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106 East College Avenue
Suite 820
Tallahassee, FL 32301
888-838-ABLE
(toll-free in Florida)
850-224-4493 Voice or TDD
850-224-4496 Fax
Email:info@abletrust.org

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The Able Trust - Because people want to work.

About The Able Trust

Volunteers

2007 Board

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

BRIDGET PALLANGO, M.B.A., CHAIR is Senior Vice President of Goodwill Industries of South Florida, Inc., a non-profit organization that serves over 4800 people with disabilities annually in overcoming barriers to employment. Pallango's responsibilities span services across Monroe, Miami-Dade and Broward counties and include directing the functions of the Rehabilitation Division which include Intake, Evaluation, Vocational Training, Job Placement and Work Services. She also directs the Human Resources Department, the Medical Department, Risk Management, Loss Prevention and agency-wide quality control and compliance. Under Pallango's leadership, Goodwill's Human Services Program has been recognized for its diversity and as one of the top performing, results oriented, rehabilitation facilities in the nation. Known for her deep commitment to serving people with disabilities, Pallango began her career at Goodwill Industries over three decades ago. As a state certified teacher, she instructed people with disabilities through a joint program with the Miami-Dade County Public School System. Subsequently she served as Department Chair for the Off-Campus Programs for the Disabled. Pallango obtained her undergraduate degree from Barry University and holds specialized Certification in Vocational Education for the Disabled from Florida International University. She obtained her Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Phoenix.

FLORENCE SEILER, VICE CHAIR is Director for Donor Relations for the Palm Beach Pops. Her background includes executive director of the American Cancer Society of Palm Beach, President and CEO of Paradise Punch in Palm Beach Gardens and Regional Manager for Cartier, Inc. based in Palm Beach. Seiler has served on the board of directors for a number of nonprofit organizations serving the disability community, including Palm Beach Habilitation Center and the ARC of Palm Beach County. In addition, she has served on the Board of Governors for the Governor's Club and on the Advisory Board for VIVE Magazine. She has received numerous awards for her volunteer service, including the ARC's Volunteer of the Year for Florida, Fashion 4 Charity Volunteer Award and Salvation Army's Heart of Gold Award. Seiler has also served as a member of the volunteer steering committee for The Able Trust Gala at Mar-a-Lago since 1998, serving as the Gala Co-Chair in 1999.

JASON E. HAVENS, TREASURER, is a Bluewater Bay and Destin, Florida, member of the law firm of Howard, Mobley & Havens, PLLC. His private law practice focuses on complex estate and charitable gift planning for affluent individuals and families on behalf of charitable organizations. He received his LL.M in International Taxation from Regent University School of Law, his LL. M in Estate Planning from the University of Miami School of Law, his J.D. from the University of Tennessee College of Law and his B.A., magna cum laude, from Lipscomb University. He is an active member of The Florida Bar, the American Bar Association, the Christian Legal Society and various sections, councils and committees on estate planning.

JEANNIE AMENDOLA, SECRETARY is a 17 year veteran of the Walt Disney World Resort. She is a member and past president of CastABLE, a group of supporters and advocates of Cast Members with disabilities in the workplace. In 2005, Jeannie became a Walt Disney World Ambassador, where she served as a representative of the company at events around the world including the opening of Hong Kong Disneyland. She was named the "Careers & the Disabled" Magazine Employee of the Year in 2004 and a Walt Disney World Partner in Excellence in 1998; a prestigious award given once in a lifetime to those who have achieved and sustained excellence on the job. She is a graduate from the College of Notre Dame in Baltimore, MD.

DIRECTORS

ELADIO AMORES is founder and president of The Amores Group consulting firm. He also serves as Corporate Consultant for the Florida Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, where he is responsible for creating and implementing programs to help employers attract, train and retain employees with disabilities. He previously served as Project Director for Marriott International Community Employment and Training Programs (CETP) in Tampa, Florida. Amores is responsible for implementing "Pathways to Independence," Marriott's innovative, employer-based, customized job training, placement and retention program for the hospitality industry. Amores has previously been the Executive Director of SER/Jobs for Progress in Santa Ana California, the Director of Vocational Services for the Easter Seal Society of Dade County, the Executive Director of the County of Riverside Private Industry Council in California and the Director of Job Training and Economic Development for the County of San Mateo, California. He was previously the volunteer chair for The Able Trust and the chair of the Florida Business Leadership Network.

RICHARD COLE is a retired attorney living in The Villages, Florida. He has served as the Chief Counsel for the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry, the Pennsylvania State Board of Vocational Rehabilitation and the Pennsylvania Bureau of Disability Determination. In addition, Cole has worked with the Governor of Pennsylvania to develop a vocational rehabilitation plan for the state. He has also served as the vice president of a Philadelphia-based law firm, which oversaw hospitals, worked with injured people, workers compensation programs and risk management issues. Cole was an active member of the Pennsylvania Bar Association until his retirement. He received his BA in English from Stonehill College in Easton Mass. and earned his JD from Villanova University School of Law. Cole is a native of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

SHARLYN LAUBY, SPHR, is currently the president of ITM Group, Inc., (ITM) - a Ft. Lauderdale-based strategic and technical human resources consulting firm dedicated to cultivating individual and organizational talent. Prior to starting ITM, Lauby held several senior level human resources positions in the hospitality, transportation, entertainment, and business services industries. A resident of Weston, Lauby, also serves as President-Elect of HR Florida's Council Executive Committee. Lauby is recognized as a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) from the Society for Human Resource Management and as a Certified Human Resources Executive (CHRE) from the American Hotel and Lodging Association. She is a graduate and active alumnus of Leadership Florida, Leadership Broward, and Leadership Fort Lauderdale. Lauby earned a bachelors degree in political science from the University of Central Florida.

BARBARA MACARTHUR, RN, MN serves as Vice President, Chief Nursing Officer for Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare, where she has direct oversight of the largest division in the hospital, including the Departments of Nursing and Pharmacy. MacArthur has a Masters in Nursing and has worked in the healthcare industry for over 20 years, with experience in administration, public policy, care management and clinical services. She is a lifetime member of the American Association of Critical Care Nurses and was a Fellow with the Annenberg Washington Program in Washington, DC, as well as, the American Academy of Nursing. She serves as a courtesy faculty member to the Florida State University College of Nursing and has held additional faculty positions with the Angelo State University and Abilene Intercollegiate Schools of Nursing in Texas and the Universities of Kansas and Missouri Schools of Nursing.

DENNIS MCNENNEY, M.A., is a retired senior executive of Marsh, Inc. where he spent many years working in insurance the insurance industry, having joined the former Johnson & Higgins in 1985 (that firm merged with Marsh & McLennan and is now called Marsh, Inc.) McNenney serves as chair of the Insurance Committee for Goodwill Industries of South Florida and Chairperson of the annual Goodwill Celebrity Chefs Event. Previously he served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Colombian-American Chamber of Commerce and President of the American Society of Bogot, a 60-year old nonprofit organization fostering good relations between Colombia and the United States. McNenney obtained his M.A. from Johns Hopkins University, School of Advanced International Studies.

JAMES SAUNDERS, is President and CEO of SunCoast II: The Tampa Bay School of Massage Therapy, LLC. He also serves as co-owner and manager of J. Saunders & Associates, a broad-based media consulting firm. He has over twenty-five years of experience managing television stations from California to Florida. Prior to his media management experience, Saunders served for seven years as Associate Professor and Director of the School of Radio & Television at Ohio University.

AMBASSADORS

ROBERT L. BILLINGSLEA serves as Corporate Director of Urban Affairs for The Walt Disney Company, where he is responsible for diversity-related objectives company-wide, including urban issues dealing with minorities and other social concerns. Billingslea serves on the board of trustees for Bethune-Cookman College and the board of directors for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Central Florida. He also serves as a member of the NAACP ACT-SO national board and chairman for the NAACP ACT-SO Industry Advisory Council. Billingslea has been a strong supporter of The Able Trust, serving as a gala host committee member for the Gala at Mar-a-Lago since 1999. In addition, he has been a long-time member of the Office of Disability Employment Policy's Employer Subcommittee.

BOB BROMBERG is president and founder of Bromberg & Associates LLC, a Miami-based consulting firm specializing in human resource solutions to management. He also served a Vice President, Human Resources, Mount Sinai Medical Center, as Sr. Vice President and Director of Human Resources of Republic National Bank of Miami and has an extensive background in human resources in the banking industry. A graduate of Drexel University (M.B.A.) and the Ohio University, his community leadership includes: Chair, the Miami-Dade Business Leadership Network; Vice Chair, Goodwill Industries of South Florida; United Way of Miami-Dade County; March of Dimes and Miami Jackson High School Mentor program.

DR. SHEILA ELYSE BUCHBINDER is a board certified Obstetrician-Gynecologist. She is a graduate of Brown University's Program in Medicine and was Resident and Chief Resident in Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Sloane Hospital for Woman at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center. Dr. Buchbinder was a recipient of the American Woman's Medical Association and Lang Medical Publication awards for outstanding achievement in her field. In addition to an active private practice specializing in laparoscopic surgery, she has acted as a consultant both on the state and federal level for issues relating to women's healthcare. Currently, after a disabling accident, she has taught and published articles on laparoscopic surgery and has a medical technologies company that has promoted new devices for the last 20 years. Dr. Buchbinder also serves as a co-chair to The Able Trust annual gala at Mar-a-Lago.

MADELYN CHRISTOPHER is Vice President of Physician Services and Business Development/Administrative Services for JFK Medical Center. She has been with JFK for over twenty-five years and is responsible for managing their marketing, public relations, physician recruitment and surgical services. Christopher serves on the board for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and the JFK Medical Foundation. She is active in numerous civic and charitable organizations, including the Palm Beach Habilitation Center.

SHERRA GREENSPAN PAYNE, M.S., CHAIR, is a homemaker and president of Creative Consulting and Management, Inc. She has a Masters of Science in Education from the University of Miami and has worked as both an instructor in psychology and as the Senior Assistant Director of Admissions for the University. She is a member of the Alexander Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing and currently serves as the past president of the state chapter. In addition she serves on many local and state boards including: The University of Miami Ear Dears, a fundraising organization for the University of Miami Ear Institute; and the Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Committee, a statewide committee focusing on identifying and serving children upon diagnosis of hearing loss.

NANCY KLINE serves as Vice President of Private Client Group for Merrill Lynch in Ft. Walton Beach, where she is responsible for financial and estate planning, asset management, portfolio investments, and long-term life management. Kline is an active community volunteer, serving on the finance committee for Children's Advocacy of Okaloosa County and a board member for Pandora's Annual Children's Golf Tournament benefiting Special Olympics, Silver Sands School for mentally handicapped, Children's Home Society, and Horizons for the adult mentally handicapped.

CANDACE MARSHALL serves as Vice President and Relationship Manager, Endowment & Foundation Trust Services Group for SunTrust Bank in Orlando, where she is responsible for approximately 65 not-for-profit and institutional relationships. Marshall is active in the community, serving on the Florida Bar Grievance Committee and the Florida Bar Fee Arbitration Committee. She also volunteers at fundraising events for Junior Achievement.

BARRY K. WARD is with MZ Bierly Consulting in Sarasota, Florida. He was previously with RBC Centura Bank and is actively involved with the Sarasota Chamber of Commerce and The Young Professionals Group. Barry is a graduate of Florida State University and before relocating to Sarasota from Tallahassee, was a volunteer for the Tallahassee Northeast Business Association and downtown Child Development Center.