2012 Judges

Joseph Kollin

Kyle Abney
Principal
Abney & Abney Green Solutions

Kyle Abney is a leading advocate for green building and sustainability initiatives. A LEED® Accredited Professional (AP), with both Building Design & Construction and Homes specializations, he is a state licensed general contractor and heads a sustainable development consulting firm in Palm City. Kyle received a BS in Architectural Design and a MS in Building Construction from the University of Florida, where he was the recipient of the nation’s first construction degree in green building. He is the immediate past-president of U.S. Green Building Council’s South Florida chapter.

Lynn Barber
Florida-Friendly Landscaping ™ Program
University of Florida/Hillsborough County Extension Service

Lynn Barber is a Florida-Friendly Landscaping Agent, responsible for Environmental Horticulture education in Hillsborough County. A Master Gardener and Master Composter, she conducts workshop in topics that include Rainwater Harvesting, Composting, Micro-irrigation and the nine principles of Florida-Friendly Landscaping. She co-authored “Hassle Free Houseplants,” a presentation that received the University of Florida 2005 Educational Materials Preparation Award, and regularly writes for the Florida Community Association Journal.

Mark R. Benson
Publisher
COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION INK

Mark Benson retired in 2007 after more than three decades owning a Community Association Management firm in Florida. He continues professional industry participation as an association advocate, legislative activist, educator and expert witness. He publishes COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION INK, an email newsletter with more than 3,000 subscribers and founded an Internet discussion group with more than 2000 followers and contributors. One of the first-year licensed Florida Community Association Managers in 1988, Mr. Benson is Past Chairman of the Florida Community Association Living Study Council, Past Member of the Regulatory Council of Community Association Managers, Past Vice-Chairman of the Advisory Council on Condominiums, and Faculty Member of Edison State College CAMP Program.

Mary Blakeney
Assistant Operations Manager
Palm Beach County Division of Emergency Management

As Assistant Operations Manager for Palm Beach County Division of Emergency Management, Mary Blakeney serves as the liaison with responders, civic leaders, county officials, municipal partners and the general public. Previously she was the Emergency Services Director for the American Red Cross Greater Palm Beach Area Chapter and was responsible for the local response to four major relief operations that resulted in the sheltering of over 40,000 people, provision of more than 1 million meals, and creation of over 10,000 client case files. Mary is a Certified Florida Professional Emergency Manager (FPEM) and serves as the Florida Emergency Preparedness Association (FEPA) Secretary. She is the Chair of the Palm Beach County Disaster Recovery Coalition.

William Booher
External Affairs Director
Florida Division of Emergency Management

William Booher oversees public relations, external marketing, external strategic partnerships and community advocacy for The Florida Division of Emergency Management. His professional experience in disaster recovery/emergency management includes a position with The Shaw Group in Louisiana where he administered Federal disaster recovery funds as part of the State’s Office of Community Development-Disaster Recovery Unit Hazard Mitigation Grant Program. He also served with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), initially as the Special Assistant to then Administrator R. David Paulison, responsible for managing day-to-day operations, including oversight of the Presidential Disaster Declaration process for the Agency.

Carmen Caldwell
Executive Director
Citizens’ Crime Watch of Miami-Dade County

Carmen Caldwell brings more than 30 years of experience in crime prevention to her position as executive director of Citizens’ Crime Watch of Miami-Dade County. A former City of Hialeah Councilwoman and Crime Prevention Coordinator for the city’s Police Dept., she is a pioneer in implementing Neighborhood Watch in Hispanic communities. Carmen holds certifications in Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED) and Elderly Crime Prevention. Her career has taken her to Haiti, France, Jamaica and South America to train local police in developing Neighborhood Watch programs.

Tim Center

Executive Director

Sustainable Florida

Tim Center is the Executive Director of Sustainable Florida – an alliance of organizations committed to promoting the adoption of sustainable development principles through collaboration and education. He is the principal of Centerfield Strategy, a consulting firm dedicated to helping organizations develop sustainability plans and report and facilitate strategic planning. A Florida native, Tim has worked on state policy and non-profit advocacy for the Florida Legislature, Florida Chamber of Commerce and Florida Home Builders Association. Most recently, he served as the Vice President of Sustainability Initiatives at the Collins Center for Public Policy, a non-partisan independent think tank.

Krista Gonzalez
Chairperson
Society of Public and Life Safety Educators/Florida Fire Chiefs Association

Krista Gonzalez is chairperson of the Society of Public and Life Safety Educators of the Florida Fire Chief’s Association, Florida's leading management education organization for fire & emergency services professionals. She has been a full-time Risk Reduction Specialist for the Gainesville, Florida Fire Rescue since 2006. A Florida native, Ms. Gonzalez received a BS degree in Fire & Emergency Services from the University of Florida.

Beth Hagan
Project Manager
Community Association Officers Forum

Beth Hagan has been a pioneer in developing management-related community association education and training programs in the state, targeting both professional managers and condo and HOA board members. She serves as Project Manager and Course Author for the Community Association Officers Forum, which provides online and onsite management training for board members through Edison State College, Office of Continuing Education, Ft. Myers. Dr. Hagan, who has a background in management and adult education, also serves as Project Manager and Course Author for Edison State College's Community Association Managers Program, which provides classroom learning and 52 hours of interactive material for Continuing Education Unit credits.

Deirdre Irwin
Florida Water Star^SM Coordinator
St. Johns River Water Management District

Deirdre Irwin joined the St. Johns River Water Management District in 1989 and has had experience with surface water regulatory programs, water resource education programs, and certification program development and implementation. As administrator for Florida Water StarSM, she coordinates the water efficiency certification program for new and existing residential and commercial buildings in 18 counties in NE and central Florida. Recently she was elected to the Board of the Florida Green Building Coalition. She is intimately familiar with sustainable approaches to water use in new and existing communities. She serves on the grounds committee for the development where she resides, a 6,000-home association in NE Florida.

Autumn Karlinsky
Commissioner
Volunteer Florida

Autumn Karlinsky was appointed by Governor Rick Scott to the Governor’s Commission on Volunteerism and Community Service, known as Volunteer Florida, on December 21, 2011. Ms. Karlinsky, who holds leadership and advisory positions in various local, state and national organizations, recently endowed the Florida State University College of Law Karlinsky Family Scholarship together with her husband, a prominent insurance and governmental attorney. Among the many organizations closely touched by Ms. Karlinsky’s work are Temple Dor Dorim, Imagine Charter School at Weston and TAG USA Gymnastics Foundation a non-profit working to combat women and childrens’ cancers, poverty and homelessness. Through TAG USA, she has spearheaded several successful food and school supply donation events benefiting Kids in Distress.

Dwight A. McDonald
Chairman
Professional Standards and Ethics Committee
Greater Tampa Association of Realtors

Dwight McDonald is founder and president of a Tampa real estate and property management agency and currently serves as chairman of the Professional Standards and Ethics Committee of the Greater Tampa Association of Realtors. Dwight is president of Sterling Ranch Homeowners Master Association, a 793-unit HOA in Hillsborough County. A native of Chipley, Florida, he settled in the Tampa Bay area after retiring from the U.S. Army in 1995.

Charles E. Milsted
Associate State Director
AARP
Charles Milsted is the Associate State Director for AARP in Florida and coordinates legislative initiatives that include energy, utilities, affordable housing, taxation, state budget and property insurance issues. He is currently the Vice Chairman of the Leon County Commission’s Affordable Housing Advisory Committee and is a member of the Capital Area Coalition on Aging. He was appointed by the Governor to serve on the Taxation and Budget Reform Committee and the Florida Housing Study Commission. Mr. Milsted has been a visiting professor in advocacy and aging policy at Florida State University.

Terry McMurry
Editor
Florida Community Association Journal magazine

Terry McMurry is the editor of Florida Community Association Journal, the oldest periodical serving the community association industry in Florida. Since 2003, when she assumed the editorship, the magazine has grown from 64 pages to 100+ with monthly readership in excess of 60,000. Ms. McMurry also is Managing Editor of Cleaner Times, a technical journal serving manufacturers, distributors, suppliers and contractors in the pressure cleaning/water blasting industry.

Dr. Walter Moore
H. Wayne Huizenga School, Nova Southeastern University

Walter Moore is director and faculty chairperson of the Accounting and Taxation departments, at the H. Wayne Huizenga School, Nova Southeastern University. A CPA with experience in public, private, and governmental accounting, he has taught accounting for more than 20 years at universities in Ohio, Michigan, Nebraska, Illinois and Florida, where he amassed a variety of accomplishments. He was named a Trueblood Scholar while teaching at Cleveland State University, a prestigious continuing education honor awarded by the university in conjunction with a major local CPA firm. In addition, Moore maintains a consulting practice, assisting small businesses with ISO 9000 certification.

Jennifer Nelis
Director of Marketing & Public Relations
Florida Nursery, Growers & Landscape Association

Jennifer Nelis manages all industry and consumer marketing and communications activities for the Florida Nursery, Growers & Landscape Association (FNGLA), a statewide non-profit association representing the state’s nursery and landscape industry. At FNGLA, which she joined in 1994, Jennifer’s responsibilities include public relations, brand management and social media in addition to oversight of FNGLA’s partnership with the Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival. Jennifer serves on a variety of University of Florida advisory committees including the Florida-Friendly Landscaping Advisory Committee, and the Florida Agriculture in the Classroom and Agriculture Institute of Florida boards.

Brian Niemann
Florida Friendly Landscaping™ Program
University of Florida

Brian Nieman is Builder & Developer Coordinator for the Florida-Friendly Landscaping (FFL) program, responsible for outreach to Florida communities to promote adoption of environmentally sound landscape practices. Brian received a Bachelor of Landscape Architecture degree from the University of Florida in 2006. After graduation, he worked for a private landscape architecture firm in the Tampa Bay area. He has been with the FFL Program since December 2007.

Kevin Noonan
Director of Conservation and Renewables
Orlando Utilities Commission

Kevin Noonan is the Director of Conservation and Renewables for the Orlando Utility Commission (OUC), the municipal electric and water utility serving Orlando, St. Cloud, and parts of unincorporated Orange and Osceola counties. In that capacity, he oversees the personnel, business operations, and customer programs that bring energy and water savings, as well as renewable energy programs, to all of OUC’s 250,000 customers. Prior to joining OUC he worked for the City of Orlando in the Planning Department. Kevin earned a BS in Economics and MS degree in Urban & Regional Planning from FSU. He serves on the advisory board of the Florida Solar Energy Center.

David Reilly
Municipal Arborist
City of Tampa, Parks and Recreation

Mr. Reilly is a municipal arborist for the Tampa Parks and Recreation Department where he reviews and evaluates mature trees for construction, pruning and removal. A Certified Arborist with more than 32 years of experience in the tree industry, Mr. Reilly is a Past President of the Florida Chapter of the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) and has served on the Chapter’s Board of Directors for seven years. He also served on the Florida Urban Forestry Council Board of Directors. Mr. Reilly received his Associates Degree in Applied Science in Forestry from Paul Smith’s College, N.Y. in 1978.

Kevin Schleith
Energy Rater/LEED Certified

Kevin Schleith is a certified residential energy efficiency professional who has conducted energy efficiency and conservation training for builders, contractors and homeowners throughout Central Florida.  He is an active member of the Residential Energy Services Network (RESNET), the US Green Building Coalition, and a consultant for the Space Coast Energy Consortium which supports energy-related economic development in the Space Coast and Central Florida. His certifications include LEED Green Associate, EPA Renovation, RESNET Building Analyst and Rater, Energy Star and WaterSense.  He has also served as a research analyst with the Florida Solar Energy Center and is the co-principal of Home Audit Technologies, LLC. 

Dr. John J. Sullivan
Executive Liaison to Homeland Security
Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office

As a career law enforcement practitioner and educator, John Sullivan remains active in the public and private sectors. He joined the Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office in 2008 as the continuation of an extensive career in federal law enforcement, private consulting, and higher education. John serves as the liaison between the law enforcement community and the business and residential communities on all issues related to homeland defense, infrastructure protection, and crime prevention. Among his responsibilities, he oversees Community Partners Against Terrorism, a community awareness program to report suspicious activities to law enforcement. He is Board Certified in Fraud Examination, National Threat Analysis, and Homeland Security.

John Sutphin
President
Gated Community Security Directors Group

John Sutphin is president of the Gated Community Security Directors Group, an organization that promotes improved security for gated communities. The group disseminates the latest information on administrative, technical and operational practices and provides training and networking opportunities for members throughout the U.S. John founded the organization in 2007 after becoming the Director of Security for the Isleworth Country Club in Windermere, Florida which is owned by the Tavistock Group. John is a retired Chief of Police for the City of Kissimmee, Florida.

Richard Thompson
Regenesis.net

Mr. Thomas has over 30 years experience in real estate sales, construction and property management. He has held real estate broker’s licenses in Montana, Hawaii and Oregon. Since 1992, his focus has been homeowner association (HOA) management. In 1996, he founded Regenesis (www.regenesis.net) to offer financial, maintenance, management and administrative planning services to HOA developers, managers, boards and real estate agents. He is a prolific author and noted authority on community association management.

Richard White
“Condo Living” Columnist

A retired licensed community association manager and licensed property manager, Richard White is the author of a syndicated weekly column on association operations published continuously throughout Florida for over 31 years. A graduate of The Citadel College he served in the Air Force as a flight officer on B-52 and B-58 crews and taught Management and Real Estate courses as an adjunct professor at Miami Dade College. He was a consultant to the Florida DOT representing homeowners in developing a program to improve transportation during emergencies. Currently, he is certified as a “SkyWarn” weather spotter and a member of ARES (Amateur Radio Emergency Service) to provide emergency communications during National and State crises.

Marilynn Wills
Action Chair
League of Women Voters of Florida

Marilynn Wills is the Chair of the Action Committee of the Florida chapter of the League of Women Voters, a 90-year old nonpartisan grassroots political organization whose mission is to improve systems of government and impact public policies through citizen education and advocacy. She is a past president of the state organization and Vice President of the Tallahassee chapter. Ms. Wills taught mathematics at Leon High School in Tallahassee for 28 years.

Joshua B. Young
Director of the Center for Community Involvement,
Miami Dade College

Joshua Young is the director of Miami Dade College's Center for Community Involvement where he oversees all service-learning and America Reads activities, as well as numerous other campus-community partnership and civic engagement initiatives. MDC's service-learning program now involves more than 270 faculty and 7,500 students annually. Mr. Young has been a national service-learning mentor with the American Association of Community Colleges and has extensive experience leading workshops for faculty, students, community partners, and administrators nationwide. He served two tours with the Peace Corps and ran summer community service programs for youth for four summers in the Dominican Republic with Visions International.