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3320 Thomasville Road
Suite 200
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Email:info@abletrust.org
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RICHARD L. COLE, Jr., Esq., Chair, served in Governor Dick Thornburg's Administration as the Chief Counsel for the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry, which included the State Board of Vocational Rehabilitation and the Bureau of Disability Determination. Cole was also the Vice President and General Counsel for United Hospitals, Inc., in Philadelphia. Cole subsequently entered private practice where he devoted a considerable portion of his professional life to working with severely disabled individuals. Cole received his undergraduate degree from Stonehill College in Easton, Massachusetts and earned his law degree from the Villanova University School of Law. A native of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Cole now resides with his wife Barbara in The Villages.
BARBARA GILL MACARTHUR, RN, MN, FAAN, Vice Chair, is Vice President/Chief Nursing Officer for Tallahassee Memorial, the eight largest hospital in Florida (770 beds) where she leads 1200 of the organization's 3300 colleagues in providing care for patients. MacArthur received her Bachelor's of Science in Nursing degree from the University of Missouri and her Master's degree in Nursing from the University of Kansas. She did post-graduate work in clinical ethics and was an Annenberg Fellow in Public Policy Communication in Healthcare. In March 2008, Barbara was named one of the "25 Top Business Women" in Tallahassee. As a cardiovascular clinical nurse specialist, MacArthur combined excellence in practice with active involvement in the public policy arena - serving on the Texas Governor's Commission on Women and the Cardiovascular Disease Council in Texas. Barbara has continued her public policy involvement in Florida, where she serves on the Department of Health's Women's Health Executive Committee and as a member of The Able Trust's Board of Directors. MacArthur's community involvement also has included being on the Boards of Directors of the Leon High School Foundation, The Tallahassee Community College Foundation, the American Heart Association and Temple Israel.
JASON E. HAVENS, Esq., Treasurer, is a Bluewater Bay and Destin, Florida member of the law firm of Havens & Miller, PLLC. His private law practice focuses on complex estate and charitable gift planning for individuals and families and 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.
BRIDGET PALLANGO, MBA, Secretary, is the Senior Vice President of Goodwill Industries of South Florida, Inc. Ms. Pallango has been in the fields of rehabilitation and education for over three decades, and is a 39-year veteran of Goodwill Industries. As Senior Vice President, she oversees a staff of 75 professionals and a faculty of seven, and directs Goodwill's Human Services Division and Human Resources Department, as well as the organization's educational programs. These services helped 4,504 people with disabilities and placed over 1,828 people in the labor market in 2007.
Before joining Goodwill Industries of South Florida, Ms. Pallango was an instructor for the Miami-Dade County Public School System, and was later promoted to Department Chair for Off-Campus Programs for the Disabled, located at Goodwill Industries.
Ms. Pallango holds a Bachelor's degree from Barry University and a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Phoenix. In addition, to receiving special certification in programs for the disabled from Florida International University, she also has 42 Graduate credits in Educational Leadership.
JEANNIE AMENDOLA, is a 19 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.
MARCY BENTON is the Manager of Associate Diversity for Publix Super Markets, Inc. In this position she is charged with strategic planning and execution of all associate diversity initiatives for the corporation. Benton currently has over 16 years of experience in the Human Resources field.
Benton firmly believes in the value of equal access to education and employment opportunities, and works to promote an inclusive environment. Her various service initiatives include serving as president of the INROADS Tampa Market Advisory Board, board member of the Explorations V Children’s Museum, member of the Florida Business Leadership Network (FBLN), and as a Junior Achievement volunteer, where she mentors several young ladies in the values that have guided her own career.
Benton received her undergraduate degree in Business Management from the University of Florida. She obtained a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of South Florida, and is certified as a Senior Professional in Human Resources through the Society for Human Resource Management.
ROBERT A. BUTTERWORTH is an attorney with Atkinson Diner Stone Mankuta Law Firm in Ft. Lauderdale. Among other achievements, Butterworth notably served as the 33rd Attorney General of Florida for four consecutive terms under three governors. He was first elected in 1986 and reelected in 1990, 1994, and 1998. Butterworth left office in 2002 and served as Dean of the College of Law at St. Thomas University. In December 2006, governor-elect Charlie Crist named Butterworth as Secretary of the Florida Department of Children and Families. Director Butterworth has also served as a judge in Broward County, as sheriff of Broward County, Mayor of Sunrise, and Director of the Department of Motor Vehicles.
Born in Passaic, New Jersey, Butterworth received a degree in business administration from the University of Florida in 1965, and a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Miami in 1969. He is well known for his advocacy on children’s issues and his dedication to the rights of children.
JAMES R. (“J.R.”) HARDING, II, ED.D. is an External Affairs Manager with the Florida Agency for Persons with Disabilities, previously serving as a partnership specialist for the Office of the Director at the Department of Education, Division of Vocational Rehabilitation. Dr. Harding is active in a variety of organizations and causes, including the Governor's ADA Working Group, the Florida Building Commission Waiver Council, the Commission for Transportation Disadvantaged, the Citizens' Advisory Council of Leon County, and he is also an active member of the Chamber of Commerce. Nationally he has served on the US Access Board, and has received many awards for his advocacy. Director Harding lives with a disability, quadriplegia since his teen years, and brings that personal experienced to the disability agenda. He received his doctorate in higher education from Florida State University in 1999.
ANNE MARIE TAGLIENTI is the Director of Corporate Affairs for American Express. In the past, she has provided valuable service to The Able Trust, successfully encouraging American Express to support programs of The Able Trust. At American Express, Ms. Taglienti has demonstrated a strong philosophy of hiring people with disabilities. This firm belief in successful employment practices makes her an ideal fit for The Able Trust Board. The Able Trust programs and projects will benefit from Taglienti's corporate knowledge related to integrating diversity in operations, helping businesses become more proactive when it comes to hiring qualified Floridians with disabilities, and her extreme knowledge of business communications.
Taglienti received her undergraduate education from The University of Florida and a master's degree from Nova Southeastern.
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.
Amores received his MS in Urban Studies from Southern Connecticut State University, his MPA from the University of New Haven, and his Human Resources Management Certificate from the University of South Florida.
ROBERT L. BILLINGSLEA Bob 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. Bob has served on the boards of directors of a multitude of organizations including the NAACPís Special Contributions Fund Board, the Image Awards and ACT-SO Committees, as well as the National Minority Junior Golf Scholarship Association, Bethune-Cookman University, Boys and Girls Clubs of Central Florida, and many others. In 2005, Bob was inducted into the Hall of Fame of the Black American Political Association of California (BAPAC), and has been named a ìHistory Makerî by The History Makers.com, the largest archive dedicated to recording the contributions of contemporary African Americans. Bob received his Bachelorís degree in Sociology from Kent State University in Kent, Ohio. Bob 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. With over 30 years in human resources management, he previously served a Vice President, Human Resources, Mount Sinai Medical Center and as Sr. Vice President and Director of Human Resources with Republic National Bank of Miami. A graduate of Drexel University (M.B.A.) and the Ohio University, his current community leadership includes: Chair, the Miami-Dade Business Leadership Network; and, Board Member and Human Services Committee Chair, Goodwill Industries of South Florida.
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 as the Chairman of Fund Raising for Okaloosa County Special Olympics (between $50,000 to $75,000 annually) 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.
