Lori Libhart joined the ECHO Board of Directors in 2009 in order to give back to the local community and with a particular interest in being part of a food bank during the economic climate that makes basic necessities so vital. Lori is the current Vice-President of ECHO and has served as the Board secretary.

Lori is the CEO of LL Training and Consultant Group where she works with clients to develop their people, programs and systems to best reach their strategic objectives and to increase profitability. Services are provided through in-house consultation and training, public workshops, and personal coaching.

Lori Libhart brings a diverse 40 year background to her position of CEO with LL Training and Consultant Group, LLC. Lori is known for initiative and integrative thinking. As director of a large federal grant program, Lori steered her program to delivering quality client services, while similar U.S. programs were still in the planning stage. Her program policies and procedures, assessment instruments, and employee development tools became models for other programs.
Lori enjoys the challenge of building new programs and businesses, as well as restructuring current practices to become more productive and profitable. Lori’s training and experiences in curriculum, instruction, guidance and group dynamics, measurement, data analysis, and quality assurance combine to create a strong focus on program and learner outcomes and accountability. Lori has embraced the roles of administrator, supervisor, teacher and counselor while working in both the private and public sectors. Lori earned both her Bachelor of Arts in Marketing Education and Master of Arts in Guidance and Counseling from the University of South Florida. She is Loss Prevention Qualified (LPQ). In addition to her service with ECHO, Lori serves as President-Elect with the Greater Seffner Chamber of Commerce and volunteers with the Neighborhood Accountability Board through the Greater Brandon Chamber of Commerce. Lori is a graduate of Leadership Brandon, 2009. She is a member of the Plant City Chamber of Commerce, the Plant City Chapter of the American Business Women’s Association (ABWA), the Greater Riverview Chamber of Commerce, the American Association for Training and Development (ASTD), and the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM).

Originally from Norwalk, CT, Mark has lived in in the Tampa Bay area for 25 years. Mr. Gaudio is majority owner of TEAM Applications, LLC which provides unique technology solutions for Florida Public Schools from kindergarten to college.   Mark has been an active ECHO Board member since May 2010 and was named the 2012 Board member of the year.   A fan of a healthy lifestyle, Mark interests range from nutrition, exercise, reading and gardening.

VINCENT FERRARO, C.P.A., A.E.P. has been in the public accounting profession since 1969. He currently serves as the Ferraro, Higginbotham & Hayes‘ Chairman of the Board of Directors. Having accumulated over 31 years of experience in Tax Planning both at the Corporate and individual level, Vincent has also obtained designation as an Accredited Estate Planner. He provides services to our clients in the area of Estate Tax, Personal Financial Planning, Management Consulting, Litigation Support, Risk and Needs Analysis, Insurance Valuation, and Investments. He has extensive experience in the construction, medical, and restaurant industries. Vincent also holds an insurance license as well as a Series 6 Mutual Funds and Annuity license.

US AmeriBank Senior Vice President/Retail Branch Manager – Brandon Office Ms. Gibertini has 20 years of banking experience in the Tampa Bay area. She is a member of Brandon Kiwanis, ECHO Board of Director, Leadership Tampa Class of 2004, and Leadership Brandon Class of 2000. Cami is the lead organizer for the annual ECHO KIds Helping Kids Fashion Show and is the 2011-12 honorary mayor of Brandon.

Nicknamed the “Queen of Brandon,” Irma formed I.D. Marketing & Events in 2010. After graduating from Florida State (Go Noles!), Irma worked in public affairs and grassroots lobbying before transitioning into corporate marketing and public relations. She spent the next seven years brushing up her business strategy and marketing skills as the marketing coordinator for boutique firms and media powerhouse, the St. Petersburg Times. It was then when she fell in love with Brandon, a beautiful bedroom community just east of Tampa, and decided to put down her roots. The Brandon area quickly became her passion, devoting her time as President of the Brandon South Rotary Club and the Emergency Care Help Organization; she also founded the Young Professionals of Brandon. Irma’s marketing savvy extends from full-scale events to web design, social media, SEO campaigns and community relations in the Brandon area and beyond.

Thomas P. Gill, Jr. graduated from Stetson College of Law with numerous honors and has been practicing law since 1988. With over 20 years experience, his law practice specializes in Family Law, Personal Injury, Bankruptcy, Foreclosure Defense, Probate, Wills, DUI and Criminal Law. His firm prides itself on responding to every phone call and providing personalized attention to every client. Thomas P. Gill, Jr. Esq. has served the Brandon community as the ECHO Board President and founding member of I Am Hope Cafe.

Melanie Parrish Bonanno joined the Board for the Emergency Care Health Organization in April 2010. Melanie graduated from Florida Southern College in April 1996 with a Bachelor of Arts in Humanities (Concentrations: Religion and Philosophy, English and Literature, and Theater Arts) and graduated from the University of Florida College of Law with honors in May 1999. Melanie has extensive experience as an employment law attorney and currently works as a Senior Human Resources Attorney with Publix Super Markets, Inc. Melanie resides in Seffner with her husband, Robert, who is a partner at STAMATAKIS + THALJI + BONANNO, and their children Aldo, Amelia and Robby. Melanie’s interests include Gator football, reading and spending time with her family. Melanie has been involved with charitable organizations in the Tampa Bay area and joined the Board in order to give back to her local community in the greater Brandon area.

Laura Randall Simon is currently Vice President of Membership at the Brandon Chamber of Commerce.

Prior to joining the Chamber, Ms. Simon was the Promotions Coordinator for the Tampa Bay Times,  Director of Development for the Parkinson Research Foundation, and Special Events Director for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.  In both positions, she was responsible for the development and implementation of fundraising strategies for these non-profit organizations.  Earlier in her career, she worked as a legislative affairs consultant for NASA’s Advanced Communications Technology Satellite in Washington, DC.

Ms. Simon has a Bachelors degree in Political Science from Santa Clara University, and completed my Masters Degree coursework in  Telecommunications Policy from the George Washington University.  Most importantly, however, she is a proud resident of Apollo Beach, and a Mom, living with her husband and three teenage daughters.  She is an alumna of Leadership Tampa Bay Class of 2010.  She is a new member of the ECHO Board of Directors, a member of the Board of the Apollo Beach Chamber of Commerce, and a member of the Campo Area YMCA Advisory Board.

Having lived in 4 different countries and 12 different cities, Laura and her family have decided that this is the place they want to call “home”.  Because of this, she wants to do everything we can to make the SouthShore of Hillsborough County, a vibrant, healthy and safe place to live work and play.

Dr. Russell  of Studio Eyes Optical has been serving the Brandon/Tampa Bay community as a Board Certified Optometric Physician for over ten years. He is an alumni of both the University of South Florida and Nova Southeastern University. He has been a trusted Doctor for both the Tampa Bay Lighting and the University of South Florida Athletics Department.

Dr. Russell started with Pediatrics and has specializied in custom contact lenses for the hard to fit lens wearers. He has participated in several contactlens studies for major contact lens manufacturers for FDA approval of their products. He has also published multiple articles on issues affilliated with contact lenses and specialty disorders that require custom contact lens correction.

Dr. Russell has resided in the Valrico area for over 15 years and has been actively involved in the community. Dr. Russell is a member of the Krewe of Rough Riders of Tampa Bay.

Biography Coming Soon

Laurel Moore Lee is an Assistant United States Attorney in the Middle District of Florida. She has significant experience investigating and prosecuting a wide range of criminal offenses, including white collar crime, health care fraud, violent crime, and offenses involving the sexual exploitation of children. In addition to serving on the ECHO Board of Directors, Laurel  serves a member of the Hillsborough County Bar Foundation Board of Trustees, and is President of the Board of Directors for the Pepin Academies, a public charter school in Hillsborough County.  Laurel obtained a Bachelor’s Degree and a Juris Doctorate from the University of Florida, where she was a member of Florida Blue Key. She was inducted into the University of Florida Hall of Fame in 1999.

Biography Coming Soon

Ron is Pastor to Young Adults at First Baptist Brandon. He encourages our 20′s, 30′s and 40′s ‘Young Adult’ Sunday morning Life Groups. Ron also teaches several of our Wednesday evening Life Studies. Ron’s wife of twenty years, Christa, serves as the Director for both the Deaf Ministry and Compassion House. Ron and Christa have two sons, Ryan (16) and Landon (12). Ron enjoys spending time with his family, reading, and traveling.

Accu-Weather reporter Bill Logan has been with ABC Action News since March 2004, and says it’s great to be back home.  In between stints with the local stations, Bill has been a media relations representative with Disney in Orlando, a sportscaster in North Carolina, and was even a Home Shopping host.

“I’ve moved ‘back’ to Tampa Bay twice before,” he says. “I gotta believe that the third time’s the charm!”

Bill and his family (wife, two daughters, two dogs and two cats) live in the Tampa Bay area…and they’re loving the re-discovery of all that the bay area has to offer!

I was only at that station for a little while, before returning to the Bay area… to work at Home Shopping Network. But that’s another story for another time.
Read more: http://www.abcactionnews.com/dpp/about_us/staff/Bill-Logan#ixzz2GpOPaJkj