Board of Trustees
President – Mark Tarmey, Tallahassee, is a principal with 4M Design Group, P.A., formerly Huffman/Tarmey Architecture and has 25 years of architectural experience with a specialization in historic preservation and sustainable design. He received a bachelor's and master's degree from the University of Florida and completed a special studies program with the Harvard School of Design. He is an alumni of The Preservation Institute: Nantucket where he has lectured and taught. He chaired the Tallahassee Trust for Historic Preservation.Immediate Past President - Rebecca (Becky) D. Clarke, Tampa, holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Furman University and has 20 years of professional experience. Her preservation career includes 20 years of service to Tampa Preservation, Inc. as a volunteer, officer and executive director. She has extensive involvement with the Junior League of Tampa and other community organizations.
Vice President – Robert (Bob) Jeffrey, St. Petersburg, has two decades of experience in preservation activities and has rehabilitated several residential and commercial buildings. He has a bachelor’s degree in environmental design from Miami University of Ohio and a master’s degree in architecture from Kent State University. Bob is currently a principal in MyTownTeam Consulting, specializing in land use planning, preservation and affordable housing.
Secretary - Leslee F. Keys, St. Augustine, holds a bachelor’s degree in history and pre-law from Ball State University and has completed a master’s program in planning and history from Virginia Tech. She has 28 years of preservation experience in government, non-profit sector, and higher education and is the Director of Corporate, Foundation and Government Relations for Flagler College. She is a past board member of the National Alliance of Preservation Commissions and Preservation Action and has received numerous awards in Ohio, Kentucky, and Florida.
Treasurer - Nancy Maddox, New Smyrna Beach, received a bachelor’s and master’s degree in criminal justice and public administration from the University of Central Florida. She is the cultural and heritage activity director for the County of Volusia. Her duties include oversight for historic properties, administration of operating grants to cultural and historical non-profit organizations, and Art in Public Places, and management of the Local Arts Agency. She serves on the New Smyrna Beach Historic Preservation Commission and the River of Lakes Heritage Corridor.
William R. (Bill) Adams, St. Augustine, holds a degree in history, both bachelor's and master's from the University of Minnesota and a doctorate from Florida State University. He served as director of the Florida Bicentennial Commission (1976), is a founding member of the Florida Trust, and has been involved in historic preservation in St. Augustine for 30 years. Since 1999, he has been the director of the Department of Heritage Tourism for the City of St. Augustine.
Bonnie Burhans, Lakeland, is a retired high school guidance counselor. She holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Florida and a master’s degree in guidance and counseling from the University of South Florida. She has been active with Historic Lakeland. She owns a real estate company in North Carolina where she is president of the Wolf Laurel Historical Society.
Sonja Mattson (Sunny) Gates, Fort Pierce, graduated from Gulf Park College with a bachelor’s degree in liberal arts. Her volunteer service includes Chairman of the Fort Pierce Planning and Zoning Board, Vice-Chair of the Fort Pierce Historical Preservation Board, Chairman of the Manatee Observation & Education Center in Fort Pierce, and Southeast Regional Advisory Board for the Division of Historical Resources.
Albert J. Hadeed, Flagler Beach, is an attorney specializing in public policy and governmental law. He graduated from the University of Virginia with a bachelor’s degree in economics and the University of Florida law school. During the past 35 years, he has served as counsel to the Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives, 1000 Friends of Florida, and several other statewide organizations, as well as serving as Flagler County Attorney.
Ken Hardin, Tampa, holds a bachelor’s degree from Duke University and a master’s degree from the University of South Florida, both in archaeology. He has 24 years of cultural resource management experience, specializing in Florida and the Caribbean. He is a principal with Janus Research, a registered professional archaeologist, and past president of the Florida Archaeological Council.
Mimi Reid Hardman, Lake Wales, has served as the founder and director of the Lake Wales Museum and Cultural Center for more than 30 years. She has a bachelor’s degree from Murray State University and a master’s degree from Emory University School of Medicine. She has been involved with Lake Wales and Polk County community, cultural and arts organizations for more than 40 years. She serves on the Florida Historical Commission.
Ralph Johnson, Fort Lauderdale, received a bachelor of architecture degree from Howard University, a master’s degree in city planning and a master’s degree in architecture from Yale University. He teaches architecture and directs the Center for Urban Redevelopment and Education and the Center for the Conservation of Architectural and Cultural Heritage at Florida Atlantic University. He serves on the boards of 1000 Friends of Florida, the Florida Historic Marker Committee, The S.D. Spady Museum and Cultural Center in Delray Beach, and is an at-large member to the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Board of Advisors.
Sallye Jude, Coral Gables, has been actively involved in historic preservation in Miami and Dade County for over four decades, is on the local and national advisory boards for the Trust for Public Land, and is a founding member of the Florida Trust. She holds bachelor’s degrees from the University of Maryland and the University of Minnesota and taught in the Baltimore school system before moving to Coral Gables.
Lorrie M. Muldowney, Sarasota, received a bachelor’s degree in soil conservation and land use planning from the University of Florida and master’s degrees in planning and historic preservation from the same institution. She has more than 20 years of professional experience. Since 1993, she has served as Sarasota County’s Historic Preservation Specialist and is a member of the Sarasota Alliance for Historic Preservation and the Sarasota Architectural Foundation.
George Neary, Miami, is the Associate Vice-President of Cultural Tourism at the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau. Currently, he is one of two Florida members of the Board of Advisors to the National Trust for Historic Preservation, a Trustee of Dade Heritage Trust, a member of Black Archives, and was the Executive Director of the Miami Design Preservation League.
Chris Tenne Pendleton, Fort Myers, has been involved in museum administration throughout the South for more than 30 years and since 2001 is the President and CEO of the Edison & Ford Winter Estates. She has been a grants reviewer for the American Association of Museums and is active in Rotary. She holds a bachelor’s degree in education from Florida State University and completed a master’s program in administration from Winthrop University in South Carolina.
Carter B. Quina, AIA, Pensacola, holds a Bachelor of Architecture degree from Auburn University, has 29 years experience, and is registered to practice in New York, Florida, Alabama and Arkansas. He is vice president of Quina Grundhoefer Architects, P.A., in Pensacola. He is Vice-Chairman of the City of Pensacola Architecture Review Board, a member of the Florida Historical Commission, and on the board of West Florida Historic Preservation, Inc. He has received five Statewide Historic Preservation Awards and is the Architect of Record for the newly restored Hays-Hood House, the headquarters of the Florida Trust.
Jodi Rubin, Orlando, was the Historic Preservation Officer for the City of Orlando for 15 years until 2004. She is employed by Classic Renovations and has a consulting business, Preservation Concepts. She has been an adjunct professor at Rollins College in Winter Park. Her educational background is from the University of Wisconsin-Madison where she received undergraduate and graduate degrees in Landscape Architecture and Urban and Regional Planning.
Deborah M. Smith, Boca Raton, is a principal of American Capital Funding, LLC, a real estate investment firm. She has led over $1 Billion in institutional real estate investment transactions over the past ten years. Prior to American Capital Funding, she was a First Vice President with CB Richard Ellis. She has received numerous awards from national and regional organizations, and has been a frequent guest speaker regarding real estate investment and finance. A former commissioner, she is a graduate from the University of Maryland with a degree in Economics.
Ramon Trias, Fort Pierce, has been a town planner for the past two decades, in private practice and the public sector. Ramon earned bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Miami, where he has been visiting professor. He leads Trias and Associates, a town planning firm, and teaches history and theory of architecture at Indian River Community College. Throughout his career, he has organized planning charrettes in cities and towns throughout 18 states. He serves on the board of the Treasure Coast Regional Planning Council.
Ellen Uguccioni, Coral Gables, is an architectural historian with nearly 30 years of historic preservation experience while in Kansas City, Missouri, and Coral Gables and Miami, Florida. She is a published author, former adjunct professor at the University of Miami, serves on the Florida National Register Review Board, the Florida Historical Commission, is a trustee of the Historical Museum of South Florida, and is President of the Preservation Association of Coral Gables. She is a historic preservation planner with the City of Miami, and also practices as a cultural resource consultant throughout the state.
Ex-Officio Members:
Karen Beard, Chief Executive Officer, Bonnet House Museum and Gardens, Fort Lauderdale, has served on the Florida Commission on Tourism and marketing committee of Visit Florida. Her 20 years of business experience includes North American president of a major car rental company. She holds a bachelor of fine arts degree from Florida Atlantic University.
Frederick P. Gaske, State Historic Preservation Officer, Tallahassee, is the Director of the Division of Historical Resources where he has worked since 1981. He holds a bachelor’s degree in history from Syracuse University and a master’s degree in anthropology from Florida State University. He serves on the Florida State Lands Acquisition and Restoration Council, Visit Florida Board of Directors, Greenways and Trails Council, Governor's Mansion Commission, and The Grove Advisory Council.
Scott Strawbridge, President of Bonnet House Museum and Gardens, Fort Lauderdale, is a fourth generation construction professional and has over 24 years of experience in construction, redevelopment and historic preservation. He has been involved in preserving a multitude of South Florida landmarks including Bonnet House, Stranahan House, Gilda’s Club of South Florida, Dr. Jackson’s Office and Surgery, Anderson’s Corner, the U.S. District Courthouse in Miami, the Fort Lauderdale History Exhibit, the Joseph Young House, and dozens of others.
Professional Staff:
Caroline Tharpe Weiss, Executive Director, has been with the Florida Trust since 1998 and as Executive Director since 2005. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Recreation and Leisure Services Administration, with an emphasis in Special Event Planning, from Florida State University. During this time, the annual statewide preservation conference has become one of the nation’s largest such events in participation, programming and sponsorships; property stewardship has expanded to include ownership of a second historic property and conservation easements on several others.
Kimberly Fairall, Preservation and Education Coordinator, received a bachelor’s degree in anthropology from St. Mary’s College in Maryland. Her work experience includes the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the D.C. Historic Preservation Office and the Florida Division of Historical Resources prior to accepting her current position with the Florida Trust in 2006. She develops preservation training programs and preservation resources and administers the conservation easement program.