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It is not only the right, but the responsibility of every American to be a citizen diplomat, of the highest quality, for our communities and our country.
– Harriet Mayor Fulbright
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Jena Melancon received her Master of International Economics & Management from Universita Luigi Bocconi SDA (Milano) and her bachelor's degree with a certificate in Asian Studies from the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service. Following her undergrad years, she lived abroad for seven, during which time she opened a store recognized in the 1996 Russian-language edition of Cosmopolitan as "the" place to shop for children in Moscow. She has spent extensive time in Croatia and Japan; and her topic report, Italian Countertrade with Eastern Europe, was published by the U.S. Department of Commerce in 1992. She is a member of the North Hill Preservation Association Board and worked for the New Orleans Citizen Diplomacy Council for five years before founding the Gulf Coast Citizen Diplomacy Council and serving as its executive director.
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Program Director Ashley Hardaway graduated from the University of Central Florida in 2006 with a BA in English. After graduation, she served as a Peace Corps TEFL volunteer in a small Ukrainian village for 27 months. After returning to her hometown of Pensacola, Ashley began writing for many of the area’s magazines and newspapers and working locally with Pensacola’s Independent News where she currently has a food column. In fall of 2010, Ashley accepted a contract with Other Places Publishing to research and write their Ukraine travel guide. She returned to Ukraine to compile research and completed it in late spring of 2011. It will be available in autumn 2011.
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| Chairman: John McMahon is a vice president with McMahon & Hadder Insurance in Pensacola and has earned the designation of Certified Workers' Compensation Professional, a comprehensive national certification program for workers' compensation professionals administered by the Workers’ Compensation Center at the School of Labor & Industrial Relations at Michigan State University. His cprimary focus is commercial business insurance with emphasis on workers' compensation insurance. Mr. McMahon attended Pensacola Junior College, Florida State University, and the University of West Florida. He is a member of the Fiesta of Five Flags, Five Flags Rotary, Ft. Walton Beach Chamber of Commerce, and the Pensacola Chamber of Commerce. He is the past president of the Independent Insurance Agents of Pensacola and of the Pensacola Ski Club.
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| Secretary: Bradley M. Proctor is the retired principal of the Episcopal Day School (EDS) of Christ Church Parish in Pensacola, Florida. She is the co-owner of Salud Spanish Imports, an importer of organic extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegars, and enjoys frequent trips to Spain. Prior to working at EDS, she was an outpatient counselor & the assistant director of Operation Divert / Project New Pride at Lakeview Center in Pensacola. She also worked in Anniston, Alabama, as the coordinator of children’s services at Calhoun-Cleburne Mental Health Center. Ms. Proctor received her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and her Master of Arts in Special Education at the University of Alabama. She received her Ed.S. degree in Counseling and Human Systems from Florida State University.
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Treasurer: W. Gregg Noble, CPA, PFS is a shareholder in the Pensacola office of Saltmarsh, Cleaveland & Gund. He is also a registered investment advisor and member of Saltmarsh Financial Advisors, LLC. Mr. Noble has twenty-seven years’ accounting experience in auditing, taxation, consulting, and accounting services. For the last ten years, his focus has been on estate and fiduciary taxation, estate planning, individual taxation, and investment advisory services. Mr. Noble received his M.B.A. at the University of North Florida and his Bachelor of Science in Political Science/Accounting at Auburn University. He is a member of the Pensacola Area Chamber of Commerce Committee of 100, was selected as a member of the 1997 class of Leadership Pensacola, was past treasurer of Pensacola Five Flags Rotary Club, and is on the board of the Pensacola Sports Association Foundation.
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John Asmar is a civil trial attorney in Pensacola and is native to Northwest Florida. In addition to his experience in the legal field, he has over 15 years of professional experience in local government and economic development, having served as city manager for the City of Homestead, deputy city manager of North Miami Beach, administrator for planning and development services for the City of Clearwater, assistant county administrator for Escambia County, and as management assistant for the City of Pensacola. He is also an experienced state and local legislative liaison, having represented private businesses, local governments and authorities, statewide organizations, and individuals before state and local governments. Mr. Asmar is a frequent speaker on various topics concerning local and statewide issues such as smart growth, sustainable communities, environmental protection, community redevelopment, consumer protection, and disaster recovery and response.
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| Randy Bullock is a native of Eastaboga, Alabama, and studied respiratory therapy at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. After graduation, he moved with his wife, Sunaree, to Hyde Park, Chicago and worked at the University of Chicago. While living in the Windy City, he taught Clinical Education at Malcolm X College and studied Perfusion at Loyola University at Maywood, Il. The Bullocks moved to Pensacola in 2002, and Randy now works at Sacred Heart Hospital. He volunteers in the community as a Stephen Minister, fundraises for local charities, and promotes cycling events such as the Fenner McConnell Memorial Century Ride.
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| Joe Denmon is a behavior specialist at the Lacey A. Collier Sensory Complex, a one-of-a-kind center devoted to special needs children which operates within the Escambia School District. The complex surrounds developmentally disabled children in a multisensory environment, decreasing self-injurious behaviors and increasing classroom attention levels. Prior to working with children, Mr.Denmon was a combat engineer with the U.S. Air Force, stationed worldwide. After his retirement, he returned home to his native Pensacola where he continues to serve his community by volunteering with several organizations. The City of Pensacola honored Mr. Denmon by naming him a Goodwill Ambassador of Pensacola, the Cradle of Naval Aviation and the Nation’s First Settlement.
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Dr. Allan M. Ford is the former Director of Monsanto Company’s Environmental Sciences Center and former Director to the Texas Hazardous Waste Research Center and the Gulf Coast Hazardous Substance Research Center. He is past editor of the journal Waste Management for Pergammon Press and past chair of the American Chemical Society’s (ACS) Committee on Environmental Improvement (CEI). Dr. Ford was CEI liaison to the Committee for the National Institute for the Environment and has served on many Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Department of Energy peer review and planning committees and has testified before both houses on Congress numerous times on the importance of environmental research funding in both the public and private sector. Dr. Ford is past chair of the American Chemical Society’s Division of Environmental Chemistry, has organized many symposia and served as program chair for the division, and serves on the ACS Committee on Public Relations and Communications. He earned his B.S. from Iowa State University and his Ph. D. from Kansas State University.
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| Monsignor Luke Hunt is the Pastor of St. Ann Parish in Gulf Breeze, Florida, and serves on the diocesan building commission, finance commission, and other various diocesan assignments. In addition, he is also presently serving as Vicar General of the Diocese. Msgr. Hunt is active in several local community organizations, including the Chaplains Association and the Interfaith Council. He serves on the board of directors of the Gulf Breeze Hospital and the Andrews Institute, a leader in orthopedics and sports medicine. The governor of Florida appointed Msgr. Hunt to the Board of Directors of Pensacola Junior College in June 2007. Msgr. Hunt was born and raised in Crablane, Tullow, Ireland.
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Dr. Jack Kichler is a member of the International Relations Advisory Board for City of Pensacola. He is the retired Chief of Dermatology of the Medical Center Clinic in Pensacola and is also a retired colonel with the U.S. Army Medical Corps. Dr. Kichler formerly served on the board of directors with the Pensacola Japan American Society and with the Pensacola Sister Cities International. He participated in a physician exchange program to Colombia with People to People, is a member of the International Society of Tropical Medicine, and is a member of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine (London, England). He is also a member of Taunus Medical Society, a German-American Medical Society (Frankfurt, Germany). In the late 1970’s, Dr. Kichler started a volunteer clinic for newly-arrived Cubans and local people in need of care at a housing project in Pensacola. He received the Order of Medical Military Merit from the U.S. Army and was selected as Teacher of the Year with Project Literacy, a program for newly-arrived immigrants. Dr. Kichler is an honorary American grandfather to a Korean family currently living in San Antonio, Texas, and is a pen pal to a primary school class in Granois, Saviese, Switzerland. Dr. Kichler has visited 117 countries, every continent, and has had private audiences with the Living Buddha of China and with the High Lama at the Johkhang in Lhasa, Tibet. He is also a haji by virtue of a pilgrimage to Shahr-i-Zindah in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, to what is the grave of Qusam ibn Abbas, a cousin of the Prophet Mohammed, who it is said brought Islam to that area.
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Dennis Kohli is a retired officer with the U.S. Navy, having served as a P-3 pilot, and is currently a subcontractor with the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Mr. Kohli is a member of the choir of the First Baptist Church of Pensacola, the Pensacola Camellia Club, and the Pensacola Country Club. He and his wife are also members of the North Hill Preservation Association, one of the largest residential historic districts in Florida. He enjoys tennis, rowing, golf, and gardening.
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Dr. Angela McCorvey is the Interim Associate Vice President of the Office of Diversity and International Education and Programs at the University of West Florida (UWF). She is an alumna of Florida State University and the University of West Florida, is a Fulbright Program Advisor at UWF, and is a native of Pensacola. Dr. McCorvey serves as the Central Florida Region Chair for the Florida Office of Women in Higher Education, a group providing leadership and support in the advancement of women’s careers in higher education. She also volunteers on the education committee of Celebrate Pensacola, a non-profit organization commemorating and educating the public about the 450th anniversary of the founding of the first European settlement in the United States. Dr. McCorvey is a member of the African-American Heritage Society, the Black Employee Association, the Leadership Development Council Task Force, Vice-President of Delta Iota Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., and serves as the liaison to 36 international exchange partnerships with universities throughout the United Kingdom, South American, Japan, China, the Middle East, and Eastern Europe.
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Dick Schneider has been the executive editor of the Pensacola News Journal since 2006. He is also currently an adjunct professor at the University of West Florida and previously held editing and writing positions at newspapers in Illinois, Tennessee, and elsewhere in Florida. In 2002, Florida Southern College named him an outstanding alumnus, and in 2001 the University of Oregon awarded him their Ethics in Journalism award. Dick is a 1977 graduate of Florida Southern College in Lakeland and received his master’s degree in journalism in 2005 from the University of Memphis. He and his wife Lea live in Pensacola. Their two daughters live in Nashville and their son’s family lives in Cincinnati.
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| Susan Smart is a native of Pensacola and teaches English at the International Baccalaureate (IB) Program at Pensacola High School, a program ranked as 38th best high school in the country by Newsweek. She is also the co-owner of Salud Spanish Imports, an importer of organic extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegars. Ms. Smart received her Bachelor of Arts in English and her Master of Educational Administration from Florida State University. She has served on numerous boards throughout the years and was formerly the president of Volunteer Pensacola. She hopes that some of their themes will provide them the opportunity to interact with IB students.
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Keith T. Wilkins is the Deputy Bureau Chief of the Escambia County Neighborhoods/Community Services Bureau where he represents Escambia County's efforts to enhance our quality of life through conservation, preservation, and revitalization of the natural and built environments. Previously, he was a Manager in KPMG Peat Marwick's Environmental Management Practice in Miami, where he consulted to Fortune 500 Corporations on environmental cost recovery issues. He has 30 years experience working in natural resource management, remediation and development projects and is a Registered Professional Geologist in three states and a Florida Registered Environmental Professional. Keith is a 1979 graduate of the Environmental Studies Program at the University of West Florida.
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| Kevin Doyle is the president and publisher of the Pensacola News Journal, the most widely read daily newspaper in Northwest Florida. Prior to moving to the area in 2006, he was publisher of the Oshkosh Northwestern, editor and then associate publisher of The Post-Crescent in Appleton, Wisconsin. He began his career in California, working as a sports writer, managing editor, editor, executive manager, associate publisher and publisher with Tribune Co. and Thomson newspapers. In Appleton, he was president of the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers, a community-owned baseball team and Class A minor league team for the Seattle Mariners. He also served on the boards of the Chamber of Commerce, UW Oshkosh, convention and visitors’ boards as well as a number of community boards. Mr. Doyle is an alumnus of San Jose State University and currently serves on the board of the Pensacola Bay Area Chamber of Commerce.
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