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Board of Directors

2023-2024
OFFICERS & DIRECTORS

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Headshot of Peggie Sherry Founder/CEO of Faces Of Courage

Peggie D. Sherry

FOUNDER / CEO
Chairman Director

Faces of Courage Foundation
Tampa, Florida
813-948-7478

Yvonne Scalise Faces of Courage Board Member

Yvonne Scalise

Chair, Community Relations

Independent Travel Consultant
Tampa, Florida

Theresa Mitchell

Theresa Mitchell

Chair, Bylaws Committee
Chairman Director

Faces of Courage Foundation
Tampa, Florida
813-948-7478
Executive Process Pharmacy
Congizant
Tampa, Florida

TIFFANY NEW HEAD SHOT

Tiffany Dodge, PA-C

Chair, Fundraising Committee

USF Morsani Medical Center, PA-C
Land O Lakes, Florida

Maria

Maria Carvalho, MA

MA in Special Education from University of South Florida. Taught in Hillsborough County for 27 years Retired Teacher Presently tutoring High School students at USF to obtain their GED diploma Loves to travel, read novels, watch movies, gardening and cooking. Enjoy volunteering for Faces of Courage, Hillsborough Education Foundation and some schools.

Estrella Lopez Board of Directors Faces of Courage

Estrella Lopez, APRN-BC

DIRECTOR
Chair, Medical Care Committeee

Phyllis Milkolaitis

Phyllis Mikolaitis

TREASURER

Dr. Fenee Russ, Ed.D Headshot

Dr. Fenee Russ, Ed.D.

DIRECTOR

LarryBrooks

Larry Brooks

VICE PRESIDENT

Joanne Mayers Headshot

Joanne Mayers

SECRETARY

Lori Marini Faces of Photo of Courage Board of Directors Member

Lori Marini

DIRECTOR

Glen Distefano

PRESIDENT

Lee Pierson

Lee Pierson

DIRECTOR

If you are a business professional who would like to give back to the community, and be a part of a dynamic non-profit organization, we welcome you to reach out to us for the opportunity to support our continued mission.

​Please send your interest statement through our Contact Us Page.   Thank you!

Peggie D. Sherry Founder and CEO Faces of Courage

Peggie D. Sherry

FOUNDER / CEO, Director
FACES OF COURAGE FOUNDATION

Coming from Palm Beach, FL Peggie D. Sherry has lived in the Tampa Bay area since 1975. Her first career was as a banker for 18 years; leaving banking she became an Independent Television Producer/Editor for PBS and NBC; then in 1999 she began her work with cancer patients.

Peggie founded Faces of Courage Foundation a 501(c)3 that provides, free of charge, day outings, educational workshops, virtual programming and medically supervised overnight camps for adults and children with all types of cancers. Faces of Courage is the first organization in the Nation to tailor a women’s weekend camp for minority cancer survivors and is considered a leader in minority outreach and education. Peggie also founded The Krewe of Agustina Gasparilla Krewe and Co-Founded KOA Full Heart Foundation. Ms. Sherry serves and has served (since 2005) on numerous committees and research grants for both University of South Florida and H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center. She has been a grant reviewer for Department of Defense, Susan G. Komen and Hillsborough Education Foundation. Ms. Sherry Co Authored the book Breast Cancer Tips and Tricks from Two Survivors with Phyllis Mikolatis and has four (4) Published Manuscripts in National Medical journals.

Peggie is a current board member for Krewe of Agustina, Faces of Courage, Rotary’s Camp FL, Beth Waters Friendship Foundation, Tampa Bay Grants Collaborative, Daughters of the American Colonists, TechUP Group, KOA Full Heart Foundation and ABCELLAS Community Foundation.

She also holds memberships in Daughters of the American Revolution, Royal Neighbors Tampa Chapter, Tampa Bay Community Cancer Network, and Southwest Florida Community Cancer Collaborative.

Notable National  Awards from have been received from Daughters of the American Colonist, Royal Neighbors of America, Home Shopping Network, Daughters of the American Revolution, Breast Cancer Wellness Magazine, Aetna Foundation¸ eBay Grand Prize Winner “Every Mom’s a Hero” (International contest), NASA, Yoplait Yogurt Champion¸ WEDU PBS Station Speaking of Women’s Health Award, and (3) Telly Awards

Notable local awards presented by Tampa Bay Buccaneers, American Red Cross, Florida State Daughters of the American Revolution, Florida State Daughters of the American Colonists, BayNews 9’s Everyday Heroes, and Association of Fundraising Professionals’ Award for Philanthropy.

Yvonne Scalise

DIRECTOR
Chairman, Budget Committee
Co-Chair, Fundraising Committee 

Yvonne Scalise was born and raised in Tampa and is a fourth generation native. Yvonne is very passionate about her heritage and community. A graduate of Hillsborough High School. Past V.P. Board of Directors for Learning Gate Community School, Past Board Member Ybor City Museum Society, and past Board member Ybor City Saturday Market. 

Yvonne began volunteering with Faces of Courage 9 yrs ago as a volunteer for the Camps. Since that time Yvonne’s focus has been not only to raise funds to support camps but also to bring awareness of the organizations mission through Community Outreach. 

Her personal goal is to see that the organization’s mission is accomplished while being part of the team that takes Faces of Courage to the next level of success.

Theresa Mitchell

TREASURER
Chairman, Bylaws Committee 

Theresa is an Executive at a local Pharmacy Operations company. She has been a stellar volunteer with Faces of Courage for many years and recently joined the Board of Directors to provide more support and bring her experience to the foundation to help reach the goals for the future.

Tiffany Dodge, PA-C

Chairman, Fundraising Committee
Chairman, Community Relations Committee

Tiffany has always enjoyed volunteering in her community as giving back not only helps those in need, but brings joy to her heart. This passion is how she came to know of Faces of Courage.

In her graduate program at USF she found out via email about the Faces of Courage Santa’s Workshop weekend and volunteered as a buddy her first year. 

The following year she quickly replied and was given an overnight counselor position at the Faces of Courage camps, and from there she never turned back having volunteered each year since. She has quickly made forever connections with some of the campers and families.

It is Tiffany’s aspiration to help make a difference for Faces of Courage in assisting with the future course it plans to take; being part of a dynamic team to continue fundraising efforts that support the programs offered. 

Estrella Lopez Lara, MSN, APRN

 Director Chair, Medical Care Committee

Estrella is a graduate from University of South Florida and a resident of Hillsborough County since 1981. She is currently a Primary Care Provider for Brandon Premier Healthcare. 

As a Family Nurse Practitioner for the last 27 years she has been involved in community health advocacy, organizing health fairs and the Nurse Administrator for Faces of Courage Camps. 

Estrella has committed her personal and professional growth to share through education and experience with others the value and importance of health care. 

Estrella provides Faces of Courage Camp years of experience, and integral input on the Board of Directors to spearhead our Medical Committee objectives, procedures and policies to provide optimal care and attention to our campers.

Phyllis Mikolaitis

TREASURER

Phyllis is the Founder and President of Sales Training Solutions headquartered in Frankford, DE.  Her firm provides award-winning learning solutions, event management and coaching programs for corporations, colleges, associations and individuals around the world.  Since 1998, Phyllis has been a frequent guest professor at The George Washington University School of Business and Public Management in Washington, D.C.

Phyllis has over 35 years global experience developing her skills in sales, leadership, and communications. She is Co-author of the book Corporate Event Project Management published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York, NY. The book is courseware for several international universities including The George Washington University and the University of Australia in Sydney. Phyllis is currently working with several corporations on the integration of Storytelling for Business Success and People Centered Leadership into their executive leadership and sales programs.

Prior to establishing her own business, Phyllis was employed by Xerox Corporation where she received numerous awards including two instances of the prestigious Xerox Vice President’s Award for Excellence. In addition, she has received the New Media Invision Gold Award for innovative multi-media training, and the Philadelphia Fire Marshall’s Association Honors for the founding of the Save-A-Life program by Phyllis and her late brother George who was manger of patient safety at University of Pennsylvania Hospital.  She is a member of the American Society for Training & Development, Meeting Professionals International and the National Association of Professional Women.

Dr. Fenee Russ, Ed.D.

Director

Fenee is a retired educator/administrator from the School District of Palm Beach County. Her educational career span 28 years, including ten years as an adjunct professor with Palm Beach State College.

Fenee has earned degrees from Clark-Atlanta University (Business Administration/Marketing), and Nova Southeastern University (Masters and Doctorate in Educational Leadership).

As a breast cancer survivor/thriver, Fenee is committed to sharing her experiences and expertise regarding the importance of self-advocacy, healthcare navigation, and awareness.

Fenee shares her grant writing expertise to help fund initiatives for the Faces of Courage Foundation. She is a Deepak Chopra Certified Meditation Instructor, a

member of Phi Delta Kappa International (PDK), and the American Association of University Women (AAUW).

Larry Brooks

Vice President

BA Auburn University

M.Ed Worcester State

Retired Delta Airlines

Reverse Mortgage Consultant since 2007

Carrollwood Area Business Association President Award Winner

Volunteer of the Year and Citizen of The Year Greater Riverview Chamber of Commerce. 

Joanne Mayers

SECRETARY

Joanne Mayers is the Vice President of Patient Services and Chief Nursing Officer of BayCare Health System. In her 27-year tenure at BayCare, Joanne has focused on nursing innovation, professional development, and achievement of top decile performance in clinical, financial, and quality outcomes. Joanne earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Dundee, Scotland, her Master of Science in Nursing Leadership from Walden University in 2016, and is currently working towards her Doctorate in Nursing Practice. 

Joanne was born in Manchester, England and has two adult daughters.

Lori Marini

Director

Lori Marini is a Motivational Coach who specializes in empowering women during their healing journey after a life crisis. She supports women who find themselves struggling with daily life struggles, goal-setting, life accomplishments, weight, and health-related issues.

As a certified Pathologist Assistant and a credentialed Life, Health, and Wellness Master Coach, podcaster, and author, and breast cancer warrior, Lori supports women in reinventing a new life beyond fear and on their terms. She helps her clients see the value in living a courageous life beyond their circumstances. 

Glen Distefano

President

Glen Distefano has worked at SUNZ Insurance since March of 2005.  Initially its Chief Information Officer and then in 2008, Mr. Distefano was promoted to the role of Chief Operations Officer along with being voted onto the Board of Directors of SUNZ Insurance Company. In this expanded role, he oversaw the day-to-day operations of SUNZ Insurance Company. In 2017, Mr. Distefano took the role of Chief Technology Officer of SUNZ Holdings, LLC for the company overseeing technology, data, and information security for all affiliated entries. In 2020 Mr. Distefano was promoted into the role of Chief Information Security Officer and focuses on continuing to enhance and monitor cyber security measures for SUNZ to constantly look for the latest advances in security technology solutions to protect employees, team members, insureds, and claimants.  Glen lives in the Tampa Area with his wife Lisa and 2 Fur Babies Guido and Nunzio.

Lee Pierson

DIRECTOR

Lee has over 14 years of experience in the banking and financial services industry and currently is employed by The Bank of Tampa.  He received his education from St. Petersburg College. Lee and his wife met in high school and have been married for 20 years. He has two children (20 and 15), and he enjoys spending time outdoors and watching his children play sports. He is an avid golfer and sports fan.