2012-2013 Board

President
Robert Patterson

Bob is a Vice President with SunTrust Bank in its Private Wealth Management division located in Palm Beach. He has been in the financial services industry for over 30 years and is a native Floridian. Having been on the board for over 16 years, he has served in many capacities including co-chair of the Love of Literacy Luncheon and Great Grown-Up Spelling Bee.

Vice Presidents
Lisa Koza

Lisa Koza is a Vice President with Northern Trust.  She has over 17 years experience in the financial services industry; her current role is a Commercial Banking Relationship Manager in the Wealth Advisory Services Group.  Her responsibilities include the development and cultivation of credit and banking relationships with clients in Palm Beach County.  An active member of the community, Lisa serves as the Treasurer and Chair of the Finance Committee and is a member of the Executive Committee with the Literacy Coalition.  She has also served in various roles with the United Way, and was a member of the 2010-2011 Leadership Palm Beach County class.  Lisa lives in Jupiter with her husband and their son.
 

Kathy Metzger

Kathy is Vice President and Corporate Counsel of Florida Crystals Corporation (FCC).  FCC along with its partner, Sugar Cane Growers Cooperative, own the world’s largest cane sugar producer with refineries in the United States, Canada, Mexico, England and Portugal.  Kathy has been practicing law in Florida for over 27 years and her practice focus is international and domestic commercial transactions, intellectual property, customs and trade.   She has a Master’s Degree in History from Florida Atlantic University and a Juris Doctorate from Rutgers University, where she was an associate editor of the law review.  Kathy and her husband, John, have three children and reside in West Palm Beach.

Treasurer
Susan Rabinowtiz

Susan is a Senior Vice President for Bank of America in their Business Banking Division and has 20 years experience in the financial services industry.  She has been in the South Florida area for over 35 years and currently resides in Wellington.  This is Susan's second year with the board where she has served on the Finance Committee and most recently Parliamentarian. 
 

Secretary
Kianta Prince-Bryant

Kianta Prince-Bryant is the Strategic Systems Manager in the Customer Service division for Florida Power & Light Company, the principal subsidiary of NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE: NEE). FPL is the largest electric utility in Florida and one of the largest rate-regulated utilities in the United States. Kianta has over 10 years experience in the Utility and Information Technology sector. This is Kianta's second year with the Literacy Coalition, in addition to participating as a member of the Nominating Committee.

Parliamentarians
Phil DiComo

Phil Dicomo of Haile, Shaw & Pfaffenberger, P.A. serves as outside counsel to businesses, entrepreneurs, developers, non-profit institutions and investors. He concentrates his practice in the area of corporate, emerging companies, entertainment, licensing, securities, golf and resort development, mergers and acquisitions and not-for-profit law. Born in Hollywood, Florida, Mr. DiComo is a summa cum laude graduate of the Nova Southeastern University Shepard Broad Law Center where he was a member of law review. 
 

Joan Williams

Joan is the Director of Marketing at Searcy Denney Scarola Barnhart & Shipley, P.A. She has served on the Coalition board since 2003. She has been chair of the Communications Committee and an active member of the Literacy Luncheon and Spelling Bee Committees.

Immediate Past President
Maggie Dickenson

Maggie is a Vice President with U.S. Bank in the Payment Services division. Maggie joined the Board of the Literacy Coalition in 2001. She graduated from Georgetown University. She is active in the community also serving as a leader in the Junior League of Boca Raton. Maggie lives with her husband, J.D., and children in Delray Beach.

 

Past Presidents

Bernadette O'Grady
WPTV NewsChannel 5

Laura Deck Cunningham
Charlotte Pelton & Associates, Inc.

Laurie Gildan
Greenberg Traurig, PA

Cheryl Crowley
ImMEDIAcy Public Relations, Inc.

Dana Pickard
Edwards Angell Palmer & Dodge LLP

Kenneth G. Spillias
Lewis, Longman & Walker, P.A.

Directors

Mary Barrett
School District of Palm Beach County

Brent Beabout
Office Depot 

Jeremiah Bennett
Big Time Restauranr Group

Edith C. Bush
Assault on Illiteracy

Kristin Calder
Bethesda Hospital Foundation

Marta Casas-Celaya
Comcast

Liz Cayson
Health Care District of Palm Beach County

Nancy Currea
Four Points Media Group

David Fleisher
Lynn University

Robert Gingras
Palm Beach State College

Sharon Hill
Palm Beach County Library System

Lynn Kalber
The Palm Beach Post

Angela Kumar
Community Volunteer

Dean Lavallee
Park Avenue BBQ & Grille

Kathy Metzger
Florida Crystals Corporation

Ken Montgomery
Barnabas Consulting Group, Inc.

Julie Payne
G4S Americas

Michael Petillo
The Breakers Palm Beach

Ike Powell III
Community Volunteer

Kianta Prince-Bryant
Florida Power & Light

Lourdes Ramos
Starbucks

Ingrid Rosenthal
Rosenthal, Levy, Simon & Ryles, P.A.

Kelly Starling
AT&T

Tom Streit
Akerman Senterfitt

Bettina Young
Community Volunteer

Additional Past Presidents

Michael J. Bracci
Northern Trust

Jonathan E. Brookshire
Wells Fargo

Mark J. Burger

Founding President

Gale G. Howden