, Mary worked closely with school counselors across the county to identify and feed food insecure students, and over 10 years helped the organization grow to feed over 1,000 students in 30 schools, annually.
As the parent of an autistic son, Mary is also a strong advocate for families of students with mental & physical disabilities, and uses her community connections to provide these families access to much-needed resources through ACCPTA workshops and the annual Disability Resource Expo.
Mary is currently President of the Alachua County Council of PTAs, a Florida PTA Board member, on the Meridian Behavioral Healthcare Board of Associates, and a Take Stock Mentor to a junior at Eastside High School. Mary has previously been a long time board member and Treasurer of the UF Medical Guild.
LeAnn Campbell
J.D. Candidate at the University of Florida
Levin College of Law (former paralegal)
LeAnn is a proud graduate of Leadership Gainesville and is active in the Gainesville community with the PTA, the Alachua County Human Rights Board, and the Santa Fe College Paralegal and Office Administration Advisory Committee. LeAnn was a Take Stock mentor for four years and, before law school, worked as a paralegal in the education law sector for twelve years.
Patty Carroll
Sr. Lead, Culture & Communications
Infotech
Prior to her role, Carroll worked in the nonprofit sector for nearly 10 years managing government relations, development, foster and adoptive parent recruitment, and media relations for a local child welfare agency. Throughout her career, Carroll has developed a passion for advocating for the needs of children and families in the Alachua County area and beyond by developing strong partnerships and networks within the nonprofit sector. Carroll has lived in Gainesville since 2012 with her husband. Together, they have two children, Joshua (7) and Dillon (9 months). The family enjoys taking advantage of all Gainesville has to offer!
Larry ”Steve” Cecil
Retired CFO
Community Volunteer
Adria Deren
Tax Partner
Carr, Riggs & Ingram, LLC
Lauren Elliott
Director – Communications and Community Engagement
HCA Florida North Florida Hospital
Mitchell Hay, CFP, ChFC
Lead Advisor
Koss Olinger
Romona Jackson
Financial Literacy Coach
FinanSense, LLC
She is also the owner of Total Life Productions, LLC, where she earns credit as an author by having published three books: Redefining Me: A 90 Day Devotional and Know Your Worth: You Are Not Your Past. Including the recent release of Crazy Faith, Unexplainable Peace: Lessons My Mother Taught Me. As a Playwright, Romona has produced and debuted two stage-plays- “Train up a Child” and “Me, Myself and God”, and has directed three plays for the Star Center Theater: Aretha, The Bodyguard and Simply Simone where she has the distinct privilege of serving as the President of the Star Center Executive Board.
Expanding her range of entrepreneurship, Romona launched her financial coaching business, FinanSense, LLC, July 2021. She successfully earned her designation as a Master Financial Coach from Ramsey Solutions and from the Association for Financial Counseling and Planning Education (AFCPE). Because of her life experiences, Romona is passionate about helping to empower individuals and families holistically, striving to help build strong families, thereby resulting in strong communities, spiritually, physically, and financially.
Aside from being a Praise and Worship leader, Romona is a certified Zumba instructor, an avid runner and soon to be a certified Personal Trainer. Collecting medals after a run is her favorite pastime. She is a member of Faith Church, a well-informed graduate of Leadership Gainesville 45, a proud member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Incorporated, for 30 years and an excited member of the Gainesville (FL) Chapter of The Links, Incorporated.
Kathleen Joseph
Licensed Mental Health Counselor
Kathleen Joseph & Associates, LLC
Kathleen is passionate about addressing issues affecting traditionally marginalized populations (e.g. historically oppressed racial/ethnic groups, members of the LGBTQ community, etc.) in the counseling context, and finds deep meaning from this work. Kathleen was trained at the University of Florida where she received her M.Ed/Ed.S in Mental Health Counseling with an additional certification from the University of Florida Center for Spirituality and Health.
Prior to being a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Kathleen has worked for various social service/community-based agencies, including the Partnership for Strong Families, Meridian Behavioral Health Care, and the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office. Kathleen is the creator of the BrainPower Program at Girls Place Inc., which is a mental health program designed to serve the young women of Girls Place and their families.
Darry Lloyd
Chief Investigator | Public Information Officer
Office of 8th Circuit State Attorney
Nelson Logan
Community Volunteer
SCORE/Oak Hammond
He served and shared his expertise on many boards in Iowa City including Rotary (international fundraising) and the University of Iowa Credit Union Board. He mentored with the Take Stock In Children program and enjoyed reading with children at two local elementary schools. He worked to help raise funds for the UF College of Health and Health Professions Department of Epidemiology. Mr. Nelson holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Education from Wichita State University, A Master of Science degree in Mathematics, and a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Utah.
Leslie Pendleton, Ph. D
Executive Director
University Initiatives – University of Florida Advancement
Originally from Indiana, Leslie earned her undergraduate degree in Political Science from the College of Wooster, her master’s degree in Student Personnel and Higher Education at Miami University, and her
PhD from the University of Florida in Higher Education Administration. Leslie was a collegiate swimmer and still swims today with a master’s team in Gainesville. Leslie and her husband have two daughters in
the K-12 public school system in Alachua County.
Anne Polo
Director of Communications and Marketing
Greater Gainesville Chamber of Commerce
Jacquelyn Randall
Mayor
City of Hawthorne
Ms. Randall’s political priorities are centered around education and healthcare. She believes these are the cornerstones for a healthy and thriving community. Serving Hawthorne has been a blessing to her, it continues to allow her to meet incredible people and foster partnerships while also finding solutions that will make her community a better place. She is looking forward to the good work ahead, helping students of Alachua County succeed and lead our future generations.
Charles Riggs Jr, MD, FACP
Retired Oncologist
UF Health Shands
After 55 years of working in hospitals (high school to present), Dr. Riggs elected to retire from University of Florida in early 2023. He maintains a small clinical practice at the Gainesville VA Hospital, primarily teaching and guiding residents and fellow trainees as they hone their clinical and scientific knowledge of hematology and oncology (cancer medicine). Dr. Riggs’s goal is to remain an active presence in training young minds, in the same fashion in which he was privileged to be guided by motivated mentors, and to continue lifelong learning.
Gwendolyn Saffo
Previous TEFAC Board Vice President
ITM Group
Ms. Saffo also served as the Interim Equal Opportunity Director twice during her tenure with the organization. Ms. Saffo has always been highly visible and active in the community. She served as the Chapter President of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., the Gainesville Alumnae Chapter from 2001-2005 and 2007-2011, and in many other capacities on the sorority’s state and regional level. She is the co-founder of the Collaboratively Woke Initiative, a partnership between the Gainesville Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., and the Delta Sigma Zeta Chapter of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. This partnership has led to many successful collaborations, including Get Out the Vote, Leadership Academy, “Peace in Action-A Gun Violence Prevention Resource Fair,” and Town Hall meetings on Community Race Relations. Ms. Saffo is the former Vice President and current take-stock mentor with the Education Foundation of Alachua County. She is the current Vice President of the Board of Directors for the League of Women Voters of Alachua County (LWVAC), the Chair of LWVAC’s Gun Violence Prevention and Safety committee, and a member of the LWVAC’s Voter Services committee.
Ms. Saffo is an active member of the Visionaires, Inc., the National Council of Negro Women, the National Alumni Association of Shaw University (past Financial Secretary), the Florida Sunshine Alumni Chapter of Shaw University (President), the American Association for Access, Equity & Diversity, and the National Forum for Black Public Administrators, North Central Florida Chapter First Vice-President. Ms. Saffo has been awarded the following accolades in recent years: the 2023 Mercerdese Clark Trailblazer Award for Social Action (Delta Days at the Florida State Capitol conference) and the Violette N. Anderson Award (presented by Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. – Delta Sigma Zeta Chapter). Ms. Saffo’s motto is, “If you put God first, you don’t have to worry about what follows,” and she takes pride in being a servant leader. The theme of her life is “Living MY Life Like It’s Golden!”
Mary Salvamoser
Executive Assistant to CEO
Oak Hammock at The University of Florida
Residing in Gainesville for over 30 years, Mary’s involvement in the community includes a senior scholarship with The Education Foundation, museum memberships, and coordinating or volunteering on group projects benefiting various local non-profit organizations. She received her Bachelor of Science in Communications from Clarion University of Pennsylvania, recently renamed PennWest.
Scott Thomas
Chief Financial Officer
PathPoint Energy, LLC
A native of North Carolina and a lifelong Tar Heel, Scott holds an MBA from Kenan-Flagler Business School at The University of North Carolina and a BS in Mathematics with Honors and Distinction from The United States Naval Academy. Prior to beginning his investment banking career, he served as a nuclear-trained submarine officer in the United States Navy. His wife Dorothy is an active volunteer in the Gainesville community through her efforts with Southwest Advocacy Group (SWAG) and The CHILD Center. They have two children and a rescue dog of unknown origins named Bailey.
John Tull
Senior Manager of Business Development
Gator Sports Properties
After completing the internship, Mr. Tull earned a Master’s in Sports Management at Indiana University Bloomington. For 20 years, he traveled the country operating minor-league baseball teams and hockey teams. In 2008, he started his college sports career working for Learfield IMG College as a promoter for Penn State. As a promoter, he was able to expand his experience in sports marketing. He developed and executed award-winning entertainment promotions, game presentations, advertising campaigns, and promotional community relations strategies to increase brand awareness, corporate partnership revenue, and ticket sales. Seeing everyone coming together was the most fulfilling part of the job for him. Mr. Tull is a member of the Gainesville Chamber of Commerce.
Build a Lasting Difference
Please contact our office if you are interested in serving on The Education Foundation of Alachua County Board of Directors.