Board of Directors
 Howard G. Crowell Jr., LTG., (ret.) Chairman of the board
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 Herb Jones Vice Chair of the Board |
 Frederick M. Derr Treasurer |
 Ceila Edmundson, Ed.D. Secretary of the Board |
 Morton E. “Woody” Wolverton Member |
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Ronald D. Ciaravella Member |
MEMBERS OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
HOWARD G. CROWELL JR., LTG. (Ret.), Chairman of the Board
Retired three-star General, U.S. Army, 34 years military service
Chief of Staff, U.S. Forces, Europe 1988
Graduate, U.S. Army War College, Washington, DC
M.S. George Washington University, Washington, DC
B.A. in Economics from St. Lawrence University, Canton, NY
Worldwide experience in leadership and international affairs
Currently, Trustee and Treasurer, Mote Marine Laboratory
Past District Governor of Rotary International, District 6960
Past President Rotary Club of Sarasota Bay
Past President of Retired Officers’ Club of Sarasota
Past Chairman of the Board, Sarasota County Openly Plans for Excellence
Active member in many organizations in the Sarasota Community
Awards: the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, the Army Distinguished Service Medal, the Silver Star, the Bronze Star, eighteen Air Medals, and the Purple Heart, among others.
HERB JONES, Vice Chair of the Board
Attended the University of Kentucky and the University of Cincinnati
Majors in transportation and transportation management
Helped start a Merchandising and Marine Transportation Company that became the 20th largest private company in St. Louis
Traveled extensively in Japan
Member of many boards including five national boards of trade organizations
Started grocery stores in Palmetto, Bradenton, Sarasota, Venice, Port Charlotte, and Arcadia (Save A Lot Food Stores)
Current owner of NStyle Furniture & Design
Charter President of The Rotary Club of Sarasota Southside, Sarasota Yacht Club, and TPC Prestancia
Married with two children
Chairman and CEO, Frederick Derr & Company, Inc., Sarasota, FL
M.S. in Civil Engineering from Tulane University, New Orleans, LA
B.S., Civil Engineering, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY
Graduate U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis, MD
Mr. Derr served ten years active duty in the U.S. Navy and retired from the Naval Reserve with the rank of Captain. During this service period, he gained valuable experience in the design and construction of public works facilities. In the State of Florida, Mr. Derr is a Registered Professional Engineer, a licensed Certified General Contractor and a licensed Underground Utility and Excavation Contractor. He is also a Registered Professional Engineer in New York and Louisiana.
Mr. Derr’s career with Frederick Derr & Company actually began when he joined the Wendel Kent & Company in 1967, as an estimator. As his career progressed, he became the Company President in1984. Then in 1986, Mr. Derr acquired majority ownership of the Company and subsequently changed its name to Frederick Derr & Company in 1991.
Throughout his career, Mr. Derr has worked in all phases of highway construction, including the building of major interstate projects, city and county roads, subdivisions, golf courses, industrial parks, utility systems and coastal protection structures.
The Myakka Chapter of the Florida Engineering Society has honored Mr. Derr through the years. In 1989, they named him Engineer of the Year. In February 1999, the Chapter presented him with their Outstanding Technical Achievement Award for design and construction of a coastal protection structure. Their latest tribute was naming him Distinguished Senior Engineer in February 2003.
A concerned and active member of his community, Mr. Derr has served as Vice Chairman of the Sarasota County Code of Building Appeals. He is Past President of the Asphalt Contractors Association of Florida, and Past Chairman, Transportation Advisory Board, City of Sarasota. He is currently a member of The Argus Foundation and the Sarasota Rotary Club. He recently completed a three year term as Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Mote Marine Laboratory, and currently remains on the Board as Chairman Emeritus. Also, Mr. Derr serves on the Board of Directors of La Musica, an international chamber music festival as well as on the Sarasota Military Academy Board in the capacity of Treasurer.
CELIA EDMUNDSON, Ed. D., Secretary
Ed. D., Institutional Management, Pepperdine University, California
M.S., Educational Administration, Pepperdine University, California
B.A., Political Science, Chaminade University, Hawaii
Department Chair, Organizational Leadership, Argosy University
Consulting Agency—Founder/Owner, New Attitudes, Inc.
Author; Letters to Lee – From Pearl Harbor to the War’s Final Mission; 2010, Fordham University Press, NY
Our Flag - The Navy League, Sarasota Chapter, Sarasota, Florida
The Longboat Observer, Longboat Key, Florida
What Motivates Terrorists? - The Longboat Observer, Longboat Key, Florida
Organizational and Team Leadership, Interpersonal and Organizational Communications, Research Survey Techniques, Change Theory and Practice, Ethics and Leadership, and Conflict Management.
Board memberships (both past and present): SMA Board, Pelican Man’s Bird Sanctuary, Kiwanis Club of Longboat Key Board, Longboat Key Kiwanis Foundation, Solutions to Avoid Red Tide Board, The Historical Society of Longboat Key Florida Board, Longboat Key Garden Club.
F. STEVEN HERB, Member of the Board
JD, (Law Degree) University of Cincinnati
BS, Business Pre-Law and Economics, Bowling Green University
Attorney, Senior Partner, Nelson Hesse LLP
A member of the Board of Directors of the American Boat and Yacht Council and is a joint author of Recreational Boating Law and Benedict on Admiralty (Vol. 8). He is an active member of the Recreational Boat Law Committee of the Maritime Law Association of the United States. He formerly served as a member of the Government Relations Committee of the National Marine Manufacturers Association, receiving a Recognition Award from the National Marine Manufacturers' Association for his effective lobbying efforts on behalf of the boating industry.
Past President and Member of the Board of Directors; Tyndall Federal Credit Union from 1975 through 1978. He was Chairman of the Twelfth Judicial Circuit Unauthorized Practice of Law Committee of the Florida Bar; served on the Fee Arbitration Committee of the Twelfth Judicial Circuit of the Florida Bar and was awarded the Meritorious Public Service Award by the Florida Bar. Steve has been certified by the Florida Supreme Court as a County and Circuit Court mediator, and is also a fully qualified arbitrator. He is a member of the Defense Research Institute and the Business Law Section of the Florida Bar.
Mr. Herb was the
Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Siesta Key Utilities Authority, Inc., a
Past-Commodore and Director of The Field Club, and has served as a director of
the Brock Wilson Foundation and the Cotillion Club of Sarasota. Additionally,
Mr. Herb served as a Judge
Advocate General (JAG) during his service in the United States Air Force. Steve
and his wife, Jean, have resided in Sarasota, Florida, for 32 years, are active
in community affairs, have two daughters and five grandchildren.
BENJAMIN M. KNISELY, COL (Ret.), Member of the Board
MA, Systems Management, University of Southern California
BA, Mathematics and Sociology, University of South Florida
1993 to present: Corporate Consultant and Management positions; MacAulay-Brown, Inc., Dayton, OH; Seventrees Corporation, Benton Harbor, MI; Lockheed Martin Professional Services, Alexandria, VA; INS., Inc., Ivyland, PA.
1966 – 1993; Army Service, retiring as a Colonel; Deputy Command Surgeon (Senior Medical Service Corps Officer on General Schwarzkopf’s Special Staff).
Honors and military awards:
Defense Superior Service Medal; Bronze Star; Legion of Merit; The Purple Heart, Air Medal, W II/OLC, Meritorious Service Medal w/4 OLC; US Army Commendation Medal w/3 OLCs; Defense Meritorious Service Medal; Humanitarian Service Medal; Awarded Master Army Aviator; Awarded US Army Order of Military Medical Merit; Awarded Lucas/Sikorsky Life-saving Award; The Japan Self Defense Forces Life Saving Award; Florida State Teaching Certification and Certified Flight Instructor and Helicopter Aviator.
MORTON E. “WOODY” WOLVERTON, Member of the Board
B.S. in Geological Engineering, University of Oklahoma
Currently, Senior Vice President/Branch Manager, Robert W. Baird & Company, Inc. Sarasota-Growing assets to 500 million dollars 1996 to present
First Vice President/Assistant Manager, Prudential Securities, Sarasota 1992—1996
Financial Advisor, Legg Mason, Sarasota 1991-1992
Captain, U.S. Army
ROBERT E. WINDOM, M.D, Chairman of the Board Emeritus
Sarasota resident since 1945, Graduate of Sarasota High School
Past President, Florida Medical Association, Florida Heart Association, and the Sarasota Chamber of Commerce
Practiced Internal Medicine in Sarasota from 1960-1986
Appointed by President Reagan as U.S. Assistant Secretary for Health (the highest position in the Federal Government required to be filled by a physician)
Chairman, Florida Leadership Council for Tobacco Control
Distinguished Alumnus, Duke University Medical Center
Distinguished Internist of the Year, American Society of Internal Medicine
Distinguished Citizen of Sarasota by Goodwill Industries