FACE Welcomes New Board Members
Tampa, Florida (November 29, 2009) – Florida Autism Center of Excellence (FACE) has announced its new six-member board of directors. This is the first group of board members to be elected since Quest Inc. – a leading nonprofit serving people with developmental disabilities in Tampa and Orlando – took over management of the school in July 2009.
Joining the board of directors at FACE are Randy Baker, vice president of security for the New York Yankees; Jessica Brady, project manager for public and governmental relations at AAA Auto Club South; David Epstein, owner of State Vacuum of Tampa Inc; Lois J. Gaston, Ph.D., retired; Janet I. Greenwood, Ph.D., president and career and educational consultant at Greenwood Associates Inc.; and Jereme Williams, project manager for the Williams Company.
Randy Baker is the vice president of security for the New York Yankees, a position he was appointed to in 2007 by Yankees owner George Steinbrenner. He had served as the team’s director of security for six years before his promotion to vice president and had previously spent 27 years in the United States Marine Corps. Baker holds a bachelor’s degree in criminology from Saint Leo University.
Jessica Brady serves as a project manager for public and governmental relations at AAA Auto Club South. She is also a freelance writer, guest speaker and news source for multiple radio shows, TV networks and print media. Before working at AAA, Brady was a reporter for the St. Petersburg Times and a writer and editor for ParentGuide Magazine of Tampa Bay. Brady earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of South Florida and is a member of the Public Relations Society of America.
David Epstein is the owner of State Vacuum of Tampa Inc. – a company that was awarded the prestige of Small Business of the Year by the Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce in 1995. Epstein is a public member of the Florida Bar Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Grievance Committee. He has also held the positions of president, vice president and board member of the Tampa Sports Club, and has served on the boards of the Tampa Sports Foundation, Boys & Girls Clubs of Tampa Bay and City of Tampa Recreation Board. Epstein holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Florida.
Lois J. Gaston, Ph.D., is the retired president of the Ybor City campus of Hillsborough Community College. She is a veteran education administrator, having previously held various academic positions at Illinois Central College. She has served on the boards of Volunteers of America, Kiwanis Club of Ybor City and the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center. Gaston completed her undergraduate studies at Marycrest College in Iowa. She earned a master’s degree in guidance and counseling from Bradley University and a doctoral degree in educational administration from Illinois State University.
Janet I. Greenwood, Ph.D., is the president and founder of Greenwood Associates Inc., a career and educational counseling group established in 1987. Greenwood is a licensed clinical psychologist and has worked as a teacher, guidance counselor, school psychologist, college professor and as a department head at a major medical center for nine years. She has served on the Board of Fellows at the University of Tampa and on the board of Friends of Research in Psychiatry at the University of South Florida. Greenwood received her bachelor’s degree in education and her master’s degree in school psychology from the University of Virginia, a master’s degree in guidance and counseling from Auburn University and a Ph.D. from the University of South Florida.
Jereme Williams is a project manager for the Williams Company, a general contractor and construction management firm specializing in commercial, education and industrial facilities. He spent several years in the company’s educational division, managing the construction of numerous schools throughout Central Florida. Since his promotion to project manager, he moved from the Williams Company’s Orlando headquarters to the Tampa office and works on commercial retail and educational projects in the Tampa Bay area. Williams holds a Bachelor of Science in civil engineering from the University of Florida.
About Quest, Inc:
Quest helps people with disabilities achieve their dreams of going to school, having a job, living on their own, and experiencing summer camp. As Central Florida’s largest provider of these services, Quest makes a difference in the lives of more than 1,000 people each day and has been part of our community for nearly 50 years. For more information about Quest, visit www.questinc.org.
About FACE:
The Florida Autism Center of Excellence (FACE) offers successful educational programs for children and young adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders. As a public charter school that serves students with moderate to severe autism in pre-K through 12th grade and beyond, FACE provides a comprehensive academic environment to address the unmet needs of the growing number of children in Florida with developmental disabilities. Located at 6400 E. Chelsea St. in Tampa, the school is available to families in Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco, Polk, Manatee and Sarasota counties. For more information, please call Tom Porter, director of Quest schools, at 813.621.3223 or visit www.faceprogram.org.
