Naples, FL (PRWEB) June 04, 2015
George Abounader, Blake Gable and Jerry Tostrud join the 2015-2016 Board of Directors for a three-year term beginning on July 1, 2015. Former Board members Alan Horton and John Sorey will become Trustees Emeriti.
“As a community foundation committed to supporting local leaders, developing our own leadership is critical to our long-term success. We are thrilled to have such accomplished and passionate people dedicate themselves to our mission and the future of Collier County,” said Community Foundation of Collier County Board Chair, Dennis Brown. “At the same time, we want to honor the outstanding service of two retiring members - Alan Horton and John Sorey - as they transition to our Trustees Emeriti.”
Launched in 1985 as the first and still only foundation for Collier County, the Community Foundation of Collier County improves the quality of life in Collier County by connecting donors to community needs and providing leadership on critical community issues. The Foundation’s 21-member Board of Directors stewards its strategic grantmaking and special initiatives as well as the growth of its philanthropic assets to benefit Collier County.
About the New Board Members
George Abounader is a professional educator who, since 1988, has been a school administrator served as the CEO/Principal of the Marco Island Charter Middle School. Abounader was named the Naples Daily News' Marco Island's 2013 Citizen of the Year and is a graduate of Leadership Marco. He has served on the City of Marco Island's Parks and Recreation Committee as well as the Department of Justice's Neighborhood Accountability Board for Marco Island, the YMCA's Strategic Planning Committee, and as President of Marco Island Noontime Rotary Club. He is a past board member of the Forum Club of Southwest Florida.
Blake Gable is the President of Real Estate Development and Mineral Management for the Barron Collier Companies. He was appointed to the Board of Trustees for Florida Gulf Coast University in 2014. He is a graduate of both Leadership Collier and Leadership Florida and serves on the Leadership Council of Advisors for the latter. In addition, Gable is a former Trustee of the area YMCA, the area American Heart Association, and the United Way. He is a board member of the Immokalee Foundation, Florida Gulf Coast University, Enterprise Florida and the Florida Sports Foundation, as well as the Randy Roberts Foundation.
Jerry Tostrud, retired as executive vice president of the West Publishing Company of St. Paul in 1996, following 36 years of service. A 1960 graduate of St. Olaf College, he has served on the College’s Board of Regents until 2011. He has also served on the boards of the St. Paul Foundation and the American Judicature Society. He is a former board chair of the William Mitchell College of Law.
About the Community Foundation of Collier County - The Community Foundation of Collier County is a tax-exempt, public, charitable fund, established in 1985 to increase and focus private philanthropy in the area. Today, the Community Foundation of Collier County manages more than 510 funds, collaborates with more than 400 nonprofits, holds nearly $100 million in assets - a fifty-three percent increase in just 18 months - and has distributed more than $79 million in grants to nonprofit organizations and community programs. It is one of Florida’s fastest growing community foundations. Learn more at cfcollier.org