Board of Directors

Nonprofits First is governed by a Board of Directors made of business and community leaders representing the communities we serve. They are active in fundraising, increasing partnerships, creating opportunities for service and growth, providing advocacy and developing community relationships. They raise awareness of Nonprofits First by identifying venues for marketing and public relations, recruiting new board members, and participating in special events and projects.

Jennifer Sullivan

Chair

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Jennifer Sullivan

Jennifer Sullivan is the Vice President of the Cultural Council for Palm Beach County, headquartered in Lake Worth Beach. She is part of the executive leadership team for one of the country's largest local arts agencies committed to developing, maintaining and promoting a thriving arts and cultural sector in The Palm Beaches.

As VP, Jennifer manages a staff of marketing professionals and program managers responsible for promoting cultural tourism in the county; advocating for funding and other important issues for the sector; raising awareness for the Council and its mission; supporting fundraising, membership and grantmaking efforts; and developing programs and services for cultural organizations and creative professionals across all disciplines. She recently led the organization through a strategic rebrand, and launched a crowdfunding campaign to create the Artist Relief Fund, which provided small grants to over 100 artists who lost work due to COVID-19.

Jennifer has spent two decades in the public relations and marketing industry, and has held senior positions at the O’Donnell Agency, Community Foundation for Palm Beach and Martin Counties and Ideabar, an advertising agency owned by Cox Enterprises.

Jennifer is a graduate of Florida Atlantic University where she received a degree in English Literature and certificates in Ethnic Studies and Women’s Studies. A Florida native, she resides in Royal Palm Beach and serves on the boards of Nonprofits First (vice chair and chair of Marketing Advisory Committee); the West Palm Beach Arts & Entertainment District; and on the advisory committee for the Wounded Veterans Relief Fund. Previously, she was a board member for Leadership Palm Beach County and the Carbonell Awards for excellence in regional theater. Jennifer is also member of Leadership Palm Beach County’s Engage Class of 2016.

Jennifer can be reached on LinkedIn.

Katia Saint-Preux

Vice Chair

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Katia Saint-Preux

Ms. Saint-Preux manages all volunteer programs at Florida Power & Light Company. She works closely with the company business units to engage employees in meaningful projects. She also works closely with the External Affairs team and non-profits to make an impact. She has been with the company for four years.

She earned her degree in Marketing with a minor in business management from Northern Kentucky University. She is passionate about volunteering and giving back to the communities where we live and work.

Florida Power & Light Company
Florida Power & Light Company is the third-largest electric utility in the United States, serving nearly 5 million customer accounts or an estimated 10 million people across nearly half of the state of Florida. FPL's typical 1,000-kWh residential customer bill is approximately 25 percent lower than the latest national average and, in 2016, was the lowest in Florida among reporting utilities for the seventh year in a row. FPL's service reliability is better than 99.98 percent, and its highly fuel-efficient power plant fleet is one of the cleanest among all utilities nationwide. The company received the top ranking in the southern U.S. among large electric providers, according to the J.D. Power 2016 Electric Utility Residential Customer Satisfaction StudySM, and was recognized in 2017 as one of the most trusted U.S. electric utilities by Market Strategies International. A leading Florida employer with approximately 8,900 employees, FPL is a subsidiary of Juno Beach, Florida-based NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE: NEE), a clean energy company widely recognized for its efforts in sustainability, ethics and diversity, and has been ranked No. 1 in the electric and gas utilities industry in Fortune's 2017 list of "World's Most Admired Companies." NextEra Energy is also the parent company of NextEra Energy Resources, LLC, which, together with its affiliated entities, is the world's largest generator of renewable energy from the wind and sun. For more information about NextEra Energy companies, visit these websites: www.NextEraEnergy.com, www.FPL.com, www.NextEraEnergyResources.com

Katia can be reached on LinkedIn.

Henry Martin

Treasurer

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Henry Martin

Henry Martin is a Partner in the audit and assurance practice of CohnReznick, formerly Daszkal Bolton, and has been with the Firm for fifteen years. He oversees audits for privately-held corporations and not-for-profit organizations. Additionally, he oversees Uniform Guidance (OMB Circular A-133), Florida Single Audit Act and employee benefit plan audits for a number of clients. Prior to joining the firm, he served as an in-house accounting manager for a large advertising firm as well as an accountant for a yacht manufacturing and service company.

Henry earned a Master of Science in Accounting from Nova Southeastern University and a Bachelor of Business Administration from Florida Atlantic University. He is active in numerous professional and civic organizations, including the Florida Institute of Certified Public Accountants and American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. Henry is a licensed United States Coast Guard Captain and is fluent in Spanish.

Henry can be reached on LinkedIn.

Gina Ardillo, CPA

Board Member

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Gina Ardillo, CPA

Ms. Ardillo has seven years of tax experience concentrating in services to the not-for-profit sector. She serves healthcare organizations, colleges and universities, private foundations, and various other not-for-profit organizations.

Ms. Ardillo manages a significant portion of Crowe’s not-for-profit client base in Florida, as well as other not-for-profit organizations across the country. In addition to being well-versed in the IRS Forms 990, 990-T, 990-PF, and related state forms, Ms. Ardillo corresponds with the IRS and state taxing authorities on behalf of her clients. Ms. Ardillo also provides consulting services related to issues affecting not-for-profit organizations, which includes the performance of research and the writing of memorandums, and is currently assisting her clients in navigating the issues of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act that are relevant to not-for-profit organizations. Ms. Ardillo has presented educational seminars on topics specific to not-for-profit organizations, both internally for her colleagues and externally for local organizations.

Ms. Ardillo is a member of American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), Ohio Society of Certified Public Accountants (OSCPA), and Florida Institute of Certified Public Accountants (FICPA). A graduate of Ohio State University, Ms. Ardillo is a Certified Public Accountant in Ohio and Florida.

Janice Brunson

Board Member

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Janice Brunson

Janice Brunson is a Commercial Lender with Valley Bank, a financial institution with over 91 years of experience. Valley Bank has 41 branches in Florida with the Regional headquarters located in West Palm Beach. Janice is a Florida native and has been in commercial banking in Palm Beach County for more than 20 years. She is an Alumni of Leadership Palm Beach County, a member of CREW/Treasure Coast, and volunteers her time to the ARC of Palm Beach County. Janice currently serves as a Trustee of the Chamber of Commerce of the Palm Beaches.

Philip M. DiComo, Esq.

Board Member

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Philip M. DiComo, Esq.

Mr. DiComo serves as outside counsel to businesses, entrepreneurs and non-profit institutions. He concentrates his practice in the area of emerging companies and general corporate law, including non-profit organizations. Mr. DiComo’s representation of exempt organizations ranges from serving as outside general counsel providing guidance on a broad range of governance matters as well as business and donor agreements, to reviewing commercial co-venture arrangements, joint ventures and strategic partnerships to guiding non-profit mergers and other complex transactions. Prior to his law practice, Mr. DiComo had more than 15 years of communication, fund development and executive management experience primarily in the not-for-profit sector. Mr. DiComo, a member of the Florida Bar, serves as a director of Nonprofits First, Inc., and as a director of the Palm Beach County Cultural Council. He also serves on the American Bar Association’s Non-Profit Law Committee. Mr. DiComo earned the Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy designation from the Richard D. Irwin Graduate School of the American College. Mr. DiComo is the recipient of the 2004 Non-Profit Law Award from the Legal Aid Society of Palm Beach County, and is a member of the Leadership Palm Beach County Class of 2012.

Phil may be reached on LinkedIn.

Troy Harrington

Board Member

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Troy Harrington

Troy Harrington is the Director of Consumer Lending at iThink Financial Credit Union, one of the nation's largest credit unions with 22 branches in Florida and Georgia. With more than 15 years in senior positions in the banking industry, Troy is a leader in strategic business management, trend and data analysis, and project management.

A member of Phi Theta Kappa, Troy earned a BSBA from Touro University and an MBA in Finance from TUI University. Troy has served as a member of the Board of Directors for the Springs at Boynton Beach Community Association. During his previous board service at Nonprofits First, Troy served as Treasurer and Chair of the Finance Committee and was instrumental in the organization's relocation from Boynton Beach.

Troy may be reached on LinkedIn.

Sergio A. Mariaca, AIFA

Board Member

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Sergio A. Mariaca, AIFA

Sergio Mariaca is an Accredited Investment Fiduciary Analyst and the President of Mariaca Wealth Management, LLC, a Florida-based Registered Investment Advisory Firm serving the financial and wealth management needs of individuals and institutions in the Unites States. Sergio graduated with honors from the University of North Carolina – Asheville, earning a double degree in Economics and Financial Management.

Sergio believes in giving back to his community and is a strong advocate for children, education, and for persons with special needs. He serves or served on the governing boards or committees of: The Economic Council of Palm Beach County; Autism Society of America; The United Way of Palm Beach County; The Education Foundation of Palm Beach County; The Area Agency on Aging of the Palm Beaches and Treasure Coast; SunFest; and Girl Scouts of America. Sergio is also a member of Leadership Palm Beach County Class of 2019.

Sergio is very active and enjoys boating, biking, exercising, being outdoors, and spending time with family and friends. He is married to Andrea Mariaca and they reside in Wellington, Florida and have four children, Dean, Mia, Sofia and Joaquin.

Teresa Miller

Secretary

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Teresa Miller

Ms. Miller is currently the Vice President of Human Resources for Garden of Life, a whole food based nutritional supplement company headquartered in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. Garden of Life’s mission is to Empower Extraordinary Health by providing the highest-quality, USDA Organic, Certified Non-GMO, RAW, whole food nutritional products on the market. Ms. Miller joined Garden of Life in 2005. She is responsible for leading a team in the design, development, and administration of an effective Human Resources function including compensation, benefits, staffing and recruitment, training and development, employee relations and HR policies. She also manages and leads the companywide Wellness initiative. Prior to joining Garden of Life, Ms. Miller served as the Human Resource Service Center Manager for Union Safe Deposit Bank in California. There she led teams in the areas of benefits & compensation, recruitment & selection, employment, employee relations and HR technology.

Ms. Miller earned her Bachelor Degree from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor and is certified by the Society for Human Resource Management and the HR Certification Institute as a Professional in Human Resources. She is a member of the Society for Human Resource Management and the Human Resource Association of Palm Beach County.

Ms. Miller has served on numerous boards and committees including the American Cancer Society, Cattle Baron’s Ball San Joaquin, CA and Team Recruitment Member, Making Strides Against Breast Cancer; Hispanic Human Resources Council, Fundraising Committee Member; Consumer Credit Counseling Service – Palm Beach County Board Member; Boca Raton Chamber of Commerce, Chairperson, Business Support Sub-Committee; and, the San Joaquin Human Resources Association Board Member, VP, Professional Development

Teresa can be reached on LinkedIn.

Mark Montgomery

Board Member

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Mark Montgomery

Mark Montgomery advises successful families about their complex personal risk and designs and manages risk management programs to mitigate and protect against loss. Mark has 25 years of insurance expertise, 14 of which have been specifically focused on the property and liability risk management needs of affluent families in Palm Beach. Mark has been very involved in Palm Beach non-profits having served on boards or committees of Foundcare, Community Chest, and Rehabilitation Center for Children and Adults, Food for the Poor, Boy Scouts of America, Place of Hope and the Community Partnership Group.

Additionally, Mark is a past President of the Palm Beach County Estate Planning Council. Montgomery earned his MBA and undergraduate degrees from Stetson University. Formerly, he was a Vice President at Marsh Private Client Services and Director at Frank Crystal & Company.

Mark may be reached on LinkedIn.

John Muller

Board Member

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John Muller

John Muller leads all Sales/Market Development, Talent Acquisition/Management/Strategy and People Operation for Gehring Group and Bentek. John is also a certified True Colors facilitator and provides learning sessions to Gehring Group clients.

John has a strong background both in Talent Acquisition and Retention as well as in performing the development work needed to improve HR programs and personnel policies. Since joining Gehring Group and Bentek, John led many new initiatives that helped transform the Companies' talent, reduce turnover, increase diversity, and improve morale, wellness, and engagement. He plays a key role in Gehring Group and Bentek's award-winning culture, recently recognized by Florida Trend's Best Companies to Work For, placing 5th among mid-size companies.

John served as an executive recruiter as well as leading recruiting and HR teams for Federal and local government agencies. in 2009, John was hired into an office established by the President within the U.S. Department of State charged with hiring professionals in diplomatic services, IT, Education, Finance and other key civilian advisory roles to work in Afghanistan and Iraq. He was highly successful in accomplishing the goals set for this difficult task and then identified as a strong HR leader to support the US Embassy Baghdad's mission in Iraq. John volunteered to serve in Iraq for the period of one year introducing important and valued improvements to the office of the Human Resources at US Embassy Baghdad.

John earned a Bachelor's in Business Administration majoring in Business Management and Organizational Development from the University of Miami and a MBA from Florida Atlantic University. He holds his SPHR and SHRM-SCP as well as becoming a certified Predictive Index Analyst. John is also an active member of SHRM, and its local Chapter (PBC SHRM) as Program/Certifications Director, as well as serving as Chair of the Council of Insurance Agents and Brokers (CIAB) HR working group.

Melissa Nash

Board Member

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Melissa Nash

Melissa Nash is President, CEO and Founder of CheckMark Collections (CC) based in West Palm Beach, Florida. Since 2007, CheckMark Collections continues to provide full-service collection services for small and medium-sized businesses for professional services and governmental agencies, as well as lending institutions.

Melissa is recognized as an industry expert. She brings an in-depth knowledge and over thirty years of business management experience from a broad range of industries including Retail, Wholesale, Legal, Professional Services, and Real Estate. Melissa and CC were featured in Inc. Magazine’s 11 Top Businesses You Can Start in Your Pajamas and recognized as a 2011 Woman Extraordinaire by Business Leader Magazine.

Melissa was a finalist in 2016 for the Women in Leadership Business Award as presented by Executive Women of the Palm Beaches and in 2019 was a finalist for Small Businessperson of the Year with the Chamber of Commerce of the Palm Beaches.

Melissa is author of How To Get Paid On-Time, Every Time, an informative and easy-to-read book about specific solutions to improve cash flow which was highlighted in Entrepreneur Magazine. At the heart of the book is Melissa’s philosophy that business owners need to be accountable for the tasks and responsibilities that lead to putting the “check” into their business.

She served as the 2019 President for the Florida Collectors Association and is currently a national delegate to the ACA International. Melissa is an active member of Executives' Association of the Palm Beaches and Leadership Palm Beach County Alumni.

Melissa has been a featured presenter at multiple organizations including the National Association of Women Owned Businesses, Palm Beach County Bar Association, Southeast Builders Conference, and the International Executives Association. A native Palm Beach City resident, Melissa is an avid supporter of many community organizations and serves on the boards of West Palm Beach Police Athletic League as Board Chair, Junior Achievement, and Nonprofits First as the Board Secretary.

CheckMark Collections is a WBENC Member and is certified as a Small and Woman Owned Business by the State of Florida as well as counties and municipalities.

Melissa can be reach on LinkedIn.

Deana Pizzo

Board Member

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Deana Pizzo

Deana has been an active supporter and member of the Nonprofits First Board of Directors for six years and has proudly served as Chairperson for the last three years.

Deana is not only an owner and co-founder of I.T. Solutions of South Florida, a Certified Women Owned Business, she is also a hands-on CEO and dedicated to the company mission to help businesses develop cost-effective solutions by implementing and maintaining proper technology to improve their bottom line.

As an industry trendsetter, Deana was featured on the cover of ChannelPro Magazine (August 2017) for her breakthrough managed service offering: Co-Managed I.T. She was nominated for the Women in Leadership Awards (WILA) 2018 and has led I.T. Solutions of South Florida to be named to the Managed Service Provider (MSP) 500 List and the TOP 100 in the Managed Security Category every year since 2018. The company continues to win awards year after year under Deana’s leadership, including being named as one of the 2019 Best Places To Work by the South Florida Business Journal. Most recently, Deana was named to the prestigious 2020 Women of the Channel list by the CRN.

Her desire to give back to the community knows no bounds! Deana has been a Black Ties and French Fries Committee Member for the Center for Child Counseling; an Annual Superheroes Scavenger Hunt Founding Committee Member for Families First of Palm Beach County; and has continued to serve on various committees and most recently on the board of Leadership Palm Beach County since becoming an alumna in 2014.

In addition, Deana is a member of the current Leadership Florida Cornerstone Class 39, a member of the Board of Directors for South Florida Tech, a Corporate member of the BDB, and a Corporate Trustee for the Palm Beach North Chamber of Commerce.

Deana may be reached on LinkedIn.