Creating partnerships that change lives                                                  September 2013

     

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In This Issue
Welcome New Foundation Board Members
Lauralee Westine Joins College Board of Trustees
Foundation Receives $47,030 Gift from Florida College System Foundation
Innovation Grants Luncheon
A Scholarship Tribute to a WWII Army Nurse
Foundation Celebrates Employee Support
SPC Welcomes New Director of Marketing and Public Information
Class Notes
Quick Links




SPC Foundation
Board of Directors
Kenneth P. Cherven
Chairman

Joseph G. Blanton
Stephen O. Cole
Paul Demirdjian
John W. Dosher
Robert J. Fine, Jr.
Theresa K. Furnas* 
Calvin D. Harris, Ed.D.
Robert L. Hilton
Beth A. Horner
William D. Law*
Willie H. "Bill" McCloud
Frances Neu*
Walter L. "Skip" Schafer Jr.
Steven R. Shepard
Shan Shikarpuri
Richard B. Winning
David Zillig

Directors Emeriti
Dan Carlisle
Leon R. Hammock
Helen K. Leslie
Alfred T. May
Thelma Rothman
Henry B. Sayler

Honorary Director
Wendell R. Ware
  
  
*Ex officio members



Foundation Board
Honors Member
William (Bill) Emerson Retires from Board of Directors

Chairman Ken Cherven and President Bill Law enjoy a moment with Bill Emerson.

The Foundation Board of Directors celebrated the contributions of retiring Board member William A. Emerson at the Board's Annual meeting on August 8. 
  
A 1941 graduate of St. Petersburg Junior College, Bill joined the Foundation Board of Directors in 1983. 
  
In 1985, Bill and wife Jane established the Mabel Emerson Memorial Scholarship to honor the memory of his mother and they continue to support the college through funding various other scholarship funds and programs such as the Fleur de lis Stannard Nursing Scholarship in honor of Jane's mother and Innovation Grants Initiative.
  
Bill is a retired senior vice president and national sales director of Merrill Lynch and a United States Marine Corps veteran, having served in World War II.

 

Last month, long-time Foundation friend Bill Emerson retired from the Foundation Board of Directors. Bill's wise counsel helped spur the growth and success of the organization over his 28 years of service. We extend our deepest appreciate to Bill for his leadership and support - he will be missed by all of us at the Foundation.

 

As we say goodbye to Bill, we welcome four new members to the Foundation Board:  Paul Demirdjian, John Dosher, Robert Hilton and College Board of Trustees member Robert Fine who will serve as liaison between the College and Foundation boards. In related news, Governor Rick Scott has appointed Lauralee Westin to serve on the College Board of Trustees.  (Please see related stories below.)

 

With the Fall term fully underway, the College has numerous events scheduled that cater to a range of interests. Whether you're looking for first-class entertainment, engaging art exhibitions or want to learn more about local, state and national issues, I invite you to visit the links below and join us for one or more of these programs.

 

 
Sincerely,
 
 
Frances Neu
VP Advancement, St. Petersburg College
Executive Director, St. Petersburg College Foundation

Foundation Board Welcomes New Members

Four Join the Board of Directors

 
The SPC Foundation is pleased to announce four new members have joined its Board of Directors.
  
 
Paul Demirdjian is President and CEO of Jagged Peak. Founded in 2000, Jagged Peak helps companies take the complexity out of building and managing profitable online businesses with everything from world-class eCommerce websites to back-end order management systems to SEO and online marketing to supply chain services.

Paul has a degree in electronic engineering technology from St. Petersburg College, where he also was a member of the Engineering Honor Society (Tau Alpha Pi). He currently is a member of Pinellas County's Economic Development Council.
  
Jagged Peak was named a finalist in the Ernst & Young 2013 Florida 'Entrepreneur of the Year.' Paul resides with his family in Lutz.

Robert Hilton is a Financial Advisor with Raymond James & Associates and First Vice President of Mustard Seed Advisors. He joined Raymond James in 2002 bringing with him more than 26 years of business management experience. Bob began his career in the newspaper industry and served in a variety of management roles with Times Publishing Company, St. Petersburg; Capital Cities/ABC, Inc., Kansas City; and Knight Ridder Inc., Boca Raton and Wichita, Kansas. He holds a Bachelor's degree in government from FSU, an MBA from Wichita State University and has earned Wealth Management Specialist and Retirement Plan Consultant certifications.
  
He has actively volunteered with the Museum of Fine Arts St. Petersburg, the Pier Aquarium, Tampa Bay Council of the Arts, Boys & Girls Clubs of the Suncoast and the Holy Trinity Presbyterian Church. Bob is a Wisconsin native who currently resides with his family in St. Petersburg.

 

Robert J. Fine Jr. is president of Admiral Farragut Academy.  He joined the school in 1989 and served in various positions at the school prior to becoming president in 1998. He has been a member of the Florida Council of Independent Schools since 1989 and served on the board of directors from 2005 to 2009. Fine is a member of the Southern Association of Independent Schools and National Association of Independent Schools. He is also past president of the Bay Area Association of Independent Schools.
  
Bob received his bachelor's degree from Carroll University and master's degree from National Louis University. Fine was appointed by Governor Rick Scott to the St. Petersburg College Board of Trustees in spring of 2012 and will begin serving as the liaison between the college Board of Trustees and the Foundation Board of Directors. Bob resides with his family in St. Petersburg. 
   
John Dosher is the Vice President/General Manager for the Pinellas Region of Bright House Networks. John began his career at Time Warner and Bright House Networks in 1992 in the Raleigh, North Carolina Division. He moved to Tampa Bay in 1995.
  
John earned his Bachelor of Science in Economics degree from North Carolina State University and his Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Tampa.  He was named one of the American Diabetes Association's Father of the Year in 2006 and is active with Junior Achievement and the Pinellas Education Foundation.  John and his family reside in Pinellas.
Lauralee Westine joins College Board of Trustees

Governor Rick Scott announced the appointment of Lauralee G. Westine to the St. Petersburg College Board of Trustees.


An attorney with Lauralee Westine Law Offices PA, Ms. Westine earned a Juris Doctorate from Stetson University College of Law and an MBA from Stetson University Graduate School of Business. After leaving the Pinellas County State Attorney's Office in 1999, she has been zoning and permitting cell towers and other type towers throughout the State of Florida.


Ms. Westine fills a vacant seat and is appointed for a term beginning September 10, 2013, and ending May 31, 2017. The appointment is subject to confirmation by the Florida Senate.  She resides in Palm Harbor with husband Bob Gualtieri and family.

Foundation Receives $47,030 Gift From the Florida College System Foundation

 

Dr. Tom Furlong, Chairman of the Florida College System Foundation (FCSF), and FCSF Board member Joe Lang present SPC Foundation Chair, Ken Cherven, with a checks totaling $47,030 representing support from the Helios Foundation for First Generation Scholarships; Florida Blue for Nursing and Allied Health Scholarships; and the Bank of America for First Generation Scholarships.


The Florida College System Foundation was established in 1994 to support the comprehensive mission of the Florida College System and its students.  FCSF has provided over $900,000 in scholarship support to State Colleges this year.

Innovation Grant Recipients Recognized
  

   Innovation Grant recipients Christine Patel,

   RDH BS MA and Sue Blanchard, Ph.D. share

   a moment at the luncheon.

The leaders of 16 projects who found innovative ways to promote student success were honored for their efforts at the Foundation's Second Annual Innovation Grants Luncheon this month at the Carillon Hilton.


Sponsored for the second year by Raymond James, the event brought together the Foundation's 2013 Innovation Grants recipients, community supporters and college leadership to showcase the projects that spread across a range of disciplines.  

  

"This is world-class learning," President Bill Law told the honorees. " It's what we want for our community. It's what we want for our college. It's what we want for our kids."

 

In addition to formal presentations by grant recipients Susan Blanchard, Christine Patel, Timothy Godcharles and Monica Lara, grant recipients Meg Delgato, Teresa Gaskill, Shannon McQuaig, Marilyn Michael, Nicolle Panuthos, Kathy Siegler, Ray Menard, Barbara Styers, Sasha Tuck, Li-Lee Tunceren and Annelies Williamson were on hand to share their projects with guests over lunch.

   President Bill Law welcomes guests Clotilda 

   and Bob Malloy

  
Noel Rochford, a student in the Music Industry Recording Arts program (MIRA), treated attendees to lively entertainment on his ukulele. Through the support of the Foundation Board of Directors and a number of community partners, over $50,000 was awarded this year in grants of up to $3,500 each.
A Scholarship Tribute to a World War II Army Nurse

 

For the next 25 years, a new scholarship in honor of a former World War II Army nurse will help a single parent who is a student at St. Petersburg College pursue the dream of a nursing degree.


The Foundation's Pat Sattler RN Nursing Scholarship, honors Patricia Price Sattler, who died in 2011 at the age of 88. In 1942, she joined the Army Nurses Corp. She was assigned to Cushing Army Hospital, a major center for the rehabilitation of injured GIs.


She became an evening charge nurse in the paraplegic unit, where she met and fell in love with her husband, Manny, who had suffered a spinal cord injury when his tank was blown up in Germany.  After the war, her husband became one of the founders of the Wheelchair Basketball League, which traveled the country performing in exhibitions.


When the Sattler's moved to Florida, Pat continued her nursing career at Morton Plant Hospital in Clearwater, until her retirement at the age 70. She retained a love for the "old school" nursing caps, starched white uniforms and polished white shoes. Her nursing students considered her formidable, even though she stood just 5 feet tall.  The scholarship honors her proud service in the Army and civilian life.

 

PatriciaWedding

Patricia and Manny Sattler pictured at their wedding showing the groom and his ward mates, all in wheel chairs, surrounding, the bride, the only one standing. 

SPC Employees Recognized
  
The Foundation's Second Annual Employee Appreciation Reception celebrated the generosity and involvement of college employees who are having an impact on the SPC community through their payroll contributions.
  

Elizabeth Van Scoyoc and Charlie Osterholt, First VP-Wealth Management of Merrill Lynch Wealth Management

Sponsored by Charlie Osterholt, Dave Quinty and their teams at Merrill Lynch, the event featured entertainment by Brian Scott and Danny Piecheki and guest speaker Elizabeth Van Scoyoc. An SPC alum, Ms. Van Scoyoc credited her success to an outstanding college faculty and the generous support of Foundation sponsors, like those in the employee giving program. 
  
"Since I was a child, my life has been a continuous battle to overcome poverty. I was one of four siblings in a single parent home and we moved around constantly, from one bad neighborhood to another. I was told early on that we were too poor to afford college.  Then, at 22 years of age, I found out I was pregnant and I was determined my child would have a better life," said Ms. Van Scoyoc.

    J.R. Lenges tells his granddaughter, Makenna

    why giving back is so important.

Upon enrolling at SPC, Ms. Van Scoyoc said she received the guidance and support that brought her new found confidence and academic success.  As a student, Ms. Van Scoyoc was a member of the Phi Theta Kappa and Golden Key honor societies, a member of Student Government, the Alumni Achievement Award winner and a recipient of Foundation scholarships. She graduated magna cum laude with a degree in Public Policy and Administration this spring and plans on pursuing a law degree. 

  
SPC employees can join the Foundation Employee Giving program by following this link: https://www.spcollege.edu/foundation/docs/FacultyStaffContributionForm.pdf

SPC Appoints New Director of Marketing and Public Information
  
Diana Sabino has joined the college as the new Director of Marketing and Public Information. She was previously the Director of Marketing for EDMC - Argosy University, and the Director of Marketing and Communications for SFC Acquisition Corporation which governs Southwest Florida College, Oklahoma Health Academy, Platt College and the Institute of Interior Design. Diana has directed data driven approaches to marketing to cost effectively generate enrollment growth and has worked to increase student persistence and retention through campuses across the United States.

A native of Massachusetts, Diana earned a Bachelor's Degree in English and Writing Communications from the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth and a Master's Degree in Internet Marketing from Full Sail University.  She replaces Mike O'Keeffe, who retired in December.

In Memoriam

Steven P. Mikles, Program Director of Respiratory Care

  
Long-time faculty member Steven P. Mikles recently passed away following a lengthy illness.  Steve was employed by SPC for 34 years and most recently held the title of Program Director of Respiratory Care at SPC's Health Education Center.  Steve was a dedicated and passionate educator and will be deeply missed.  In honor of her husband, Joyce Mikles has established the Stephen P. Mikles Memorial Scholarship. Those wishing to contribute may send donations to the Stephen P. Mikles Memorial Scholarship Fund, c/o St. Petersburg College Foundation, P.O. Box 13489, St. Petersburg, FL 33733.
  
Class Notes

 

Class of 2011: Paul Wilder, AA, also earned a BS degree in Information Systems Management from the University of South Florida in 2002.  He serves as the Director of Information Technology for Kelby Media Group in Oldsmar.

 
Class of 1999: Tuyet Abdullaj, AA, also earned a BS degree from the University of Tampa and her MBA from Ashford University.  She is now working at Eckerd College as an Area Business Development Manager.

Class of 1992, 2010: Teresa Chiavacci, AS in Physical Therapy Assisting, continued her education at St. Petersburg College, earning a bachelor's degree in Health Services Administration.  She currently serves as the Chair of the PTA Advisory Committee at St. Petersburg College, as well as a commissioner for the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education.  She is married to SPC alumnus Bob Chiavacci, who earned his bachelor's degree in Business Administration from the University of South Florida.
  
Class of 1978: Leonard Phillips, AA in Engineering, went on to earn a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering from the University of Central Florida in 1980.  He is married to Patricia Gauss, also an SPC alum.

 

To share your accomplishments with your fellow alumni, contact Tiffany Hughes at 727-341-3055. 

 
P.O. Box 13489 | St. Petersburg, FL 33733-3489 | 727-341-3302
� 2013 St. Petersburg College Foundation