Civic Advocacy

BRUCE BARONE JR. Executive Director 5th Avenue South Business Improvement District

Bruce Barone Jr. spent an influential part of his education overseas: high school in Bermuda and a master’s thesis in Venice, Italy. Barone manages the marketing, events, and public affairs of more than 200 businesses along the iconic Fifth Avenue South. He enjoys thinking creatively and looks at the big picture, especially the pandemic-related business impacts. He has been involved in the community for the past 18 years, while raising two sons with his wife, Lauren.

BEST ADVICE: My father instilled a demanding work ethic in me from a young age, so I’m always striving for improvement. SECRET TO SUCCESS: I’m my harshest critic and have a bulldog mentality. Never, never, never give up. TOUGHEST CHALLENGE: The COVID-19 pandemic has been the most impactful experience in my lifetime. As a father and husband, it has only strengthened my bonds with my family and brought me closer to God. HOBBIES: Time with family, lifting weights, shooting at the gun range, drawing, and playing guitar FAVORITE BOOK: The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand CHARITIES: Knights of Columbus, Do the Right Thing, St. Matthew’s House, Make-A-Wish Foundation MICHAEL DALBY President and CEO Greater Naples Chamber of Commerce Michael Dalby brings more than 25 years of Chamber of Commerce leadership to his role for Greater Naples, which includes serving as president of both the Leadership Collier Foundation and Partnership for Collier’s Future Economy. Dalby leads an 11-person staff serving 1,200 members with business connections, public policy engagement, economic growth resources, and leadership development services. The Texas native is a veteran of the U.S. Air Force. EILEEN CONNOLLY-KEESLER President and CEO Community Foundation of Collier County

Since 2013, Eileen Connolly-Keesler has overseen the Community Foundation of Collier County’s mission, to address community needs by providing leadership and coordination through grantmaking and fund development. The Community Foundation manages more than 750 funds and collaborates with hundreds of nonprofits. In the past seven years, assets have risen from $64 million to $229 million under Connolly-Keesler’s guidance. She was a member of the University of Wisconsin Board of Regents.

EDUCATION: University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh (MPA) HOMETOWN: Whitelaw, Wisconsin WHY I CHOSE THIS FIELD: I wanted to help people and make significant change in my community. FIRST JOB: Weekend advocate at a domestic violence shelter FEW PEOPLE KNOW: I used to play guitar and sing at weddings when I was in high school. SECRET TO SUCCESS: Stop trying to go over a bump in the road; figure out how to go around it. You can spend too much energy trying to force something to happen; just figure out a different path.

BUCKET LIST: Trip to Panama Canal (delayed due to COVID-19)

EDUCATION: University of Nebraska (MA) BEST ADVICE: Don’t take yourself too seriously. LESSON LEARNED: The military taught me a lot about life and what really matters—family, faith, American democracy, and our right to be different. FAVORITE MOVIE: Field of Dreams FAVORITE COLLIER COUNTY PLACE TO VISIT: Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary FAVORITE COLLIER COUNTY RESTAURANT: Taqueria San Julian CHARITIES: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints VANN R. ELLISON President and CEO St. Matthew’s House

Vann R. Ellison’s life’s work “has been focused on the hurting” since he was 22. Since 2003, he has led St. Matthew’s House, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to provide faith-based, free-market solutions to poverty and addiction. Under Ellison’s leadership, St. Matthew’s House has grown from a humble soup kitchen and shelter to one of the foremost direct social service organizations in Southwest Florida. He lives in East Naples with his wife, Lisa, and has four sons.

EDUCATION: Southeastern University MOST INSPIRING PERSON: My father was the most inspiring person. He was a quiet and compassionate man who always focused on doing the right thing. When I would complain or find offense at something, he always quoted the verse, “Dwell on what is good and pure and of good report.” TOUGHEST CHALLENGE: Dealing with dishonest attacks and threats when trying to expand our operations. My vision has always been larger than my capacity to achieve or communicate it. HIDDEN TALENT: I’m an Eagle Scout and avid outdoorsman. ADVICE TO 18-YEAR-OLD SELF: Always do what you know is right and don’t try to win the approval of those people that don’t matter. FAVORITE COLLIER COUNTY PLACE TO VISIT: CREW trails

MARY BETH GEIER Florida Director and Senior Program Officer Richard M. Schulze Family Foundation

Mary Beth Geier is responsible for the Richard M. Schulze Family Foundation’s Southwest Florida areas of interest in grantmaking and community initiatives: human and social services, education, including college and early learning scholarship awards, and health and medicine. Prior to joining the foundation, Geier was the assistant principal of a parochial school in north central Florida. She serves on several local boards, including Champions For Learning; Florida Gulf Coast University Foundation; and the Greater Naples Chamber of Commerce.

EDUCATION: Florida Gulf Coast University (MEd) WHY I CHOSE THIS FIELD: Working in service of others is the most gratifying feeling in the world. Knowing that, through my work and partnering with others, I can make our community a little better is the reason I do the work I do! HOBBIES: Reading a book (with a glass of wine while sitting outside in the fresh air) FAVORITE COLLIER COUNTY RESTAURANT: Caffé Milano FAVORITE TRAVEL DESTINATION: San Juan Islands, Pacific Northwest BUCKET LIST: Traveling to Greece (I crossed paragliding off my list two years ago.) LISA B. LEFKOW CEO Habitat for Humanity of Collier County Ordained in the United Methodist Church, Rev. Lisa Lefkow serves Cornerstone United Methodist Church as well as Habitat for Humanity. In ministry since 1980, she has led mission teams into impoverished areas. Habitat for Humanity of Collier County is one of the oldest and largest-producing affiliates in the United States and has been rated No. 1 nationally for community and housing development. More than 2,300 local families have purchased Habitat Collier homes through the past 42 years. MARIA JIMENEZ-LARA CEO Naples Children & Education Foundation

Maria Jimenez-Lara has been the CEO of Naples Children & Education Foundation (NCEF) since 2015. She previously served as director of foundation services and grants director for NCEF, responsible for overseeing the charitable grant process in conjunction with the Grant Committee. Jimenez-Lara’s commitment to safeguarding the community’s most vulnerable is a natural fit with NCEF’s mission to support charitable programs that improve the physical, emotional, and educational lives of underprivileged and at-risk children in Collier County.

EDUCATION: Hodges University (MPA) NOTABLE ACCOMPLISHMENTS: Champions For Learning Community Advisory Committee; District XI Juvenile Justice Board; Champions For Learning 2015-2016 “Education Champion”; El Nuevo Miami Herald’s “Rising Latino Leader”; Lifetime Achievement Award, Homestead, Fla.; Rural Neighborhoods of Florida board member FIRST JOB: Working with children in gangs on the streets of Miami FEW PEOPLE KNOW: Everglades City was my home in Collier County for many years and I miss it terribly.

FAVORITE COLLIER COUNTY SPOT: Immokalee Farmers Market

EDUCATION: Centenary College of Louisiana, United Theological Seminary LESSON LEARNED: After a serious accident while he was in Washington, D.C. and I was in Miami, my husband was on life-support. I wasn’t sure I’d see him again and had to “let him go.” It was the most important lesson I’ve learned: never to take a single moment for granted and to remember that I am not in charge. BUCKET LIST: After celebrating the weddings of our two children last year, we look forward to welcoming our first grandbabies. Moving into this chapter of helping to shape the next generation is a great joy. LINDA A. OBERHAUS CEO The Shelter for Abused Women & Children

Linda Oberhaus got her start as a lifelong advocate for vulnerable populations as a peer counselor in high school. For more than 30 years, she has worked in social justice and increasing civility in the public discourse, while ensuring every community member has a voice at the table. She has furthered her education with courses at Harvard Business School and the FBI Citizen’s Academy. Her work has led to her becoming a certified auxiliary deputy with the Collier County Sheriff’s Office so that she can directly assist victims of abuse and human trafficking.

EDUCATION: University of South Florida (MSW) HOMETOWN: Boston, Massachusetts FUNNIEST WORKPLACE EXPERIENCE: Stepping on the podium, notes in hand, and no reading glasses BEST ADVICE: From the best grandmother ever: “Stay in school.” SECRET TO SUCCESS: Embracing a servant/leadership philosophy LESSON LEARNED: You can learn as much from a poor leader as you can from a great one. FAVORITE MOVIE: The Pursuit of Happyness FAVORITE BOOK: Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl ADVICE TO 18-YEAR-OLD SELF: Relax, you’re going to be fine. Really...