The AAMRL Board of Directors was established in 2024. As the governing body of the AAMRL, its members include volunteer leaders appointed by major stakeholders in the project, including Palm Beach County, the Palm Beach County School District, the Community Foundation, and members of the Coleman Park community.
Verdenia, a certified government financial manager, has been Palm Beach County’s Administrator since 2015. She oversees 7,100 positions and balances a $9 billion budget. Palm Beach County is Florida’s fourth largest county, with 1.5 million residents and growing. Notably, Palm Beach is one of four Florida counties and one of 53 counties nationally to achieve the AAA bond rating, which is critical for financial stability.
Verdenia’s career with Palm Beach County began as a budget analyst in 1987. She demonstrates the ability to collaborate with strategic partners to enhance the quality of life for residents and businesses. Verdenia led negotiations in recruiting the Florida Scripps Research Institute to Palm Beach County, a foundation of the local biotechnology industry. Verdenia again was the leader in a voter-approved 2016 Infrastructure Sales Tax initiative. Estimates are to generate $2.7 billion for new and renovated schools, roads and facilities over a 10-year period.
Recognizing equality of housing, representation, and business opportunities for all, Verdenia led initiatives such as the Mandatory Inclusionary Workforce Housing Program and Community Land Trust and re-implemented the small/minority/women business enterprise program in 2019. Verdenia is actively involved with tourist development, securing events such as the third presidential debate in 2012, Super Bowls in 2001, 2007 and 2020, and spearheaded dialogues for a second Major League Baseball Spring Training expansion. Additionally, she achieved critical milestones in Census redistricting in 2000, 2010 and 2020.
Verdenia holds a Master of Science Degree in Public Administration and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Rehabilitative Services, both from Florida State University. Affiliated with national, state, local, professional and community organizations, Verdenia has received numerous accolades. While Verdenia’s acknowledgments span decades, her recognitions in 2021, 2022, and 2023 include the Former President of the Florida Association of County Managers, a collective body of all 67 counties in Florida. Verdenia was one of 15 awarded Women Who Move the Nation by COMTO, the Conference of Minority Transportation Officials in Washington, D.C. South Florida Business & Wealth selected Verdenia as an honoree at its 2022 Excellence in Leadership Apogee Awards. The Education Foundation of Palm Beach County presented Verdenia with the Outstanding Business Partner Award in 2023. Most recently, in 2024, Verdenia joined the Community Foundation of Palm Beach and Martin County’s Inaugural Supporting Board Organization for the African American Museum & Research Library.
Verdenia is married to Joe and they have two daughters, Jasmin, Shannee and granddaughter, Lauren Nicole.
Julie Fisher Cummings MSSW (Columbia University School of Social Work) is an adjunct visiting professor at University of Miami, Department of Public Health Sciences, Miller School of Medicine.
Ms. Cummings advocates for responsible policies on health, education, and philanthropy on behalf of underserved and marginalized children and families
She is the founder of Lovelight Foundation, which focuses on domestic child sex trafficking, undeserved women and girls and early childhood education and care. She has forged effective public-private partnerships and new funding networks in Florida and across the U.S. She is a co-founder of the Florida Women’s Funding Collaborative, which has commissioned two research reports to drive policy change and enhance the quality of life for women and girls in the state of Florida: The Status of Women in Florida by County and The Status of Girls in Florida by County. Through the Max M. and Marjorie S. Fisher Foundation (Vice Chair), she was the founding sponsor of the Southeastern Michigan Early Childhood Funders Collaborative.
Bridging academia, public service, and policy reform, she has dedicated over 40 years to civic leadership locally and nationally through her positions at: Corporation for National and Community Service (Presidential appointee), Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University (Board), and Children’s Hospital of Michigan (Board). In both Florida and Michigan, she has held board positions with the United Way and with local Community Foundations, Council on Michigan Foundations (Board Chair), Women Moving Millions (Founding Steering Committee), Ms. Foundation (Advisory Committee), Jewish Teen Funders Network (Founding Trustee), the Jewish Women’s Foundations in Florida and Michigan (Founding member), and Council for Strong America.
She has been honored by organizations such as Cranbrook Schools (Distinguished Alumnae), Palm Beach Atlantic University (Woman of Distinction), Alternatives for Girls (Role Model of the Year), Anti-Defamation League (Woman of Achievement), Women’s Funding Network (Leadership, Equity and Diversity Award) and Community Foundation for Palm Beach and Martin County (Founders Award).
Dave Lawrence is the President & CEO of the Cultural Council for Palm Beach County where he serves as the chief arts advocate for the arts and cultural community, leads the professional staff of the Cultural Council, and represents the cultural community in local, regional, and national matters. Since joining the Cultural Council in 2018, he has worked to rebrand the Council, build a robust artist services team, restructure the Council’s programs and services, and launch new initiatives to provide direct funding to the cultural sector. He created the Artist Innovation Fellowship program, awarding 21 Palm Beach County artists to date with career-enhancing funding and opportunities, the Cultural Resiliency Fund and the Artist Relief Fund to help economic recovery for the sector post pandemic. In 2023, Dave conceived and created YES, the Year of Extraordinary Support providing $13.4 million in new and expanded funding – the largest investment in the cultural sector in the Council’s 46-year history. Dave was awarded the Vision 2020 Award by Art Synergy in West Palm Beach. For the last four years, he has been named one of Palm Beach County’s most influential business leaders in Palm Beach Illustrated’s The Palm Beach 100.
Previously, Dave served as the President & CEO of the Arts Council of Indianapolis. He developed innovative grants and initiatives for arts and cultural organizations as well as fellowship programs for professional artists including the nationally recognized Creative Renewal Arts Fellowship program, awarding more than $4 million in direct support to artists since its inception in 1999. He
conceived, created, and opened Gallery 924, a fine art community gallery to support and exhibit the work of central Indiana professional artists. A career highlight, Dave conceived and launched Indianapolis’ citywide murals program, 46 for XLVI, for Super Bowl XLVI that received national and international acclaim. Dave’s arts management background includes work with Indianapolis Opera, Indianapolis Symphonic Choir, Clowes Memorial Hall, Indiana Repertory Theatre, and the Indiana University Auditorium.
Dave’s 34 years as an arts administrator has focused on grantwriting/grantmaking, cultural tourism, organizational development, marketing, advocacy and arts policy development, strategic planning, and public art. Dave created innovative arts infusion strategies for major sporting events such as the 2001 World Police & Fire Games, the 2005 US World Swimming Trials, Super Bowl XLVI, the 2015 NCAA Men’s Final Four, and the 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500. Dave was a member of the Host Committee for Super Bowl XLVI as co-chair of the Cultural & Arts Programs Committee and a member of the Civic Advisory Council.
Dave was named a Sagamore of the Wabash, one of Indiana’s highest honors, by Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb. Dave was a member of the Stanley K. Lacy Executive Leadership Series Class XXIX and served on the boards of the Greater Indianapolis Progress Committee, Indiana Coalition for the Arts, and Visit Indy. Dave is an elected member of the United States Urban Arts Federation – comprised of CEOs of arts service organizations for the 60 largest US cities. He is a frequent grant panelist having served on adjudication panels around the country and for the National Endowment for the Arts. He is the recipient of a 2012 NUVO Cultural Vision Award, named a Distinguished Alumni from Lawrence North High School, and was named to Indianapolis Business Journal’s Who’s Who in Hospitality. Dave received a B.A. in communication from DePauw University.
Andre Gonzalez is a Senior Vice President and Private Client Advisor with Bank of America Private Bank in South Florida.
Andre works closely with individuals and families, helping them pursue what is most important to them by taking a more purposeful and structured approach to their financial lives. Deeply committed to the long-term well-being of each client, he strives to deliver a differentiated client experience that testifies to the singularity of each personal and family dynamic.
Andre looks to combine technical insight and acumen with an unwavering commitment to client service. He integrates the advice and guidance of teammates and specialists, who work in concert to uncover possible efficiencies on both sides of a client’s balance sheet. Andre believes that each client’s wealth framework should be as unique as his or her situation. He incorporates multiple factors within his approach, including a client’s legacy aspirations, personal or professional milestones, family dynamics, and philanthropic interests. In addition to traditional wealth disciplines, such as investment management, trust and estate planning, and banking, Andre is also adept in specialized offerings, including art lending, next-generation stewardship, and liquidity strategies for alternative investment professionals.
Andre has worked in financial services since 2010. Prior to joining Bank of America Private Bank, he was a Private Wealth Advisor with Synovus Bank. Previously, he was a Premier Banker at Wells Fargo and Company. He earned his Master of International Business and his B.A. in international business and marketing from Florida International University.
Active in his community, Andre currently serves on the boards of Handy Inc. and the Florida Children’s Theater, and previously served as the events Chair for the Wells Fargo Women’s Team Member Network.
Andre enjoys fishing, gardening, and beekeeping in his spare time, and currently resides in Davie with his wife, two daughters, and their dog SJ.
Mr. Ferguson’s passion for the law is partly due to his desire to help others injured as a result of the wrongful acts of others. Days before Thanksgiving in 2002, Mr. Ferguson’s mother, Abby, died in an automobile accident that was caused by the reckless acts of another motorist. Mr. Ferguson has taken the pain of his mother’s loss and turned it into a never-ending source of energy and focus to be utilized in addressing the needs of his clients and the community.
A licensed attorney in Florida and Maryland, Mr. Ferguson’s practice is primarily focused in the areas of personal injury and real estate, with a small segment of
his practice reserved to handle select criminal cases. Mr. Ferguson is a member of the Palm Beach County Bar Association and F. Malcolm Cunningham Bar Association.
Mr. Ferguson gives back to the community through the presentation of his “Know Your Rights – Navigating Police Encounters” seminar that he has held throughout Palm Beach County since 2012. Alongside his service within the community, Mr. Ferguson currently serves as the Board Member for District 7 with the School District of Palm Beach County. As a product of Palm Beach County, he attended Lincoln Elementary School, Bear Lakes Middle School, and graduated from Suncoast High School.
When he’s not fighting for the rights of his clients or performing public services for the community, Mr. Ferguson spends his time with his wife (Keli) their two children (Xavier and Abby), the family’s French bull dog (Zeus), reading, exercising, and rooting for his beloved Miami Dolphins and Miami Heat.
In November 2024, Bobby Powell, Jr. was elected to the Palm Beach County Board of County Commissioners for District 7. Prior to this, he was elected to the Florida Senate in 2016, following two terms in the Florida House of Representatives. Comm. Powell served as the Florida Senate Minority (Democratic) Pro-Tempore from 2020-2022, elected by his peers. During that period, he also served as Chairman of the Florida Legislative Black Caucus, which consists of 27 Black State Legislators representing nearly every area of the state.
Comm. Powell is a recognized leader in both the legislature and his community. In 2016, he was appointed to the Public Service Commission Nominating Committee by Senate President Joe Negron and reappointed by President Bill Galvano. Comm. Powell is also actively involved in community and professional development organizations, including various chambers of commerce and Leadership Palm Beach County, where he received the Leadership Excellence Award in 2017.
A Palm Beach Gardens High School alumnus, Comm. Powell graduated Magna Cum Laude from Florida A&M University with a degree in Journalism and a concentration in Public Relations. He also holds a Master of Science in Urban & Regional Planning from Florida State University. A native of Riviera Beach, Florida, he worked as a project manager for Urban Design Studio and is certified by the American Institute of Certified Planners in Palm Beach County.
His motto, “A life of service is a life that counts,” continues to guide his work as a dedicated public servant.
Rainford is the Chief Digital Transformation Officer of GA Telesis, a global leader in aerospace solutions. In this role, he is responsible for the development and implementation of data science initiatives for the company, which includes the development of machine learning and artificial intelligence models. Rainford’s experience covers both academia and industry. In academia, he has been a finance professor at the University of Miami, Fairleigh Dickinson University, and Florida Atlantic University. Additionally, Rainford is a co-author of Principles of Finance (2022), a digital finance textbook commissioned by Rice University’s OpenStax digital learning platform. In industry, Rainford’s experience is varied. He has been an M&A analyst in the financial services industry, and was the co-founder, CIO, and COO of a hedge fund. He co-founded the Florida Institute of Finance, a consulting firm that advised public and private companies, family offices, private equity firms, emerging manager hedge funds, and start-ups. As a consultant, Rainford was part of a team advising a sovereign government on the restructuring of its financial sector after a financial sector collapse in order to obtain IMF funding. Prior to joining GA Telesis, Rainford was the CEO and
Cofounder of Transparency Global, a fintech firm in the asset management space that developed thematic equity indexes and partnered with Cathie Wood and ARK Investment Management to create the world’s first Transparency ETF. Rainford sits on the board of Florida Alternative Investment Association (FLAIA). He is a member of the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Institute and is a former director and current member of the CFA Society of South Florida. He is an advisory board member of PointsKash – a fintech firm in the consumer rewards space. Rainford is a former board member of the Business Development Board of Palm Beach County’s Financial Advisory Task Force and past co-chair. Rainford has a PhD in finance from Florida Atlantic University with a specialization in IPO market performance and valuation.
Danita R. DeHaney has been President and CEO of the Community Foundation since 2021. She brings an expansive skillset to her executive leadership of the Foundation, including 25 successful years in higher education managing and leading comprehensive fundraising campaigns and building high-performing teams. As the Community Foundation’s President and CEO, she provides leadership for all aspects of the organization’s aspirations and actions, emphasizing the importance of driving philanthropy to change and enhance our communities.
Prior to the Community Foundation Danita served as the Vice President for Institutional Advancement and Chief Executive Officer of the FAU Foundation, Inc., at Florida Atlantic University (FAU). During her tenure, she helped catapult the university into a new era of excellence with record-breaking fundraising and spearheaded its second-ever comprehensive campaign (the first in 20 years). Before joining FAU, Danita served as Senior Associate Vice President for External
Affairs at the University of Florida, where she directed its national volunteer strategy to support a $3 billion campaign.
She has held numerous senior-level positions at the University of Maryland, including Assistant Vice President for Development and Alumni Relations during the university’s $1 billion campaign and Senior Associate Director of Athletics before pivoting her talents to fundraising.
Danita loves playing tennis and beaching it.
Francine Walker is a distinguished nonprofit board director, trustee, and marketing & events professional with a proven track record in luxury fashion, beauty, and jewelry sectors. Currently, she provides strategic and creative event and marketing consulting services to a diverse clientele, including charitable organizations, corporations, and fine jewelry purveyors. With a background that includes serving as Area Marketing Manager for Saks Fifth Avenue and running her own interior design business, Francine has consistently demonstrated her ability to drive sales, elevate brand identity, and enhance awareness through meticulously planned events. Her expertise in communication and networking has allowed her to foster strategic partnerships and deliver measurable ROI across various industries. Francine’s commitment to philanthropy is evident through her leadership roles, including Vice Chair of the Dreyfoos School of the Arts Foundation Board of Directors, Fundraising Chair for Jack and Jill of America Palm Beach Chapter, Norton Museum Board Trustee and a member of Junior League of The Palm Beaches and Chicago. Holding a B.A. in Business Management and Sociology from Emory University, Francine balances her career with her dedication to family. She resides in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida,
and enjoys traveling, tennis, and spending time with her husband and three children. Francine’s diverse background, having lived in Chicago, London, and South Africa, enriches her perspective and contributes to her success in building relationships across various cultures and industries.
Bill oversees the strategic planning, project budgeting, and construction of projects where the Community Foundation is a Supporting Organization, including Palm Beach County’s new African American Museum and Research Library and its new Multicultural Resource Center.
His critical role includes collaboration with community members, county officials, and building professionals to bring the Supporting Organizations’ ideas to life.
As an accomplished senior executive with over 20 years of experience with Fortune 500 and Mid-Cap companies focused on infrastructure deployment and construction, Bill’s expertise propels complex projects to timely completion under challenging conditions.
His approach relies on meticulous planning, effective resource management, and a commitment to exceeding expectations.
Bill has managed multi-billion-dollar construction projects for nationally known companies like MasTec, Dish Networks, and Motive Industries.
Bill has a bachelor’s degree in business from Western Michigan University. He plays guitar, with an affinity for classic rock and roll.
Mary Katherine (MK) is passionate about connecting families and individuals who want to create positive change with the leaders and the organizations that make the greatest impact for good. She oversees the Philanthropic Services team, which includes donor-directed grantmaking and fundholder services. She advises nonprofit partners on scaling their operations, connects large foundations to philanthropic issues they care about, facilitates legacy gifts, and establishes charitable funds. MK works closely with professional advisors, government, and community leaders to facilitate complex grants, gifts, and programs that turn ambitions into realities.
Before the Community Foundation she launched and oversaw the first-ever university-wide Office of Foundation Relations at Florida Atlantic University. MK worked to identify, cultivate, and secure 7-8 figure grants and gifts from local and national foundations, as well as philanthropic families. She was responsible for having a broad understanding of academic, research and fundraising priorities across four campuses as outlined by the President’s Strategic Plan with the utmost professionalism to maximize results. philanthropic and scientific communities to encourage co-investment for large-scale projects.
Noteworthy
· Serves on the board of the Planned Giving Council for Palm Beach County
· Active member in Estate Planning Councils for Palm Beach & Martin Counties
· Certified 21/64 Charitable Advisor
· Completed the Charitable Advisor in Philanthropy (CAP) Training
· Member of Impact 100 of the Palm Beaches
· Board Member for Hearts for Moms and Association for Fundraising Professionals
· Serves on the Philanthropy Committee for Hanley Foundation
Mack Bernard was born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. In 1986, he traveled from Haiti to Delray Beach, Florida. He quickly adapted by learning English, excelling in his classes, joining JROTC in high school, and becoming a championship wrestler. After graduating high school Mack went on to earn his B.S. in Political Science and Criminal Justice from Florida State University in just two years while also working full time. Mack received his J.D. and LL.M. in Taxation from the University of Florida in 2003.
Mack has been a public servant for over 12 years, serving as the Deputy Vice Mayor for the city of Delray Beach, State Representative, the Florida Elections Commission, Mayor and County Commissioner of Palm Beach County. Currently, Mack Bernard is serving as Florida State Senator for District 24.
Mack, his wife, Shawn, and their three daughters, are proud to call Palm Beach County home. Mack has dedicated his life to giving back to his community and serving Florida residents.
