Advisory Councils

Executive Advisory Council - Tampa Campus

Chair

John Townsend
Executive Director of Operations, Inspira Financial 
John Townsend is now the executive director of operations at Inspira Financial.  Previously, Townsend was FuturePlan's vice president and national head of client service and operations. He was also vice president of T. Rowe Price Group, Inc. and the general manager of its Tampa Financial Center. He was responsible for retail account management and retirement client services. Townsend joined T. Rowe Price in 1993 and has held several leadership positions there, eventually serving as the manager of the firm's Participant Service Center in Owings Mills, MD. He left T. Rowe Price in 2004 and joined BISYS Retirement Services as vice president of client services. In 2005, he returned to T. Rowe Price and remained there until joining FuturePlan in 2017. Townsend graduated from Randolph-Macon with a Bachelor of Arts in English. He earned a Doctor of Business Administration degree from the University of South Florida.  He is also a Series 7, 24, and 63 FINRA registered representative.

Council Members

Chris Alvarez
Chief Financial Officer, Health Network One
Chris Alvarez is the chief financial officer of Health Network One.  Alvarez has more than 20 years experience in health care. He began his career as an auditor in Ernst and Young's healthcare practice and served in senior financial roles with two large hospital systems in the Tampa Bay area before joining Florida Medical Clinic.

Stacey Allaster
Chief Executive - Professional Tennis, United States Tennis Association
Stacey Allaster is tasked with setting the strategic vision for the USTA's pro tennis division - including oversight of the U.S. Open, Emirates Airline U.S. Open Series, Davis Cup, Fed Cup, and more. She works closely with the USTA Board of Directors and the USTA professional tennis staff to ensure the continued viability of professional tennis in the United States. Allaster has a long history in tennis. She began with her first job, at age 12, cleaning red clay courts at a community club. She was active in the sport through high school and college. After a post-college stint at the Ontario Tennis Association, Allaster joined Tennis Canada, where she served in a variety of positions - including tournament director of the Canadian Open in Toronto, now known as the Rogers Cup. From 2006-2015, Allaster worked with the Women's Tennis Association, beginning her tenure there as president and eventually serving as CEO. There, she generated an estimated $1 billion in diversified contracted revenues, built and grew the brand locally, and secured a 10-year media agreement, the largest live media rights and production venture in women's sports history.  Allaster was named to Forbes' inaugural "50 Over 50" roster in 2022.

Brad Baker
Senior Vice President / Chief Financial Officer, GTE Financial
Brad Baker is senior vice president and chief financial officer of GTE Financial. Prior to joining GTE, Baker worked for Texaco/Star Enterprises, (a multibillion-dollar joint venture between Texaco and Saudi Aramco which included oil exploration and drilling, refineries and retail distribution), as the assistant controller for the Florida region. A 1985 graduate of USF, Baker earned bachelor's degrees in Management Information Systems and Accounting. His credit union and community involvement include serving on the board of the Tampa Chapter of Credit Unions, and he is a graduate of Leadership Tampa class of 2003.

Arnie Bellini
Philanthropist
Arnie Bellini is the former chief executive officer of ConnectWise. He co-founded the business with his brother, David, in 1982 after recognizing the impact that microcomputers would have on business. In 1998, Bellini transformed the company's best practices into an integrated, workflow-driven business management solution that would benefit all IT services companies. The result was the creation of the ConnectWise business operating system, which became one of the world's top business management platform. The company quickly exceeded industry standards, which boosted revenue. He sold the business in 2019, creating 70 millionaires in the process. Bellini, who is a certified public accountant, earned a bachelor's degree in accounting from the University of Florida and a master's degree in business administration from the University of South Florida.

Brad Bernstein
Managing Partner, Atlas Investment Consulting, LLC
Brad Bernstein is a managing partner at Atlas Investment Consulting, LLC. Bernstein focuses on identifying new investment opportunities and works with existing portfolio companies on strategic planning, financial management, and ongoing corporate development. Bernstein has more than 25 years of private equity and investment banking experience. He has served on the board of directors of numerous private companies and non-profit organizations. He earned a BA in finance from the University of South Florida and also earned an MBA from The Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University.

Marc Blumenthal
Partner, Florida Funders
Marc Blumenthal is a serial entrepreneur and visionary leader in the technology industry, as well as an active investor in early-stage companies, providing advice and counsel to their founders. With his three decades of experience in the world of startups, Blumenthal was a natural choice to help build Florida Funders, a Florida-focused investor network and online investing platform, where he is also an investor-member and serves on the company's Board of Managers. Blumenthal has spent his career leading companies and sales organizations in business-to-business technology solutions. His firms have provided clients throughout North America and Europe with business technology solutions and software for enterprise resource planning, customer relationship management, and human capital management.

Gautam Bose
Managing Director, Citi Shared Services - Tampa & Delaware Lead, Citi
Gautam Bose leads the Finance and Risk Shared Services in Tampa and Delaware and also the Citi Shared Services Site Lead for Tampa. Bose leads the North America based Finance and Risk Shared Services centers which drive Citi’s regulatory reporting processes and continuous improvement efforts. He moved to America to assume this role in 2017; he was previously based in the Philippines. Bose has 30+ years of diverse global experience as a business leader, chief financial officer and head of shared services in global financial institutions across India, the Middle East, the Philippines and in the United States of America.  Prior to joining Citi, Bose worked with global organizations such as Deutsche Bank, American Express, GE Capital and National Bank of Bahrain. He held diverse roles as a chief finance officer, controller, and as a business leader of shared services within these organizations. Bose is a Chartered Accountant from India and a Financial Risk Manager from Global Association of Risk Professionals, USA.

Colleen Chappell
President & CEO, ChappellRoberts
Colleen Chappell leverages nearly 30 years of experience, specializing in brand development, integrated marketing, advertising, pricing strategies, market segmentation, distribution channel launch, and growth. She has made lasting impacts on the community serving key leadership positions for Tampa Hillsborough Economic Development Council (chair/executive board), American Marketing Association Professional Chapters Council (national member), Tampa Bay American Marketing Association (president) and Feeding Tampa Bay (development/marketing chair), and Leadership Tampa (chair).  Recently inducted into the Tampa Bay Business Hall of Fame, Chappell received numerous prestigious awards including Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce Woman of Distinction, Tampa Bay Business Journal’s Businesswoman of the Year, University of South Florida’s Outstanding Alumnus, and Women of Distinction honoree by Girl Scouts of West Central Florida. She and her team have been recognized as winners of the coveted international Gold Stevie Award for Management Team of the Year and the international Bronze Stevie Award for Business Services Female Executive of the Year. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communications from the University of South Florida and is a Dale Carnegie graduate. Chappell received her accreditation by the Public Relations Society of America.

John Couris
CEO, Florida Health Sciences Center
John Couris is a nationally recognized leader in the healthcare industry, having received tremendous success through innovation, technological integration and strategic collaborations while ensuring world-class performance.  He is CEO of Florida Health Sciences Center, which comprises an array of organizations, including Tampa General Hospital, one of the nation’s leading not-for-profit academic medical centers and research health systems in partnership with the University of South Florida.  As a visionary leader, Couris has had continued success in building health care companies throughout the country by driving innovation, operational excellence, and strategic collaborations. His career began at Massachusetts General Hospital, where he led operational research and strategic activity. He also served as president and CEO of Jupiter Health/Jupiter Medical Center. There, Couris expanded medical services and forged innovative partnerships with some of the leading providers in the nation.  Couris is the recipient of multiple awards, from Modern Healthcare’s 2022 class of Top Innovators to the 2022 Tampa Bay Chamber H.L. Culbreath Jr. Profile in Leadership Award and the 2022 Dean’s Award from USF Health Morsani College of Medicine. He was named to Becker’s Hospital Review 113 Great Leaders in Healthcare 2022 and has been included on dozens of influencer or “people to watch” lists.  Couris received a master’s degree in management in 1995 from Lesley University in Massachusetts and a bachelor’s degree in psychology with a special interest in industrial and organizational psychology in 1990 from Boston University.  Couris earned a Doctor of Business Administration from USF in 2021.

Craig Cuffe
President, Kablelink Communications
Craig Cuffe is the founder and president of Kablelink Communications, which provides installation work for Bright House Networks. Though the firm is just 15 years old, it now boasts nine offices throughout Florida. Cuffe is also a co-owner of two restaurants in Seminole Heights, The Refinery and Fodder and Shine. He is a Tampa native, an alumnus of both Jesuit High School and USF.

Thomas R. Feindt
Chief Executive Officer, Grow Financial Federal Credit Union
Thomas Feindt is the chief executive officer at Grow Financial Federal Credit Union. At Grow Financial, he’s been able to live out his values as a service-focused leader within an organization that strives to serve people over profit. In his second year as CEO, Feindt earned recognition as a Top Workplaces Leader for 2021. Prior to joining Grow as executive vice president in 2011, Feindt developed a passion for serving the financial needs of others during his nine years in various positions at North Carolina State Employees’ Credit Union and seven years leading home equity lending and branch operations at Navy Federal Credit Union.  Feindt describes himself as a lifelong learner, and his educational background includes an undergraduate degree in economics from High Point University, an MBA from Queens University and numerous executive education programs from Darden, Wharton, Cornell, Stanford, and the Center for Creative Leadership. 

V. Raymond Ferrara
President and CEO, ProVise Management Group
Ray Ferrara is chairman and CEO of ProVise Management Group, LLC, a full- service financial planning firm which is a Registered Investment Advisor with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Ferrara is a Registered Principal with FINRA and a Certified Financial Planner. He served on the Board of Directors for the CFP Board of Standards, Inc. and was chair in 2014. He also served on the Board of Directors for the Financial Planning Association, National Advisor’s Trust Company, and as a board observer for National Financial Partners, Inc. as well as numerous community boards. Ferrara was featured as one of America’s best financial planners in the book Secrets of the Wealth Makers. He was a recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Financial Planning Association of Tampa Bay in 2005 and the P. Kemp Fain Jr. Award in 2016 by the Financial Planning Association for his qualities and contributions that demonstrated superior professionalism.

Scott Fink
CEO, Fink Auto Group
Scott Fink is president/CEO of six dealerships in the state of Florida, including Hyundai of New Port Richey, the nation's largest volume Hyundai dealership. Fink started in the automotive business at Ford Motor Company in 1983. He left Ford in 1989 and became the operational partner at Clearwater Mitsubishi (Clearwater FL). Fink grew the dealership to consistently rank in the top 10 in sales volume from 1989 to 2000, reaching the # 1 volume dealership in the nation for the years 1994-1995. In 1998, Fink and a partner purchased Clearwater Toyota and eventually sold it to Sonic Automotive. In 2003, Fink opened Hyundai of New Port Richey, a store that has, for the past 110 consecutive months, achieved status as the largest volume Hyundai dealer in the Southern Region, setting and resetting numerous sales records. Fink also serves on many business and philanthropic boards.

Robert Fisher
Retired President and Chief Executive Officer, Grow Financial Federal Credit Union
Robert Fisher was president and chief executive officer of Grow Financial Federal Credit Union in Tampa until he retired in 2019. Fisher has been active on the boards of several organizations. He has also served on various industry boards and committees. Fisher has also served on the advisory committee for the Industrial Management and Systems Engineering department at USF. Fisher is an actively licensed Certified Public Accountant in Florida. He earned a bachelor's degree in business from Miami University, in Oxford, Ohio, with concentrations in economics and marketing, and attended Yale University's School of Management to study advanced management studies.

Steven D. Freedman
President, Freedman's Office Furniture
Steve Freedman founded Freedman's Office Furniture in 1980, shortly after graduating from the USF Muma College of Business with a BA in finance. The firm has grown to The firm has grown to include furniture showrooms in Tampa and West Palm Beach and a 40,000-square-foot distribution center. Freedman is an active member of the Tampa Bay business community, belonging to several civic organizations, and also contributes to many charities. He has also served as a mentor in the USF Muma College of Business Corporate Mentor Program.

Brian Fuhrer
Senior Vice President, Product Strategy and Thought Leadership, Nielsen
Brian Fuhrer is SVP, Product Strategy and Thought Leadership for Nielsen. He focuses on the streaming ecosystem and helps guide Nielsen’s product strategy in that area, while using our data to find stories and insights. Most recently, Fuhrer has been working with a broad range of clients to focus on the dramatic changes being introduced by streaming and direct-toc-consumer offerings and developing appropriate measurement solutions for them. With over 35 years in media research and product development at Nielsen, Fuhrer’s experience spans the U.S. media and advertising industry as well as overseas markets where Nielsen has a media presence in more than 30 countries. He frequently speaks at industry events and has been extensively quoted in the press. Based in Tampa, Florida, he is a site leader at Nielsen’s Global Technology and Innovation Center. Fuhrer earned a Bachelor of Arts in Marketing from the University of South Florida, and has multiple research-related patents.

Scott C. Gault
Market President, The Bank of Tampa
Scott C. Gault serves as the market president for The Bank of Tampa. Gault also has enterprise-wide responsibility for the banks SBA and Treasury divisions. Gault has over 25 years of diversified banking and finance experience. Prior to coming to The Bank of Tampa, Gault was with SunTrust Bank in Orlando, where he was a senior vice president and led the commercial bank in Central Florida and the eastern Florida coast. Gault’s areas of expertise includes leadership, management, finance, and business development.  Gault serves on the executive board of Habitat for Humanity of Pinellas County, the board of St Anthony’s Hospital Foundation and the board of the Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce. He is a past board chairman of the University of South Florida St. Petersburg, Kate Tiedemann College of Business and served on the St Petersburg Chamber of Commerce Board of Governors for five years.

Gilbert Gonzalez
Founder and President, Mission Critical Solutions
As founder and president of Mission Critical Solutions, a leading-edge technology solutions provider, Gilbert Gonzalez heads branch and project offices located throughout the United States. His vast experience in designing IP-converged technology and IT/telecommunications mission critical solutions for commercial, military and other federal, state and local government clients helped the firm become the fastest-growing,privately owned technology firm in Tampa Bay for four consecutive years. The company is a two-time finalist for the Greater Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce Small Business of the Year award. Gonzalez holds both low-voltage and unlimited electrical contractor licenses and he is a registered communication distribution designer. He received an MBA from University of South Florida in Tampa, doing so with honors and with concentrations in management of information systems and economics.  he also earned a DBA from USF.

Henry Gonzalez
Regional President, The First Bank
Tampa native Henry Gonzalez has enjoyed a lengthy career in banking. He began his banking career as a loan representative at The Bank of Tampa in 1992. He worked for First Union for two years in the mid-90s before returning to The Bank of Tampa in 1997, serving in increasingly responsible roles, eventually as executive vice president, before leaving the bank in 2011 to take on an entrepreneurial challenge: running Firm Solutions Holdings, LLC as president. Platinum Bank brought him back to banking when it hired him to serve as president of its Tampa Bay region in 2012. Since then he has been in leadership roles with Mutual of Omaha Bank, Beach Community Bank and, today, he is regional president for The First Bank - Tampa Lpo. Over the years, Gonzalez has held numerous leadership roles in the Tampa community. He serves on several community boards and is a member of the Krewe of the Knights of Sant' Yago. Gonzalez is a dual-degree alumnus of the USF Muma College of Business, earning a Bachelor of Arts in Finance and an MBA from USF.

Steve Griggs
President, Tampa Bay Lightning & Amalie Arena
Steve Griggs became the president of the Tampa Bay Lightning and Amalie Area less than four years after joining the organization as its chief operating officer. Before coming to Tampa Bay, he spent nearly three years serving as executive vice president of sales and marketing for the Orlando Magic. During his time in Orlando, Griggs oversaw the Magic's corporate partnerships, premium sales and services, season ticket services and operations, brand management, event presentation and ticket sales departments. Griggs served for eight years as the vice president of sales and service for the Minnesota Wild of the National Hockey League and its parent company, Minnesota Sports & Entertainment. Prior to joining the Wild, Griggs served as the vice president of corporate sales and service for Sportsco International, LP and SkyDome. The Aurora, Ontario native also worked for both the NBA's Toronto Raptors and the NHL's Toronto Maple Leafs as the director of ticket sales and service.

Andy Hafer
Co-Founder, DCE Productions; Co-Founder, Synapse
Andy Hafer is a tech industry veteran and an innovation entrepreneur with decades of experience in driving new business and economic growth through collaboration between public/private partnerships and education. His most recent enterprise is Synapse Florida, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that guides  Florida’s innovation communities to help accelerate success and drive economic growth. Hafer also founded and serves on the board of several other companies, including DCE Productions (a company revolutionizing virtual and live event experiences).  Hafer also serves on the board for several start-ups. Previously, Hafer served as CEO & President of the Tampa Bay Technology Forum.  Prior stops in his career include CIO of Pride Enterprises, CIO of Yara, senior consultant with Accenture, process control engineer for Proctor and Gamble, and IBM.  Hafer earned a DBA from USF in 2021, his third degree from USF as he earned a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering and an MBA from USF.  His companies have spent nine straight years in the USF Fast 56 – highlighting the fastest growing Bull-owned companies in the world. In 2004, Hafer received the CEO’s Leadership Award from PRIDE Enterprises.  In 1996, he was distinguished as University of South Florida Young Alumnus of the Year. 

Richard Hume
Chief Executive Officer, TD Synnex
Richard T. Hume joined Tech Data (now TD Synnex) in 2016 as an executive vice president and chief operating officer. Here, he was in charge of the strategic direction and go-to-market execution of the company's regional operations in Europe, Asia Pacific and the Americas. He oversaw Tech Data's acquisition of Avnet's Technology Solutions business, its completion, and integration while developing an advanced global strategy for the newly combined company. Before joining Tech Data, Hume worked with IBM for more than three decades, most recently as general manager and COO, Global Technology Services. He was responsible for the operations of IBM’s $32 billion infrastructure and outsourcing services business. During his career at IBM, Hume led the company's System X Servers, Global Inside Sales and North American PC businesses, and served as COO for the Global Consulting business. He was previously a Certified Public Accountant and is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) Hume earned a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and Finance from Pennsylvania State University.

Elizabeth Krystyn
Founding Partner, Baldwin Krystyn Sherman Partners, The Baldwin Group
Elizabeth Krystyn is a founding partner of Baldwin Krystyn Sherman Partners and The Baldwin Group. Since 2006, she has held various roles including president, managing director, COO as well as the leader of The Baldwin Group’s Human Resources group, all with an intense focus on culture.  Krystyn and her firm have been recognized twice by USF in their Fast 56 list of Bulls-owned / Bulls-run businesses. 

She is a member of the Judicial Commission of the Presbytery of Tampa Bay, chair of First Presbyterian Church of Tampa’s personnel committee and is active in many community organizations. These include the USF Foundation’s Women in Leadership and Philanthropy, ARISE Alliance, Tampa Preparatory School and Academy Prep Center of Tampa. Krystyn earned a bachelor’s degree in finance from the University of South Florida and earned her Certified Employee Benefits Specialist designation from The Wharton School of Business.

Linda Marcelli
Vice President, Lucky's Real Tomatoes
Linda Marcelli serves as vice president for Sunrise Sun-Ripened Tomatoes, Inc. (Lucky's Real Tomatoes), which grows and provides vine-ripened tomatoes to restaurants and purveyors nationwide. She is the former first vice president and managing director (Tampa Bay Complex) for Merrill Lynch, joining the firm in 1975 as a financial consultant. She served as district director of New York City for many years. In 1990, she was named to the New York Academy of Women Achievers. In 2001, Marcelli relocated to Tampa and was appointed director of the Merrill Lynch Tampa Bay Complex. She serves on the boards of countless local organizations, ranging from education to the arts. She received a BA in psychology from The Ohio State University. She is also a graduate of the Securities Industry Institute at Wharton and the Tuck Institute at Dartmouth College.

Jane Mason
CEO, Clarifire
Jane Mason is CEO and founder of Clarifire. Mason has applied her vast experience (over 25 years) operating process-driven businesses to successfully redefine client-focused service and bring innovation to multiple industries. These industries include financial services, enterprise workflow and healthcare. Mason began her career in business operations, quickly becoming an executive of a progressive international law firm. After building a software solution for the law firm, she started out on her own. Mason was the original architect of the CLARIFIRE® Application and has since worked with expert programmers to apply cutting-edge, web-based technology to automate complex processes. CLARIFIRE entered the market in 2007, is fully interactive and brings together all parties in one secure platform. Her vision confirms Clarifire’s trajectory as a successful, SOC 2 Type II certified Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) provider. She has been honored with awards such as CEO of the year from the Tampa Bay Business Journal along with being named Entrepreneur of the Year of the Gulf Coast. Mason is a University of South Florida graduate.

Roxann Moore
Executive Vice President (Retired), SunTrust
Roxann W. Moore has over 30 years of experience in corporate and commercial banking and has been with SunTrust for 21 years, serving in many leadership positions over her career. She is currently an executive vice president and the commercial executive with SunTrust. Moore graduated Magna Cum Laude with a BA in finance from the University of South Florida in 1981. She was inducted as a member of Phi Kappa Phi in 1981 as well. In 1985, she graduated from the National Commercial Lending School at the University of Oklahoma. Moore has served on several community and nonprofit boards and committees. 

George Morgan
Operating Advisor, OMERS Private Equity of Toronto
George Morgan served in executive and financial management for more than 20 years. He is the former president and chief executive officer of Virtual Radiologic, a national radiology firm that works with local practitioners and hospitals to optimize radiology's pivotal role in patient care. Morgan previously served for seven years as executive vice president of U.S. Oncology, one of the nation's largest networks of community-based oncology physicians dedicated to advancing cancer care in America. He held executive roles for five years at HCA, the largest private operator of health care facilities in the world, including service as president of the Ambulatory Surgery Division, COO, and CFO of the Western Group. Morgan is a member of the boards of the University of South Florida Foundation and the USF Research Foundation. The Sarasota resident earned a bachelor's degree in accounting from the University of South Florida and was a Certified Public Accountant prior to entering health care executive management.

Leslie M. "Les" Muma
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (Retired), Fiserv, Inc.
Les Muma co-founded Fiserv, Inc., a Fortune 500 company providing technology products and services to more than 17,000 financial institution clients worldwide. He served as president of the company from 1984 to 1999; Muma retired from Fiserv in 2006. Muma had more than four decades of business experience when he retired, in a range of career positions in fields from data processing to information technology. He and his wife, Pam, are known for their civic service, expressed through both their personal means and via their family foundation. In 2004, he received an Honorary Doctorate of Business Administration from USF. The university has presented him with many other awards, including its 2008 American Fundraising Professionals Philanthropist of the Year Award. In 2003, he received the Muma College of Business Free Enterprise of the Year Award. He has been named a community honoree by USF's Beta Gamma Sigma honor society as well.

Pamela Carnes Muma
Philanthropist 
Pam Muma has a long history of philanthropy within the Tampa Bay area. She recently announced the creation of the Pamela Muma Women's Health Center, a comprehensive, concierge medical practice focused exclusively on women's care at USF Health. With her husband Les, Pam Muma has given generously to support neonatology research and care. They established an endowed chair and research laboratory for neonatology research at USF and funded the Jennifer Leigh Muma Neonatal Intensive Care Unit as a partnership between USF and Tampa General Hospital. They are the namesakes of USF's Muma College of Business. In 2012, Junior Achievement selected Pam from more than 138,000 volunteers to win the Gold Leadership Award, the organization's highest award for volunteerism. She is also a founding member of USF Women in Leadership and Philanthropy and received its Community Leadership Award in 2008.  She has also received an honorary doctorate from the university.

Joseph Nestor
Vice President, Citi
Joseph Nestor is a Vice President at Citi working in Technology Project Management. Joseph has worked in the financial services industry, starting his career at JPMorgan Chase and working in various roles in Project Management, Process Improvement, Business Management, and Reporting and Analytics. Joseph is the chair of the Alumni Advisory Council at the Muma College of Business and has a scholarship for first generation business students in the Muma College of Business. A 2015 25 Under 25 recipient, Joseph holds an undergraduate degree from the University of South Florida, Masters of Business Administration (MBA) from USF, and Juris Master (JM) from Cornell University. 

Ray E. "Chip" Newton
Senior Managing Director (Former), Evercore Partners, Inc.
Chip Newton is the former senior managing director of the private equity group, Evercore Partners, Inc., a leading investment banking firm. Newton currently serves on the board of directors as treasurer for the National Psoriasis Foundation. Newton's past employment includes senior managing director at Perseus, LLC, from 1999-2008, where he focused on investments in the consumer and business services sectors. He also served on the company's board of directors. Prior to Perseus, LLC, Newton was a general partner at J.H. Whitney & Co., and in 1992, he was named the youngest general partner in J.H. Whitney's history. Newton also served as the former director of Brothers Gourmet Coffee and the former director of North Face, Inc.

Kevin O’Connell
Managing Partner - Northwestern Mutual
Kevin O’Connell began his career with Northwestern Mutual by winning he won the New Representative of the Year award with the Meier Agency in Orlando, Florida. In 2003, O’Connell was appointed managing director of a scratch district office. O’Connell led that organization to over $1.8 million of premium and $10m of assets under management. This office was compromised of 26 financial representatives, of which 19 were under five years in the business and under his leadership, advisors retention was 30%, twice the company average. While in Orlando, O’Connell was recognized by the Florida Trend magazine as Trend’s 20 something’s, the UCF Alumni Association as a “Rising Star” in the business community, Orlando’s 40 under 40 and also served as President of the Sigma Phi Epsilon Alumni Association and on the University of Central Florida’s Alumni Board of Directors. In his final year there, he won the Achievement Award in Category VII and was again recognized as a Growth Award Winner.   O’Connell headed to Milwaukee in 2010 to join the company’s corporate offices as an assistant regional director, working with executive leadership nationwide.  In 2014, he moved to Tampa to become managing partner of the Tampa Bay area firm.  He is a member of the executive board for Northwestern Mutual Greater Tampa Bay’s Community Outreach Committee, which focuses on childhood cancer research and Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation. O’Connell earned a Bachelor of Science in Finance from the University of Central Florida and holds CLU, ChFC, and CRP credentials.

Steven S. Oscher
Owner and President, Oscher Consulting
Steven S. Oscher is the managing director of Oscher Consulting, a firm that provides support services and financial analysis to the legal community. Prior to forming Oscher Consulting, he served as an audit and quality review partner and was the director of litigation services with an international accounting firm. He has also taught numerous professional education courses, is a member of several professional organizations, and has served on multiple boards and committees, both locally and nationally. Oscher's longstanding service to USF has been recognized with the Distinguished Alumnus Award and the Don Gifford Service Award. Oscher earned a Doctorate in Business Administration from the University of South Florida, is a Certified Public Accountant, accredited by the AICPA in Business Valuations and Financial Forensics and as a Certified Fraud Examiner by the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners.

Anthony Perez
Senior Vice President, BayFirst Financial
Anthony Perez, is the senior vice president and Tampa market executive for BayFirst Financial. Perez was named the Tampa Hispanic Heritage Man of the Year in 2022. He serves as a member and immediate past chair of the USF Latin Community Advisory Committee and the City of Tampa Mayor's Hispanic Advisory Council. Perez earned his Master of Business Administration from USF and continues postgraduate coursework at the LSU Graduate School of Banking. He is the proud father of three and has completed the Chicago and New York City marathons.

Kevin Plummer
Head, Tampa Preparatory School
Kevin became the seventh Head of Tampa Preparatory School in July 2007. Kevin's new roots go deeply into the Tampa community where he serves on the Executive Steering Committee of the Friends of the Riverwalk, Vice Chairman of the Tampa Downtown Partnership, Moffitt Hospital Board of Directors, the Creative Tampa Bay Board and has been a trustee for the George Steinbrenner Boys and Girls Club. Kevin also proudly serves as Vice President of the Florida Council of Independent Schools and is the Chair for The Enrollment Management Association. Kevin is also a member of the Bay Area Association of Independent Schools and served as President of B.A.A.I.S. (2009-2010). He is a 1989 graduate of Colby College where he was named a Lacrosse All-American. Kevin was awarded the highly competitive and prestigious Klingenstein Fellowship at the Teachers College of Columbia University where he received a Master of Education Administration in 1999.

Jeff Reynolds
Senior Vice President, UBS Financial Services
Jeff Reynolds is a third generation financial advisor with nearly two decades of experience. He focuses on private banking, business/personal lending, and wealth management. He has been involved in numerous local organizations and foundations including the USF Alumni Association, Brandon Rotary and Boy Scouts of America.

Susie Levin Rice
President, RMC Property Group
Susie Levin Rice, chairman of RMC Leasing & Management, oversees the company's corporate and real estate operations. She has been active in the commercial real estate business in Florida for 20 years. Rice began her career as a commercial bank examiner with the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. As an industry expert, Rice has spoken and presented to organizations such as Commercial Real Estate Women, the Real Estate Investment Council, and the International Council of Shopping Centers. Rice is actively involved in the community and has served on several boards. She currently is a trustee at the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center. She earned a bachelor's degree in finance from George Washington University. She is a licensed real estate broker in Florida and an active member of the International Council of Shopping Centers. She was named the Young Business Woman of the Year in 2005 by the Tampa Bay Business Journal.

Scott Riley
Chief Executive Officer Emeritus, FinTech
Riley has been part of the majority ownership group of Fintech since 1996 and has served on the board continuously since then. He was named CEO in 2005. Fintech is an electronic data and payment solutions company which allows alcohol distributors to be paid electronically by their retailers. Before he worked with Fintech, Riley owned an advertising agency, which was later sold to a national firm. He also worked as a regional manager for a TV and radio broadcast group and was instrumental in the development of the Real Estate Channel on cable TV. Riley co-founded Parker Communications Network, Inc., a satellite-based monitor system distributing commercials to large grocery chains throughout the country for companies such as Coca-Cola, General Mills, Procter & Gamble and Nabisco. He also co-founded In Store Media, which worked with major grocers such as Publix, Kroger, and Albertson's to merchandise their private label products. Riley is on the boards of numerous charitable and community organizations. In addition, Riley established the Riley Family Education Foundation, whose mission is to provide scholarships to assist with special needs education.

Kimberly Ross
Board Member, KKR, Cigna, Northrop Grumman

Kimberly Ross has served in several C-suite financial roles for companies such as WeWork, Bakes Hughes and Avon.  Prior to her association with Avon, Ross served as Executive Vice President and CFO of Royal Ahold N.V. from 2007 to 2011 and held various other finance positions at Royal Ahold from 2001 to 2007. Ross earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in accounting from the University of South Florida and became a certified public accountant after graduation. She serves on the board of directors and the audit committee of Chubb (formerly ACE Limited).  She is also on the boards of Northrup Grumman, Cigna and KKR Special Acquisition Corp.

Yvette Segura
Immediate Past Chair, Tampa Bay Chamber
Yvette Segura is the former regional vice president of USAA's regional offices in Tampa, Florida, where she served as the senior USAA officer in Florida. She was also the senior on-site integrator/coordinator for Community Affairs, Corporate Communications, Facilities, Information Technology, Business Continuation and People Services. Segura began service in Tampa as regional vice president in 2015. Segura has worked in the insurance industry since 1984 and has been with USAA since 1989. At USAA, she has held a variety of leadership positions.  In 2007, she was named vice president of claims service operations in USAA’s home office in San Antonio, Texas. She was responsible for as many as 2,800 claims employees across the country as well as USAA’s international offices in Frankfurt and London. Segura earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in business administration. In addition, she attained the CPCU and CCLA designations. Segura has been recognized by Florida Trend’s Florida 500 - Florida’s Most Influential Business Leaders in 2020 and 2021. She was recognized in The Tampa Bay Business Journal Power 100 in 2020 and 2021.

Lisa M. Simington, CFP
Executive Vice President, PNC Wealth Management & Hawthorn Family Office
Lisa Simington, CFP,  is an executive vice president and regional managing director for PNC Wealth Management & Hawthorn Family Office with responsibility for its full Florida region.  She is responsible for all new business development, portfolio management, trust administration, estate planning, wealth planning and private banking activities within the region.  Simington has more than 30 years of experience in financial services including 10 years as regional president of BNY Mellon Wealth Management in Florida.  Prior to that, Simington held numerous leadership and production positions with Goldman Sachs and Wells Fargo (then Wachovia).  Simington serves on numerous community boards in both Tampa and Naples including Straz Performing Arts Center, Tampa Museum of Art, and Earn to Learn Florida, to name a few.  She earned  a Bachelor of Science in Finance from the University of Florida.  She also holds the Certified Financial Planning designation.

Yvette Tremonti
Chief Financial & Administrative Officer, Moffitt Cancer Center
Yvette Tremonti is the chief financial and administrative officer of Moffitt Cancer Center, one of the nation’s leading cancer hospitals and the only National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center based in Florida.  Tremonti reports to the Chief Executive Officer and supports the successful navigation of Moffitt’s strategy through a dynamic healthcare environment, to ensure Moffitt achieves its mission.  She is responsible for overseeing the financial and administrative operations of the center.  This includes Digital Innovation, Information Technology, Strategy and Planning,  Enterprise Project Management Office/Process Excellence and Payor and Partnership Strategy.  Tremonti has a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of South Florida and a Master of Business Administration from Auburn University. She is a member of the American and Florida Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

Nick Vojnovic
President, Little Greek Franchise Development, LLC
Nick Vojnovic is the president and majority partner of Little Greek Franchise Development, LLC, a restaurant chain based in Tampa. It is a fast-growing, high-quality Greek restaurant chain based in Tampa but with locations in Texas, Arkansas, Kentucky, Ohio and Illinois. Before joining Little Greek, Vojnovic Beef ‘O’ Brady’s grow from 30 units, mostly in the Tampa area, to a chain of more than 260 units located in 23 states. Before joining Family Sports Concepts, Vojnovic was Vice President of Human Resources for Famous Dave's of America, a 140-unit barbeque, and blues chain headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Vojnovic also was the Director of Recruiting and Training at Sunstate Ventures, a 13-unit franchisor of Chili's Grill and Bar in Tampa.  Vojnovic is very involved in the industry. Currently, Vojnovic serves on the Board for Big Brothers Big Sisters. Vojnovic was chair and Hillsborough County chapter president for the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association. Vojnovic sat on the Techonomic Advisory Board and the National Restaurant Association  Fast Casual Executive Board as well.  HVojnovic was awarded with the 2019 Florida Restaurateur Hall of Fame award, the Elliot Motivator of the Year award, a Nation’s Restaurants News Golden Chain award, and was an Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year finalist. He graduated from Cornell University's School of Hotel Administration in 1981 and earned an Executive MBA from USF in 2012.

Bonnie Wise
County Administrator, Hillsborough County
Bonnie Wise joined Hillsborough County in April 2011 as the Chief Financial Administrator and is responsible for the financial activities and functions within the departments organized under the County Administrator. Prior to joining Hillsborough County, Bonnie served as the Chief Financial Officer for the City of Tampa for 8 years, overseeing various departments and the City's $787 million budget. Bonnie also served as Senior Vice President of William R. Hough & Co. in Public Finance, and Vice President of Raymond James & Associates, Inc., in Public Finance. Outside of her professional duties and affiliations, Bonnie is active in her community. She donates her time as a Board member and Investment Vice President of the Tampa-Orlando-Pinellas Jewish Foundation, and the Advisory Board of Tampa Jewish Family Services. Bonnie holds a Masters of Business Administration and Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, both from the University of Florida.

Monica Wooden
Co-Founder & Chief Revenue Officer, MercuryGate International, Inc.
Monica B. Wooden co-founded MercuryGate International, Inc. in 2000 and is currently its Chief Revenue Officer. Prior to MercuryGate, Wooden served as a consulting executive at IBM for nine years. During her time at IBM running the Florida consulting practice and creating new business ventures in transportation and distribution, she realized the demand for robust automate transportation processes, those that can accommodate 3PL and shipper businesses, which sparked the foundation of MercuryGate. She is a member of the Committee of 200 (C200) - a community of the most successful, inspiring women in business whose mission is to advance women’s leadership and change the face of business. She also received the 2013 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year award for the Southeast region and recognized in Forbes and Southeast Women in Business. She received a Bachelor of Science from Ithaca College in physical education and a Master of Arts in measurement and evaluation from the University of Georgia. In her current role as the chief revenue officer, she helps facilitate future business growth, as well as designs and implements business strategies, plans and procedures concentrate on growth.