Thomas Culmo, founder and Managing Partner, Damian & Valori, LLP | Culmo Trial Attorneys

Thomas Culmo is board certified as a specialist in civil trial practice by both the Florida Bar and the National Board of Trial Advocates has been awarded the “AV” rating from the Martindale Hubbell. Throughout his career, Mr. Culmo has taken on some of the largest insurance companies, hospitals, manufacturers and corporations in virtually every type of personal injury matter, business dispute, and insurance claim. He has negotiated settlements or tried cases for his clients in courtrooms in more than 25 counties throughout Florida and across the country. Mr. Culmo remains committed to his clients long after the conclusion of the case. Visit culmolaw.com for more information.

Virginia Emmons, co-Founder, Educate Tomorrow

Virginia Emmons co-led the campaign to bring a SEED school to South Florida. She is co-founder, President and Chief Business Development Officer of Educate Tomorrow. She was CEO of Educate Tomorrow from 2003-2010 and now leads Educate Tomorrow in strategy and growth, forging key strategic partnerships locally and globally, helping to reach close to a $3M Operating Budget in 2019. 

In recent years Virginia has led the development of programs and funding to serve children and their families expanding Educate Tomorrow's population to a younger and older demographic using a similar individualized approach to enrichment and skill building as Educate Tomorrow's traditional programs. In 2019 Virginia was invited to be a member of Miami Dade College's Baccalaureate in Education Advisory Committee for this work. In 2015, Virginia was recognized at the Red Cross Women's Spectrum Awards for her work in Education. She is also the recipient of the Florida International University PATH Award for Well-Being, which she received with her husband. She was awarded the Junior League's Women Who Make A Difference Award and the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center Everyday Freedom Hero Award. She was featured in the book America's Way to Change and was recognized at the White House by both President Bush and President Obama as developing one of twenty national Programs With Promise. 

In 2012, Virginia was a finalist for the White House Fellowship. Virginia served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in a remote village in Niger, West Africa and continues to support the schools she helped establish. She has represented the Peace Corps as a spokesperson for White House events and was the most recent past President of the Returned Peace Corps Volunteers of South Florida. 

Raised as the youngest of eight from humble beginnings in Greendale, Wisconsin, she has traveled to over 50 countries. She graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Platteville where she was student body President and on the varsity soccer team. She is a graduate of the University of Miami with a Master's in Education, specializing in Community & Social Change.

Stuart G. Israelson

Stuart G. Israelson was born in Baltimore, MD in 1946. He attended local public schools and went to Argentina as an American Field Service exchange student during his junior year of high school 1962. Mr. Israelson graduated from Princeton University with B.A. from Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs 1967. He attended London School of Economics from 1967-1968 and received J.D. from Harvard Law School 1971. Mr. Israelson moved to South Florida 1976 and served as house counsel at Turnberry Corp 1979-1984. He was a partner in the Jiffy Lube franchise for South Florida, building 26 locations before selling to Pennzoil 1997. Mr. Israelson thereafter retired from active involvement in business and served for multiple years as officer and member of Board of Trustees of Temple Sinai of North Dade, the national Board of Directors of American Field Service (AFS), and Board of Directors of Porto Vita Home Owners Association, Aventura, of which he has been president for 4 years, currently engaged in $18M Club renovation. He is married to Cindy, has a daughter and son – Laura and Jay, and a Chihuahua named Barbie.

Dorothy Terrell, Founder and Managing Partner of FirstCap Advisors

Dorothy Terrell is the Founder and Managing Partner of FirstCap Advisors, a venture capital and advisory services firm committed to helping innovative technology companies move successfully through the critical early stages of product and business development. Prior to launching FirstCap Advisors, Ms. Terrell was a Partner at First Light Capital, a venture capital firm focused on enterprise software/integration, communications, and business-to-business e-commerce. From 2005 to 2008, she took a leave from First Light Capital to also serve as CEO of the Initiative for a Competitive Inner City a national not-for-profit promoting economic prosperity in America’s inner cities through private sector engagement. Ms. Terrell’s corporate career includes senior executive roles at three premier technology companies. At NMS Communications, she served concurrently as SVP of Worldwide Sales while launching and leading the Platforms & Services Group.

Ms. Terrell’s numerous awards include but are not limited to being named one of the “Top 50 Women Line Managers in America” by Executive Female magazine; one of the “Top Ten Business Marketers” by Business Marketing magazine; and one of “20 Women of Power and Influence in Corporate America” by Black Enterprise magazine. She was also a subject in two books, The Wizards and Their Wonders: Portraits in Computing by Christopher Warren, and The Enterprising Woman by Mari Florence.

Jason Bloch

Jason Bloch served as a Circuit Court Judge in the Criminal Division for the 11th Judicial Circuit in Miami-Dade County from 2014-2017. He was appointed to the Court by Governor Rick Scott in 2014. Since leaving the bench, Jason has devoted his time to pro bono legal representation and assisting in other non-profit causes. He is a member of several boards, including the American Jewish Committee of Miami and Broward. Prior to his appointment to the bench, Jason was an Assistant County Attorney with the Miami-Dade County Attorney’s Office. In his 20 years with that office, Jason represented the County, and many of its departments, in a wide array of practice areas. These included torts and civil rights defense, public housing, eminent domain, construction disputes and other commercial litigation. He was lead counsel in numerous trials and appeals in both state and federal court (including in the Florida Supreme Court) and served as legal advisor to several agencies including the Public Health Trust (which owns and operates Jackson Memorial Hospital), the Cultural Affairs Department, and the Nuisance Abatement Board.

Patrick Gannon, Principal, Kaufman Rossin

Patrick Gannon focuses on forensic accounting and valuation matters in the dispute arena; additionally, he often leads internal and external financial and fraud investigations, ranging from FCPA investigations to Ponzi scheme analyses. Pat has worked directly with regulators, including the Securities and Exchange Commission and the U.S. Department of Justice. He has served as a receiver, as accountant to other receivers and as accountant to trustees in various matters.

As an expert witness, Pat has testified about general business damages, lost profits, diminished business value, breach of contract damages, intellectual property damages, employment damages, alter-ego issues, equitable distribution, internal controls, U.S. GAAP accounting and related topics. Pat has testified in dozens of commercial litigation matters, and has qualified as an expert in many federal and state county courts.

Jon Tucker, Senior Vice President of Operations, Boys & Girls Club of Delaware

Jon Tucker serves as Senior Vice President of Operations for Boys & Girls Clubs of Delaware. His career in youth development and education began in 1998 with Boys & Girls Clubs. After a decade with the Clubs as a program leader and COO in Southern Maryland and Northeast Florida, he joined the SEED network as Director of Student Life at The SEED School of Washington. During his time with SEED, he also served as Head of School for The SEED School of Maryland and a Project Advisor for The SEED Foundation. While at SEED, Jon frequently visited SEED Miami to support training and professional development efforts in positive youth development and developmental relationships. He has also worked with the school to assist in the planning of school safety and mental health procedures. Prior to returning to Boys & Girls Clubs of Delaware in 2022, Jon also served as Vice President of Student Life at Girard College in Philadelphia and Vice President of Operations for KIPP Columbus in Ohio. Jon earned a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Wesley College and an Executive Certificate in Nonprofit Management from Georgetown University.

Alise Johnson Henry, Senior Trial Counsel, Miami Regional office of the U.S. Securities Exchange Commission

Alise Johnson Henry currently works as Senior Trial Counsel in the Miami Regional office of the U.S. Securities Exchange Commission, having previously worked at two nationwide law firms. Prior to that, Alise worked at UBS Financial Services as Associate General Counsel and as a law clerk to former Chief U.S. Magistrate Judge William Turnoff. She has a BA from Vanderbilt University and a JD from University of Florida. Alise is Co-Chair of the Board of SWIFS, a non-profit dedicated to helping women advance professionally in the financial services industry. She formerly served on the Board of the Junior League of Miami, as well as on other community boards. Her awards include the SEC’s Chair Award for Investor Protection, SWIFS Member of the Year, Junior League of Miami’s Leadership Award and the U.S. Presidential Points of Light Volunteer Service Award.

Alison Clasby Harke, Managing Partner, ACH Legal

Alison Clasby Harke is the managing partner of ACH Legal, specializing in attorney's fee expert work and insurance litigation. As an attorney's fee expert, Ms. Harke has handled thousands of cases for all of the major insurers and has attended thousands of fee hearings as an expert witness, saving her clients hundreds of thousands of dollars over the years. Ms. Harke’s unwavering commitment to fairness and justice has served her well throughout her extensive experience in court. Because the practice of law is a privilege, Ms. Harke makes it a priority to give back to her community, regularly volunteering her time through Legal Services of Greater Miami, supporting local charities and was an active board member of her local municipal charter school for many years.

Andi potamkin, director, potamkin family office

Andi Potamkin is the Director of the Potamkin Family Office, specializing in efficient space solutions within urban cities.

Dividing her time between family businesses and her commitment to philanthropic efforts, she teaches ‘Gardening & Resilience’ at SEED, a full-credit permaculture, environmental consciousness and life skills class for high school.

Andi is the Director of the Potamkin Prize for Research in brain degenerative diseases, a partnership with the American Academy of Neurologists and the American Brain Foundation, now in its fourth decade. She serves on the board of the Institute of Contemporary Art where she runs the sculpture garden and bookshop, and on the board of Young Musicians Unite where she sponsors and promotes music education in Miami Dade public schools.

MELISSA BABIL, Founder, Creative Lab

Meet Melissa, a seasoned professional with extensive experience in the event industry, boasting an impressive track record of successfully helming special events for national sporting franchises and Fortune 500 companies. Throughout her career, she has taken charge of all operational departments within nationally-known and highly respected event production companies.

With over 25 years at the forefront of events, Melissa’s expertise ensures a seamless transition from event concept to reality across all divisions. Her leadership has been instrumental in ensuring timely and effective execution of projects, setting industry standards, and earning widespread acclaim. Her dedication to excellence and attention to detail have been pivotal in establishing her own company, Creative Lab.

Creative Lab is a powerhouse that brings design, technical, and logistical expertise to every client, with a particular focus on the corporate and sports sectors. Her team prides itself on fostering open communication with clients, sales teams, event staff, vendors, and all production personnel. This ongoing dialogue ensures perfect alignment with the client’s vision and a successful event outcome.

When not creating events Melissa Loves to spend time with her Husband, Tommy, and two sons, Zac and Ethan.

Please see the Governance section for copies of our Board minutes and meeting dates.