James Holmes, BS is Director of Marketing and Customer Engagement for the Herald-Tribune Media Group where he utilizes traditional and emerging technologies to build brand loyalty and increase market share by capitalizing on digital, social and viral opportunities. In addition to his work at the Herald-Tribune, Mr. Holmes serves on both the Small Business Council and the Leadership Council of the Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce.
Mr. Holmes received his Bachelor’s of Science degree in Psychology from the University of Florida. He currently serves on both the Advisory Board and the Executive Committee for the Manatee Economic Development Council, has served on the Board of Directors of Florida Newspaper Advertising and Marketing Executives, and is a former board member of the Boys and Girls Club of Alachua County. Mr. Holmes is a graduate of the Leadership Sarasota Class of 2010.
Veronica Brandon Miller, MBA is Vice President for Goodwill Industries Manasota Foundation. Ms. Miller has over 20 years extensive experience in development and cause marketing. She has worked with many nonprofits including the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC, ShelterBox USA, the Boys & Girls Clubs, the American Lung Association and the Navy League of the United States. She has successfully helped increase revenues up to 1,000% and secured both national and international media coverage for the causes she’s led and championed.
Veronica earned her Master’s degree in business from the University of Maryland. She has received many awards for marketing and has published numerous articles on fundraising and marketing. She was listed by Biz941 Magazine as one of the 25 People to Watch in 2009.
Christina Pitchford, PA is a Realtor with Allen Real Estate Services, Inc. A Green Certified Realtor, Ms. Pitchford also maintains the following designations: e-PRO; At Home with Diversity; and, Certified International Property Specialist.
Ms. Pitchford, a seventh-generation Floridian and Sarasota native, is a member of the National Association of Realtors, a Director for the Sarasota Association of Realtors, the 2010 Chair of the Green Real Estate Alliance of Sarasota and serves on numerous committees on the local and state level, including Public Policy, Professional Development, Sarasota Young Realtors, Affordable Housing and Land Use, Property Rights and Sustainable Development. She was selected as the Florida Association of Realtors' Newcomer of the Year 2008 and Biz941's "People To Follow" in 2009.
Cheryl Crimu, MA, NCC, IMHC has over 30 years experience in Human Services-related fields. As a Mental Health Specialist at DeSoto Correctional Institution, Ms. Crimu is involved with reentry services as a counselor and program committee member and is familiar with the challenges and barriers former offenders may face upon release to their communities. She has worked as Aftercare Specialist at Charlotte Correctional Institution, a former closed-management facility where she coordinated mental health, housing and disability services for male prisoners prior to release.
Ms. Crimu holds an MA in Community Counseling from Regent University and a BS in Zoology from Oregon State University. She holds certification in Relief and Development from the University of the Nations/Harpenden, England, and alternative healthcare licensure in Oregon and New York.
Barbara Richards, MS is the Founder and Director of Project 180. A former Adult Basic Education and GED teacher in the San Francisco County Jail system, she came to Florida to study for her Master’s of Science Degree in Criminology & Criminal Justice at Florida State University which she obtained in 2006. Prior to becoming involved in criminal justice issues, Ms. Richards owned and operated a successful restaurant in San Francisco for fifteen years.
Ms. Richards is a graduate of the Gulf Coast Community Foundation Leadership Institute and is a member of the American Jail Association and the Sarasota County Civic League. She currently trains in small farm operation and management and has been a practitioner of the Biodynamic/French Intensive method of farming and gardening for over twenty years.