Paul Whiting (Chair)
President - Seabreeze Holdings

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Christopher Blowers is a graduate of Florida State University. He is currently the President and CEO of Greiner’s Fine Men’s Clothing in Tampa where he has worked since 1987. He was a member of the Board of Directors at FSU Hillsborough County Seminole Booster Club from 1990 through 1998. Chris serves as the Development Committee Chair for Academy Prep.

Stephanie T. Brown-Gilmore has 15+ years working for Public Housing and has been responsible for the supervision and implementation of supportive services for over 5,000+ residents residing in the Tampa Housing Authority’s 2,800+ Public Housing units. She is responsible for implementing more than $2.5 million of the social service grant funded programs and activities for the Tampa Housing Authority’s residents. These grant funded initiatives consist of local, state, federal, and private dollars. Mrs. Brown-Gilmore is also responsible for determining the feasibility of developing new programs and grant funded opportunities for her agency. Some of her past Board experience consists of trustees for two Charter Schools, Workforce Development Cooperation, the local TANF offices, and Wages Coalition Boards.

Simon M. Canasi was born in Cuba and has been a Tampa resident since 1961. Simon is Senior Vice-President and Sales Manager for Merrill Lynch Private Client Group. He is active in the community as a Board Member for Sant’Yago Education Foundation and was a former member of the Judicial Nominating Committee for the 2nd District Court of Appeals. He is a past member of the University of South Florida Alumni Association and a former Chairman of the Hillsborough County Civil Service Board. Simon is trilingual in Spanish, Italian and English. Mr. Canasi is married and has three children.

Nancy Crane joined the Tampa Bay Lightning prior to the 2003-2004 season as Executive Director of the Lightning Foundation. She is responsible for directing the foundation, the grant program and the community relations department. Nancy has worked with Lightning staff and educational experts to develop reading, math and character education programs that serve more than 30,000 students in Hillsborough County. She also helped create More Health through the Junior League of Tampa. A native of Asheville, North Carolina, Nancy graduated from Mars Hill College and received a M.A. from the University of Alabama.

Charles V. Dannewitz attended Illinois Wesleyan University and is a Certified Public Accountant. He was employed by Price Waterhouse for 13 years, most recently as a tax partner. Chuck joined Tech Data in February 1995 as Vice President of Taxes and was promoted to Senior Vice President in April 2000. Chuck lives with his wife and son in the Bay area.

W. Dennis Facciolo is currently the Director of Admissions at Tampa Preparatory School. He holds degrees in history and philosophy from the University of Delaware and Johns Hopkins University. He joined Tampa Preparatory School in 1991 as their founding middle school division director and has taught geography and history for the past thirty years. As an educator, Dennis has two great joys: teaching middle schoolers, an age group he feels suffers more age-based prejudice than any other group in society other than the elderly, and educating community leaders; and how independent schools serve as a continuing resource for the education of individuals who earn positions of leadership in business as well as in the city's civic, professional and cultural affairs. Dennis brings a wealth of experience on effective middle school operations and high school admissions.

Dennis Fedorovich received his BBA degree from the University of Notre Dame in 1983. He is a CPA and has been the Chief Financial Officer of the Columbia Restaurant Group and Cha Cha Coconuts since 1995. Dennis is also a partner in a group that owns several franchised restaurants (Moe’s Southwest Grill, Mama Fu’s Asian House and Shane’s Rib Shack). Dennis was previously Controller for Dollar Rent A Car of Florida, and began his career at Deloitte Haskins & Sells (now Deloitte & Touche). Dennis is married to Robyn. They have two children, Jack (five years old) and Brett (three years old). Dennis serves as the Treasurer for the Academy Prep Board of Trustees in Tampa.

Jeffrey L. Fortune retired as President and CEO of Fortune Hotels, Inc. in 1995. He is one of the founders of our first school, Academy Prep Center in St. Petersburg. Mr. Fortune is a graduate of the University of Michigan and Wayne State University with BSE and MBA degrees. He specialized in Marketing and Administration as an executive with Chrysler Corporation before joining Resort Inns of America, in 1969. He has also been active in many community directorships which have included United Way, Canterbury School, St. Pete Beach Chamber of Commerce, Pinellas County Tourist Development Council, Discover Florida Suncoast Tourism Advisory Council and membership in the Young Presidents Organization. He continues to be an active Board Member for Academy Prep Center of Tampa.

Dick Greco, born and raised in Tampa, started his career as Vice President of King-Greco Hardware Company - a family business in Tampa for over fifty years. At the age of thirty-four, Dick was elected Mayor of Tampa - the youngest mayor of any city of over 250,000. Later, when serving his second term, he resigned to join the Edward J. DeBartolo Corporation as a Vice President. Dick ran again for Mayor of Tampa and was elected by a 68% majority. In 1999, he was re-elected to a second four-year term without opposition (a first in Tampa's political history). In 2003, Dick returned to the corporate-world as Senior Vice President of the DeBartolo Property Group and joined the Lindell Properties team as Executive Vice President.

James T. Hargrett, Jr. was born in West Tampa. He received his BA from Morehouse College and his MBA from Atlanta University. Shortly after completing his education, he started his professional career. He served as a National Bank Examiner for the U.S. Comptroller Office, Commercial Property Underwriter for Aetna Life Insurance Co., Director of the Leadership Development Programs for the Tampa Urban League and for 13 years he served as CEO of a local financial institution. In November of 1982, Jim was elected to represent the 63rd District in the Florida House of Representatives. He served for 5 terms. In October of 1992, he was elected to the State Senate serving the Tampa Bay area. A business man today, Jim is Chairman and President of Bay Area Concessions, Inc. He is actively involved in community organizations and sits on numerous boards and committees.

Lyris Newman has been a resident of Tampa since 1967. She was a teacher for Hillsborough County Schools for 20 years. Currently, she is a volunteer tutor of migrant children at Dover Elementary, helped found the preschool at Congregation Schaarai Zedek and is a preschool board member. She serves on the Scholarship and Financial Aid Committee at Berkeley Preparatory School, is 2nd V.P. of Town and Gown and a member of the Junior League of Tampa. Lyris is the Past President of the Parents' Club of Berkeley Preparatory School and Past President of Sisterhood of Congregation Schaarai Zedek. Lyris was instrumental in helping the mentoring effort kick off with the J.C. Newman Cigar Company and serves as mentor and tutor at Academy Prep.

Charlie Poe was born in Tampa and has lived here most of his life. He is a Trustee Board Member of Academy Prep Center of Tampa and a board member of the Children's Museum of Tampa. Charlie is the Chief Investment Officer of Poe Financial Group, a board member of Poe Financial Group, and the President of Poe Insurance Managers, a subsidiary of Poe Financial Group. Charlie holds a Chartered Financial Analyst designation, a Bachelors of Science in Business Administration from the University of Florida, and a Masters in Business Administration from IESE in Barcelona, Spain. He is currently publishing a children's book that he wrote called Life is a Playground. Charlie designed and facilitates a goal setting and financial planning curriculum for Academy Prep called Focus on Success.

Fred Ridley is a partner at Foley and Lardner LLP and national vice chair of the real estate practice and Food and Sports Industry Teams. Fred has over 20 years of experience in representing real estate developers. Fred is the immediate past president of the United States Golf Association having previously served as treasurer and vice president of that organization. He has a J.D. degree from Stetson University and his undergraduate degree from the University of Florida. Fred has been named a 2006 Florida “Supper Lawyer” by Law and Politics Media, Inc. Fred created and helps run the Grand Oak Golf Classic for Academy Prep.

Tom Sansone has lived in the Tampa Bay area since 1983, when he established the St Petersburg location of Jabil Circuit, Inc. Since retiring as President of Jabil in 1999, he has continued as Vice Chairman of its Board. He has been an active supporter of Academy Prep since its first year of operation and currently serves as President of the Academy Prep Foundation. Tom holds B.A., J.D. and LL.M. (taxation) degrees and practiced law in the Detroit area. Tom maintains residences on both sides of the Bay with his wife, Cathy Unruh.

John L. Smith, Jr., DMA graduated from Lincoln University with a Bachelor’s of Music Education, a Master of Music and Education and the Performer’s Certificate (the first ever awarded a tubist) from Indiana University and a Doctorate of Musical Arts (DMA) from the University of Missouri-Kansas City. His post-doctoral study was accomplished at Harvard University’s Institutes for Educational Management and professional study with the principle tubists of the New York Philharmonic and Chicago Symphony. He is the recipient of many civic, social and educational honors including Outstanding Young Men of America, University of Missouri-Kansas City’s Alumni Achievement Award, the Tampa/Hillsborough County Human Rights Award, Honors Membership in Phi Kappa Phi, Pi Kappa Lambda and the National Music Society. He has also won numerous awards from the University of South Florida. Dr. Smith has held many positions and has traveled extensively around the world.

James Strenski has had more than 45 years of diversified public relations experience in trade associations, nonprofit, health care, corporations, and academic institutions. He founded Public Communications, Inc. in Chicago in 1963 and in Florida 10 years later. Under his direction, PCI become one of the top 20 independent public relations firms nationally. Jim was a founder of the WORLDCOM Public Relations Group, Inc., an international partnership of public relations firms with 114 offices in 60 countries. He is a graduate of Marquette University’s College of Communications and is very active in civic affairs as the previous Board Chair of The Florida Orchestra and a member on the Foundation of St. Joseph’s Hospitals, The Franciscan Center, the Outback Bowl, and the business Advisory Council for USF’s Mass Communication Department.