Challenger Learning Center

2007 – 2008 BOARD OF DIRECTORS

PRESIDENT
Alan Hanstein
President, Paragon New Media

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Norm Thagard, M.D.
NASA Astronaut (Retired), Associate Dean, FAMU-FSU College of Engineering

PAST PRESIDENT
Marjorie Turnbull
Retired, Tallahassee Community College Foundation

PRESIDENT-ELECT
Gil Ziffer
President, Ziffer Stansberry Advertising & Public Relations

SECRETARY
Chris Eldred
President, Teligent EMS

TREASURER
Frank Jameson
Area President, Wachovia Bank, N.A

MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS COMMITTEE, CHAIR
Gil Ziffer
President, Ziffer Stansberry Advertising & Public Relations

DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE, CHAIR
Col. Tom McGurk
United States Air Force (Retired)

Chucha Barber
Executive Director, The Mary Brogan Museum of Art & Science
Jon Brown
Public/Intergovernmental Relations Officer, Gadsden County Commission
C.J. Chen, Ph.D.
Dean, FAMU-FSU College of Engineering
John Dailey
President, JDA Strategies, LLC & Leon County Commissioner
Jimmie Davis, Ph.D.
Senior Software System Engineer, MITRE Corporation
Fred Flowers
Partner, Flowers & White Attorneys at Law
Bob Gabordi
Executive Editor, Tallahassee Democrat
Kathleen Guilday
Community Activist
Ronald W. Holmes, Ph.D.
Superintendent, Florida A&M University’s Developmental Research School
Chris Howell
Partner, Thomas, Howell, Furgeson, P.A.
Anna Johnson
Community Relations, WCTV6
Ken Kopczynski
Legislative and Political Affairs Assistant, Florida Police Benevolent Association
Danny Langston
President, Flightline
Shannon Lynch
Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction, Leon County Schools
Liz Maryanski
Associate Vice President for Student Affairs, Florida State University
Rebecca Mattingly
Chief Consulting Officer, Creative Strategy Consulting
Liza McFadden
Commissioner, Volunteer USA Foundation
Danielle Galvin
Vice President of Marketing, Municipal Code
KC McWilliams
General Manager, Comcast
Bill Montford
CEO, Florida Association of District School Superintendents
Sergio Pinon
CEO, E-Layaway
Joe Quetone,
Executive Director, Florida Governor’s Council on Indian Affairs
Floyd Self
Partner, Messer, Caparello & Self, P.A.
Mary Jane Tappen
Executive Director, Office of Math and Science, Florida Department of Education
Ida Thompson
Community Activist
Steve Uhlfelder
President, Uhlfelder & Associates
Alan Williams
Representative, Mayor, City of Tallahassee
Hamp Wilson
President, Hamp-Wilson Consulting

	Alan Hanstein President, Paragon New Media Alan Hanstein is past chair of the development committee and now president of the Challenger Learning Center board of directors. As president and founder of Paragon New Media, recognized as one of the first companies to provide online services for event promotion and registration, Mr. Hanstein has generated more than $20 million in online registration revenue and pioneered technology that has become the industry standard. He is an active community member, serving in leadership positions for several charitable and economic organizations.

	Dr. Norman Thagard NASA Astronaut (Retired), Associate Dean, FAMU-FSU College of Engineering Dr. Norman Thagard, a retired NASA Astronaut who logged over 140 days in space during five flights, is an associate dean and professor for the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering. A Captain with the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve, he flew 163 combat missions in Vietnam and was awarded the Navy Commendation medal with Combat "V", Marine Corps "E" Award, Vietnam Service Medal, Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry with Palm and 11 Air Medals. He received his M.D. from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School and M.B.A from the University of Florida.

	Marjorie Turnbull Special Associate, Penson Associates, Inc. Marjorie Turnbull is currently a Special Associate with Penson Associates, Inc. a research and consultation firm which specializes in serving the diverse and evolving needs of colleges and universities. From 1995-2006 she served as Executive Director and later Vice President of Institutional Advancement for the Tallahassee Community College Foundation. She has served as a Leon County Commissioner and as a member of the Florida House of Representatives, she helped obtain the initial funding for the Challenger Learning Center.

	Chris Eldred President, Teligent EMS Chris Eldred, a native Floridian, was appointed to the board by Mayor Maddox to represent the technology industry. He is President and Managing Partner of TeligentEMS LLC. He earned his B.A. from Florida State University and holds a Marine Engineering Degree. He is a member of the Taltech Alliance, IPC, Electronic Industry Association and the SMTA.


	Gil Ziffer President, Ziffer Stansberry Advertising & Public Relations Gil Ziffer has served on various committees and the board of directors of the Challenger Learning Center since its inception. He is president of Ziffer Stansberry Advertising/Public Relations in Tallahassee and has been a resident since 1983. In 2006, he was awarded a Distinguished Leader Award from Leadership Tallahassee partially as a result for assistance he provided in the development of the Challenger Learning Center’s strategic plan and marketing plan.

	Frank Jameson Area President, Wachovia Bank, N.A. Frank Jameson currently provides executive leadership to Wachovia Bank’s Commercial and Retail Banking operations in the Big Bend area. A native of Milford, Conn., he served honorably in the U.S. Army 82nd Airborne division before attending FSU, where he earned a bachelors degree in Finance in 1982. Mr. Jameson also serves on the boards of the Economic Development Council of Leon County, the Tallahassee Area Chamber of Commerce, the Citizen’s Advisory Committee for the Tallahassee Utilities Department, and is past chair of the Leon County Schools Foundation.

	Danielle Galvin Vice President of Marketing, Municipal Code Danielle Galvin, who has worked with the CLC for over two years, is a Vice President for Municipal Code Corporation a proud CLC Professional Member. She has been given many resolutions from cities and counties all over the nation for her volunteer support and efforts. Ms. Galvin has a B.S.B.A. from University of Central Florida and an M.B.A. from Northern Illinois University. She graduated from Leadership Tallahassee in 2006 (LT23) and was awarded the Malchow Trophy for her efforts in the promotion of soccer in the community.

	Chucha Barber Executive Director, The Mary Brogan Museum of Art & Science Chucha Barber currently serves as the Executive Director for The Mary Brogan Museum of Art and Science. She additionally owns a television production company, Tight Shots & Sounds, Inc. She has been a Florida museum professional for more than 20 years and is a three-time Emmy award winning television producer.

	Jon Brown Public/Intergovernmental Relations Officer, Gadsden County Commission

	C.J. Chen, Ph.D. Dean, FAMU-FSU College of Engineering Since 1992 Dr. Chen served as the Dean of Engineering for both Florida A&M University and Florida State University. Also currently a professor of mechanical engineering, Dr. Chen has been associated with teaching and research on turbulent flows and heat transfer and computational fluid dynamics and flow visualization. Dr. Chen received a Ph.D. from Case Western Reserve University in 1967. He was awarded the Alexander von Humboldt Senior United States Scientist Award in 1974 and is a Fellow of American Society of Mechanical Engineers and American Society of Civil Engineers.

	John Dailey President, JDA Strategies, LLC & Leon County Commissioner John Dailey, president of JDA Strategies, LLC, a management consulting firm specializing in advocacy management and public opinion research, was elected to the Leon County Commission in 2006. After beginning his career at the Florida League of Cities he went to work for the National League of Cities in Washington, D.C. He earned a bachelor’s and master’s degree from FSU before receiving a master’s degree in Urban and Regional Planning from The London School of Economics, where he simultaneously worked as a legislative aide to a Member of Parliament.

	Jimmie Davis, Ph.D. Senior Software System Engineer, MITRE Corporation Dr. Davis is a Senior Software System Engineer for the MITRE Corporation, a not-for-profit organization that manages federally funded research centers for the Department of Defense, the Federal Aviation Administration and the Internal Revenue Service. He holds a Doctor of Engineering degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Massachusetts Lowell, a Master of Science Engineering in Electrical Engineering from the University of Massachusetts Lowell, a Master of Science in Applied Mathematics from The Georgia Institute of Technology, a Bachelor of Electrical Engineering from The Georgia Institute of Technology and a Bachelor of Science in Math and Physics from Morehouse College.

	Fred Flowers Partner, Flowers & White Attorneys at Law

	Bob Gabordi Executive Editor, Tallahassee Democrat Bob Gabordi became executive editor of the Tallahassee Democrat and Tallahassee.com in 2005 when the newspaper became a part of Gannett Co. Inc. He has been a journalist and executive with Gannett since 1979.

	Kathleen Guilday Community Activist Kathleen Guilday, a native Floridian of the Cape Kennedy area, is a retired high school teacher. She is a community activist for educational and cultural concerns.

	Ronald W. Holmes, Ph.D. Superintendent, Florida A&M University’s Developmental Research School Ronald W. Holmes is the Superintendent of Florida A&M University’s Developmental Research School. He earned a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership, a ME.D. in Educational Administration and Supervision and a B.S. in Business Education from FAMU. He also earned a ME.D. in Business Education from Bowling State University. Before joining FAMU, Dr. Holmes was an assistant principal with Fulton and Gwinnett County Schools; teacher, department head, and coach at Leon County Schools; business instructor and consultant at FAMU; test developer and test preparation instructor at Edward Waters College; and assistant director of financial aid and business instructor with Dallas County Community College District.
	Chris Howell Partner, Thomas, Howell, Furgeson, P.A. Chris Howell has served on the Finance Committee of the Challenger Learning Center since 2005. He is an assurance manager with the certified public accounting firm of Thomas Howell Ferguson P.A. and holds a certified public accountant professional license.

	Anna Johnson Riedel President, Riedel & Associates With over 35 years working for WCTV television station, Anna Johnson Riedel now owns her own market and public Relations Company, Riedel & Associates. She is involved in civic and non-profit agencies in Tallahassee and received numerous national and local honors. She is married to Robert Riedel and has four children.
	Ken Kopczynski Since 1993, Ken Kopczynski has been a Legislative and Political Affairs Assistant for the Florida Police Benevolent Association, the largest collective bargaining agent for law enforcement, correctional and correctional probation officers in Florida. He lobbies on behalf of officers, conducts research and analysis, and provides campaign consulting. Ken is also Executive Director for the Private Corrections Institute, established to educate the public about the for-profit private prison industry. He received his B.S. degree in Political Science from Florida State University. Ken is currently President of the Tallahassee Astronomical Society and writes weekly articles in the Tallahassee Democrat as the “Sky Guy".

	Danny Langston President & Chief Operating Officer, Flightline Daniel Langston is President and Chief Operating Officer of Flightline Group, Inc. a regional aviation sales and service company. Member companies under his management include Flightline Tallahassee, Flightline Okaloosa, SouthEast Piper, SouthEast PiperJet, Flightline Development Corporation, HondaJet SouthEast, HondaJet East and P3 Piper Parts Plus. He is a Florida native and graduate of Tallahassee Community College and Florida State University.

	Liz Maryanski Associate Vice President for Student Affairs, Financial Operations, Florida State University Elizabeth "Liz" Maryanski serves as the associate vice president for Student Affairs, Financial Operations, at Florida State University. Throughout her career, she has spent more than 20 years working in higher education fiscal policy, management and budget development and implementation. Ms. Maryanski also has shown commitment to the Tallahassee community as a board member of the Leon County Educational Facilities Authority since July 1997, and as a board member and treasurer of the Leon County Humane Society since January 2001, in addition to serving on the Challenger Learning Center Board.

	Rebecca Mattingly Chief Consulting Officer, Creative Strategy Consulting Former Secretary of the Florida Lottery, in 2007 Rebecca Mattingly launched Creative Strategy Consulting, a management and marketing consulting firm. Prior to the Florida Lottery, Ms. Mattingly served as Commissioner of the Governor’s Office of Film and Entertainment. She has been involved in various community organizations and serves on the board of directors for Take Stock in Children in addition to the Challenger Learning Center. Ms. Mattingly graduated from West Virginia University with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism. She, her husband Fred and their two children reside in Tallahassee.

	Liza McFadden Commissioner, Volunteer USA Foundation Liza McFadden serves as president of the Volunteer Florida Foundation – a foundation aimed at strengthening Florida families through volunteerism and community service. A local finalist for Tallahassee Leader of the Year in 2006, Ms. McFadden and her family have been proud to reside in Tallahassee since originally coming to town attend FSU. She serves as a leader in innovation in education, and is pleased to serve on the board of directors for the National Institute for Literacy, and the Charter School Commission for Florida.

	Col. Tom McGurk Vice President, Indigo Key Col. McGurk is currently Vice President of Indigo Key. A retired Air Force pilot with over 5,500 flying hours, he is the former Deputy State Comptroller, Director of Agency for Workforce Innovation and Secretary of Florida Department of Management Services. His military awards include the Legion of Merit, Distinguished Flying Cross, Purple Heart, Vietnam Service Citation and 10 awards of the Air Medal. A graduate of the University of South Florida and Central Michigan University, he resides in Tallahassee with his wife Donna and has two children with six grandchildren.

	K.C. McWilliams General Manager, Comcast K.C. McWilliams has served on the Leon County Challenger Learning Center Board of Directors since August, 2004. She is currently serving as General Manager for Comcast of Tallahassee. Ms. McWilliams has been in cable television for more than 25 years in various capacities, including general management.

	Bill Montford CEO, Florida Association of District School Superintendents Bill Montford recently retired from the Leon County School District after 38 years of service, the last ten years as Superintendent. He is now CEO of the Florida Association of District School Superintendents (FADSS). Mr. Montford has served on the Challenger Learning Center Board of Directors since 2001.
	Sergio Pinon CEO, E-Layaway Sergio Pinon is a visionary whose leadership and creativity is backed by over 16 years experience as a brand manager and marketing expert. He is responsible for assuring that eLayaway™ continues to be innovative and growth oriented. Since 1988 he has helped companies such as Honda®, Benjamin Moore Paints®, Samsung Electronics®, Traveler’s Insurance®, BankAtlantic®, Blockbuster Entertainment®, Black and Decker®, Chris Craft Boats and Alamo Rent-a-Car® identify and solve critical business and marketing issues. Mr. Pinon served in the United States Air Force before becoming a graduate of American Intercontinental University with a degree in Business Administration.

	Joe Quetone, Executive Director, Florida Governor’s Council on Indian Affairs Joe Quetone was appointed to the Challenger Learning Center Board of Directors in 2005. He is an enrolled member of the Kiowa Tribe of Oklahoma and has served as Executive Director of the Florida Governor's Council on Indian Affairs, Inc. since 1978. His work with policy issues related to American Indian concerns has given him the opportunity to serve on numerous committees, boards, and councils as an advocate and advisor.

	Floyd Self Partner, Messer, Caparello & Self, P.A. Floyd Self has been a member of the Board since 2004, and in addition to serving on the board he is an active community volunteer for the Boy Scouts, Leadership Tallahassee, and several public schools. He is an attorney with the law firm of Messer, Caparello & Self, P.A., and practices in the areas of telecommunications and utility regulation and local government regulation.

	Mary Jane Tappen Executive Director, Office of Math and Science, Florida Department of Education Ms. Tappen's 24-year education career in Florida began as an instructional assistant in Tallahassee in 1981. She then taught for over eleven years and worked as a teacher trainer before becoming the Mathematics Coordinator of Florida's Statewide Systemic Initiative. She also served as a Research Associate and Bureau Chief in charge of School Improvement in Florida, as a Deputy Chancellor for K12 Public Schools/Student Achievement, and now leads Florida’s Office of Mathematics and Science. Ms. Tappen received her B.S. from FSU and her M.S. in mathematics education at Jacksonville University.

	Ida Thompson Community Activist Ida Thompson has been an active volunteer for over eight years. She was President of the Golden Eagle Women’s Tennis Association and the Holy Comforter Episcopal School’s Parent Association and serves on the Tallahassee Artist Series Board. She was a Management Executive for Crispin Porter & Bogusky Advertising in Miami and Ogilvy and Mather Advertising in Los Angeles. She received her B.A. in Music from FSU and is married to Dr. William Thompson, an Orthopedic Surgeon with Tallahassee Orthopedic Clinic. Together they have two beautiful children, Carter and Elyse.

	Steve Uhlfelder President, Uhlfelder & Associates Steve Uhlfelder is a Tallahassee lawyer. He is currently chair of the prestigious J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board and is the former chair of the Florida Board of Regents, as well as a former member of the Florida Board of Governors and the Board of Trustees for Florida State University. Mr. Uhlfeder chairs the Florida Mentoring Partnership and is the voluntary CEO of the Florida Hurricane Relief Fund. He was recently awarded the National Points of Light Award.

	Alan Williams Representative, Mayor, City of Tallahassee Alan B. Williams, Aide to Tallahassee Mayor John Marks, is a graduate of Florida A&M University. The youngest participant ever in Leadership Tallahassee, he now serves as the youth program chair and on the Board of Governors for Leadership Tallahassee. A recognized community leader, he recently was selected as a finalist for the Leadership Tallahassee Distinguished Leadership Award. Mr. Williams is married to Attorney Opal M. Williams, a FAMU Graduate of Miami Fla. They are the proud parents of Adrianna Williams and their newest addition, Alan-Louis Portlock Williams.

	Hugh H. “Hamp” Wilson President, Hamp-Wilson Consulting Hamp Wilson is a retired NASA Senior Executive who has operated his own consulting business since 1988, in which he consults and conducts training seminars for NASA and major aerospace and defense contractors. He has been a member of the Board since 2002.