FGCU Board of Trustees

Trustee Blake Gable is Chief Executive Officer and President of Barron Collier Companies, and brings to his role in-depth knowledge of the Naples area, the Collier family, the development business, and the political process.

A native Neapolitan, Mr. Gable graduated from Naples High School prior to attending Tulane University, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree with a History major.  More recently, he received a Master’s degree in Business Administration from the Executive MBA program of Florida Gulf Coast University.

Commitment to his community remains a priority for Mr. Gable, who has graduated from both the Leadership Collier and Leadership Florida programs; he serves on the Leadership Council of Advisors for the latter.  In addition, he is a former Trustee of the area YMCA; the area American Heart Association; United Way and also currently sits on the Boards of The Immokalee Foundation; Enterprise Florida; and The Florida Sports Foundation, as well as the Randy Roberts Foundation. He also was the 2012 Chair for the Farm City Barbeque.

For five years after having received his undergraduate degree, he was Legislative Director of United States Representative Ed Pastor (AZ) in Washington.  After a half year of worldwide travel, Mr. Gable joined the Barron Collier Companies in 1999.  Since that time, he has served in various capacities of increasing responsibility throughout the firm, including as project manager for the town of Ave Maria.

Current Appointment Term: January 6, 2018 – January 6, 2023 

Mr. Blake Gable (Chair)
c/o Office of Board Relations
Florida Gulf Coast University
10501 FGCU Boulevard South
Fort Myers, FL 33965-6565

Trustee Edward Morton, of Naples, has served as a Principal and Managing Director of the investment firm Wasmer & Schroeder & Co. since 2007.  He retired in 2006 after 34 years of service as the CEO of the NCH Healthcare System, a diversified healthcare holding company.

Mr. Morton is a Florida native and was raised in Islamorada.  He holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Notre Dame, a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Miami, and a Master’s of Health Science degree from Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU).

He served on the Florida Board of Governors for the State University System of Florida, and is a past Vice Chair of the FGCU Board of Trustees and a past Chair of the FGCU Foundation Board of Directors.  Mr. Morton received the Florida Gulf Coast University 2017 Alumni of Distinction award for outstanding career achievements, commitment to community, and dedication to the University. 

Mr. Morton has served and currently sits on a number of civic-minded boards serving the citizens of Southwest Florida.

Current Appointment Term:  January 6, 2020 – January 6, 2025

Mr. Edward Morton (Vice Chair)
Wasmer Schroeder
600 5th Ave S., STE 210
Naples, FL 34102

Trustee Grace Brannigan has the honor of serving as FGCU’s 25^th Student Body President during the 2022-2023 school year.

Ms. Brannigan grew up in Orlando Florida, and graduated from Freedom High School in 2019. She is a senior with a double major in history and political science with a minor in philosophy and is a proud first generation college student. Ms. Brannigan plans to continue her education at law school after graduating in May of 2023 from FGCU. Ms. Brannigan has served in a broad range of leadership roles across campus since the beginning of her time at FGCU. In Student Government Ms. Brannigan served as a Senator for the College of Arts and Sciences in the 23^rd Student Body Senate, and as the Senate President for the 24^th Student Body Senate. She also has served as Vice President of the Resident Housing Association during the 2021-22 school year and as the President of the Resident Housing Association during the 2022-23 school year. Ms. Brannigan is also a proud member of the Eagle Chapter of the National Residence Hall Honorary, and FGCU’s Honors College.

Current Appointment Term: April 1, 2022 - March 31, 2023

Ms. Grace Brannigan
President, FGCU Student Government
Florida Gulf Coast University
10501 FGCU Blvd. South
Fort Myers, FL 33965-6565

Trustee Anna Carlin is an Associate University Librarian and 2021-2022 President of the Faculty Senate. Ms. Carlin has worked at the FGCU Library since 2004 and joined the FGCU faculty in 2008.

Ms. Carlin is a native of Fort Myers, FL and attended Lee County public schools, graduating from Cypress Lake High School. She is now proud to send her own two children, Darcy and Finn, to the same schools she attended in middle and elementary school. She earned a BA in Chinese from Georgetown University and spent an academic year abroad in a Chinese language program at Beijing University. She also earned an MS in Library and Information Studies with a concentration in Information Architecture from Florida State University.

At FGCU, Ms. Carlin has served on numerous faculty governance teams and committees and is a past chair of the Institutional Affairs Team, University Undergraduate Curriculum Team, and University Library Peer Review Committee. Ms. Carlin was a key contributor to the development and implementation of FGCU’s 2015-2020 Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP), which was focused on building student skills in writing, critical thinking, and information literacy through scholarly activity and undergraduate research. Within the University Library, Ms. Carlin has been a subject librarian, designer of instructional materials and tutorials, and most recently, manager of the library’s media production studio services

Current Appointment Term: August 7, 2022 - August 6, 2023

Ms. Anna Carlin
President, FGCU Faculty Senate
Florida Gulf Coast University
10501 FGCU Blvd. South
Fort Myers, FL 33965-6565

Trustee Erika Donalds is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Optima Ed, an educational experience company dedicated to expanding high quality school choice to families around the world. A mother of three boys and former finance executive with a passion for education, she has offered her expertise in business to help further the expansion of parental choice and to improve accountability and governance in Florida’s public schools.

Prior to launching Optima, Ms. Donalds was Chief Financial Officer/Chief Compliance Officer and Partner at DGHM​, a registered investment management firm. She served with the company for almost 20 years and was responsible for the finance, compliance, and operations, in addition to serving on the firm’s Management Committee. Ms. Donalds holds a BS in Accounting from Florida State University and a Master of Accountancy from Florida Atlantic University. She is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and a Chartered Global Management Accountant (CGMA).

Ms. Donalds is a former elected member of the Collier County School Board. During her tenure, she co-founded the Florida Coalition of School Board Members and served as the group’s President. She was appointed to Florida’s 2017-2018 Constitution Revision Commission by then-Speaker of the House Richard Corcoran, and recently served on Governor DeSantis’ Advisory Committee on Education and Workforce Development.

Ms. Donalds serves on the advisory boards for Classical Learning Test, Moms for Liberty, and the Independent Women’s Forum Education Freedom Center.

Current Appointment Term: March 25, 2022 - January 6, 2025

Ms. Erika Donalds
15275 Collier Blvd. Suite #201-299
Naples, FL 34119

Trustee Richard P. Eide, Jr. was born in Cleveland OH in 1947, educated at Williams College (BA in American History, 1968), and served in the United States Marine Corps.

In 34 years at J.P. Morgan and Co., Inc., New York NY, he managed the Municipal Bond Department, managed trading and underwriting for the U.S. Treasury, Federal Agency, Fixed-income Futures, and Derivatives markets, and worked in Institutional Sales, primarily with hedge funds. He retired from Morgan in 2003. In 2009, he helped the principals to found Pierpont Securities, Stamford CT (today called Amherst Pierpont Securities) where he worked until 2013.

Mr. Eide married Lulie Simmons Pierpont of Worcester MA in 1969. They lived in Short Hills NJ until 2002 when they moved to Naples. Their four children and nine grandchildren are regular visitors to SW Florida. Mrs. Eide was a fifth-grade teacher at Peck School, Morristown NJ and the Board Chair at Kent Place School, Summit NJ and Miss Porter’s School, Farmington CT.

The Eides remain residents of Naples and spend summers in Harbor Springs, MI. 

Current Appointment Term: January 6, 2018 – January 6, 2023

Mr. Richard Eide, Jr.
340 Little Harbour Lane
Naples, FL 34102

Trustee Joseph G. Fogg III is the retired Chairman and CEO of Westbury Capital Partners L.L.C., a Long Island based late stage venture capital firm.  Trustee Fogg founded Westbury in 1990. Mr. Fogg began his career on Wall Street at Morgan Stanley & Co., Inc. following his graduation from Harvard Business School in 1970. He retired as a Senior Managing Director and member of the Management Committee at Morgan Stanley in 1994. While at Morgan Stanley, Mr. Fogg served in various capacities, including founding member and head of the Mergers and Acquisitions Department; the Corporate Finance Department; and ultimately as head of Morgan Stanley’s worldwide investment banking operations. As head of Morgan Stanley’s 1,000-person Investment Banking Division, he oversaw the operations of 16 offices on four continents.

In 1990, Mr. Fogg founded Princes Gate Investors L.P., a $750 million private equity investment partnership managed by Morgan Stanley. He currently serves as an Advisory Director of Morgan Stanley.

In addition to being a member of the FGCU Board of Trustees, Mr. Fogg is also Chair of the FGCU Audit and Compliance Committee.

Mr. Fogg is a past President and Director of The Forum Club of Naples, a past Director of The Yale Club of Southwest Florida and a past member of the Yale Development Board. He is Chairman of the City of Naples Citizens’ Police Review Board. He was a Director of the Yale University Art Gallery and the Trust for the National Mall (DC) for many years. He is a graduate of the Greater Naples Leadership Masters Class XX.

Long active in Republican politics, Mr. Fogg served as National Finance Chairman of Robert Dole for President in 1988, National Vice Chairman of Phil Gramm for President in 1994, and Finance Chairman of the New York State Republican Party and Florida Finance Chairman for Rudy Giuliani for President and Newt Gingrich for President.  He also was actively involved in the Florida campaign of Marco Rubio for President and Ron DeSantis for Governor.

Mr. Fogg earned his B.A. in Economics from Yale College in 1968 where he was a member of the Fence Club and his MBA from the Harvard Business School in 1970, where he was a George F. Baker Scholar. 

He presently resides in Naples, FL and Seal Harbor, ME with his wife Leslie Kirk Solbert Fogg. He has three grown children and five grandchildren.

Current Appointment Term: January 7, 2021 – January 6, 2026

Mr. Joseph Fogg III
c/o Office of Board Relations
Florida Gulf Coast University
10501 FGCU Boulevard South
Fort Myers, FL 33965-6565

Trustee Leo Montgomery spent more than 39 years as a senior partner with Ernst & Young LLP.  Mr. Montgomery has served in several leadership roles at Ernst & Young, one of those being the Southeast Area Industry Leader for the Technology, Communications and Entertainment Group and serving on the International Telecommunications Advisory Committee. He has significant experience serving publicly held companies with merger and acquisition transactions as well as structuring financing arrangements.  Trustee Montgomery has assisted companies with more than 100 Securities and Exchange Commission filings including 20 initial public offering registration statements. At Ernst & Young, he served clients of all sizes from entrepreneurial enterprises to professionally managed companies including: Cingular Wireless, Bellsouth Corporation and AT&T Latin America (formerly FirstCom Corporation). Upon retirement, he was an Advisory Director at SunTrust Robinson Humphrey and served as a director on corporate boards. Mr. Montgomery holds a B.A. degree from Harding University and is also currently a member of the Board of Artis Naples.

Current Appointment Term: January 7, 2021 – January 6, 2026

Mr. J. Leo Montgomery
c/o Office of Board Relations
Florida Gulf Coast University
10501 FGCU Boulevard South
Fort Myers, FL 33965-6565

Luis Rivera is a Shareholder at GrayRobinson, P.A., where he helps clients navigate some of the most difficult situations faced by businesses, including complex business litigation, bankruptcy, creditors’ rights, and insolvency matters. A trusted advisor, Mr. Rivera is one of only ten attorneys in Florida who is board certified in Business Bankruptcy Law and Consumer Bankruptcy by the American Board of Certification and one of only two court-appointed fiduciaries who administers Chapter 7 bankruptcy cases in Southwest Florida.

Mr. Rivera is known among his peers for his deep industry knowledge and established relationships within Florida courts. He is praised by clients for his thorough understanding of complex financial matters and his ability to simplify complex business cases.

Mr. Rivera also uses his financial and legal experience to benefit the community. In addition to his service to Florida Gulf Coast University, Mr. Rivera serves as a member of the Supreme Court of Florida’s Mediator Qualifications and Discipline Review Board, a director of the Bankruptcy Law Educational Series Foundation, Inc., and chair of the Parish Finance Council at Saint Francis Xavier Church in Fort Myers. Mr. Rivera has also previously served in a number of leadership roles within The Florida Bar and the bar of the United States District Court and has served the Southwest Florida community as a member of the Lee County Charter Review Committee and as chair of the Lee County Hispanic Affairs Advisory Board.

Mr. Rivera earned a J.D. from Washington and Lee University School of Law, where he was the Editor-in-Chief of the Washington and Lee Journal of Civil Rights and Social Justice. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree (magna cum laude with University Honors) in Political Science from Loyola University New Orleans.

Current Appointment Term: March 25, 2022 - January 6, 2026

Mr. Luis E. Rivera II
1404 Dean St., Suite 300
Fort Myers, FL 33901

Trustee Robbie Roepstorff is a founder and President of Edison National Bank and Bank of the Islands in Fort Myers/Sanibel Island. She is the principal representative and spokesperson of the institution and is a member of the bank’s board of directors and holding company.

Ms. Roepstorff’s extensive list of community involvement includes director and past president of the American Heart Association; director and past president of the Foundation for Lee County Public Schools; voting member and past president of Horizon Council and its Foundation; Commissioner appointed member of Lee County Industrial Development Authority and Airports Special Management Committee/Lee County Port Authority.  In service to the State of Florida, she was appointed as Commissioner to the Florida Transportation Commission from 1997 to 1999. Ms. Roepstorff is currently Chair of the Board of Trustees for the Southwest Florida Community Foundation.

Trustee Roepstorff previously served two terms on the Florida Gulf Coast University Board of Trustees from January 2010 to January 2020, including holding the offices of Chair, and Vice Chair, as well as chairing various committees.

In addition to her community involvement, Ms. Roepstorff has received numerous awards for her community service, including the 2014 Horizon Council Lifetime Achievement Award; 2012 Lifetime Award by the Uncommon Friends Foundation; 2010 Florida Bankers Association Banker of the Year; 2008 Paulette Burton Lee County Citizen of the Year Award presented by the Board of County Commissioners; 2004 University of North Alabama Alumnus of the Year Award; and the 2002 ATHENA Award.

Ms. Roepstorff earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Sociology/Political Science from the University of North Alabama.

Current Appointment Term:  November 6, 2020 - January 6, 2025

Ms. Robbie Roepstorff
c/o Office of Board Relations
Florida Gulf Coast University
10501 FGCU Boulevard South
Fort Myers, FL 33965-6565

Trustee Jaye Hewitt Semrod received her BA from the University of Illinois and her MA from Fairfield University in Education.  Following graduation she was a public high-school teacher for eight years.  She left the classroom to work in New York City for Jack Morton Productions, a Corporate Communications Company, now Jack Morton Worldwide, a subsidiary of Interpublic.  During her twenty-year career she worked in production management, account supervision, and as Senior Vice President and General Manager of the New York Office.  For over ten years she served on the Board and Executive Committee of Outward Bound USA, an outdoor education organization.  She received Outward Bound’s distinguished Kurt Hahn award, named after its founder for her leadership and service.

In 1998 Ms. Semrod retired to Princeton, NJ where she continued to work as a community volunteer.  She served as Chair of the Board of Stuart Country Day School of the Sacred Heart, a K-12 all girls’ school.  Under her leadership, she managed a capital campaign, developed scholarship programs, and organized a speakers’ forum to encourage leadership for young women.  She served as Vice Chair of Princeton University’s Art Museum Friends’ Board and was on the Board of Princeton Girl Choir.  She is one of the recipients of the Princeton YWCA’s Tribute to Women Award.

Ms. Semrod now resides in Naples, Florida and is a past President of the Port Royal Club.

Current Appointment Term:  January 6, 2020 – January 6, 2025

Ms. Jaye Semrod
c/o Office of Board Relations
Florida Gulf Coast University
10501 FGCU Boulevard South
Fort Myers, FL 33965-6565

Trustee Peter Sulick is currently Chairman, Board of Directors, President and CEO of Dynasil Corporation, a Boston based corporation in the research and photonics industries.  He is also President and CEO of AmeriSite LLC, a family owned real estate development and investment company.  Mr. Sulick is an entrepreneur with extensive background in building media and technology companies, executing their business strategy and building operations.  Over the past 35 years, he has founded or been the initial investor in numerous companies, including Independence Broadcasting Corporation, PowerFone Inc., SSPCS Corp., AmeriSite, LLC., MeetUp.com, Prism Microwave, Withoutabox.com to name a few.  Independence Broadcasting owned and operated nine radio stations in five Midwest markets.  Mr Sulick founded IBC in 1985 grew it to approximately $15.0 mil in revenue and 250 employees.  PowerFone, Inc, which Mr. Sulick and two partners founded in 1990, owned and operated specialized mobile radio operations across parts or all of seven states.  Mr. Sulick and one partner founded SSPCS Corp in 1993 for purposes of bidding on and operating digital cellular licenses being auctioned by the FCC.  SSPCS was successful in acquiring 14 licenses across five markets.  AmeriSite was started in 1998 for purposes of real estate investment and development activities in Naples, Florida and elsewhere.  In addition to his own companies, Mr. Sulick has served on numerous corporate boards over the past 4 decades including Intersoft Corporation, Data National Corporation, Medical eNetwork Inc., RocketBoard, Inc., Without - A - Box, Inc., FineMark National Bank and Trust, Inc., Prism Microwave, Inc. and others.  He has also served as chair of the Florida Gulf Coast University Foundation Board of Directors, treasurer and director of The Community School of Naples and is currently a board member of The Citadel Foundation Inc.  Mr. Sulick has served on the board of the Port Royal Club and as Commodore of the Naples Yacht Club. 

Mr. Sulick, a CPA, earned his MBA in finance from the University of Massachusetts and a B.S. in Business Administration from The Citadel in 1972.  Mr. Sulick and his wife, Margaret, have a grown daughter, a graduate of Vanderbilt University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a grown son, a graduate of Wake Forest University and The Institute for World Politics in Washington, D.C., and have six grandchildren.  Mrs. Sulick served on the City Council for the City of Naples, Florida from January, 2008 until 2017, including two years as Vice Mayor.  The Sulicks have been residents of Southwest Florida since 1993.

Current Appointment Term: March 25, 2022 - January 6, 2026

Mr. Peter Sulick
c/o Office of Board Relations
Florida Gulf Coast University
10501 FGCU Boulevard South
Fort Myers, FL 33965-6565

Trustee Michael A. Wynn has served as board chairman and president of Sunshine Ace Hardware in Naples, Florida since 2005.

Sunshine Ace Hardware first opened in 1958 and is one of the largest family-owned home improvement and outdoor recreation retailers in Florida.  Currently there are twelve locations delivering friendly, helpful service and quality brands to Pinellas, Manatee, Charlotte, Lee and Collier Counties as well as Sunshine Ace Handyman Services serving Collier & Lee Counties. He has held various positions with increasing responsibility with Sunshine Ace Hardware since 1992. 

Mr. Wynn is the immediate past Chair of the board of directors of the Miami Branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta.  He is also a member of the board of directors for the Greater Naples Chamber of Commerce (past-chair), Leadership Collier Foundation (past-chair), Moorings Park Institute, and the NCH Healthcare System (2^nd Vice Chair.)  He is a member of YPO and serves on the advisory board of Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) School of Entrepreneurship.

Mr. Wynn received a B.S. in business administration from the University of South Florida in 1997 and an MBA in business administration from Florida Gulf Coast University in 2005.  He was awarded Hardware Industry’s Top Gun Award presented by the National Retail Hardware Association in 2014, Finalist for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award in 2014, Junior Achievement’s Business Hall of Fame Laureate in 2014, 2017 FGCU Alumni of the Year, voted the 2017 Gulfshore Business Best Boss for a Large Company, Business Observer’s 2019 Icons of Business and awarded the 2019 Naples Daily News Outstanding Citizen of the Year.

Mr. Wynn resides in Naples and has two daughters Sydney and Olivia.

Current Appointment Term: March 25, 2022 - January 6, 2026

Mr. Michael Wynn
9148 Bonita Beach Road #200
Bonita Springs, FL  34135