15 Community Members Dedicated to Making Higher Education Possible at State College of Florida Foundation

April 2024—

The State College of Florida Foundation (SCFF) was founded in 1978 by a small group of community leaders who wanted to aid the State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota (SCF) by raising funds to provide scholarships, better equip the institution’s classrooms, and support the faculty and staff.

Today, that group remains small with its mighty 15 community leaders, plus three members from the college, including the Foundation’s Executive Director Cassandra Holmes, SCF President Dr. Carol F. Probstfeld and Michael Fuller, who serves as an SCF Trustee Liaison.

Members of the Foundation’s Board of Directors volunteer their time and talents to help SCF achieve its mission.

SCF’ s Mission

SCF, guided by measurable standards of institutional excellence, provides engaging and accessible learning environments that result in student success and community prosperity.

SCFF’s board members are leaders in Manatee and Sarasota counties’ business and civic sectors. They believe in higher education and recognize State College of Florida as one of the area’s major resources, educating and training our workforce, future employees, and the community in which we live.

Chris Romine, Board President and 1982 MJC Alumnus

Chris, a resident of Manatee County, joined Northern Trust on October 7, 2002. Chris was previously with M&I Bank as a Senior Vice President for eight years, with responsibilities in Commercial Lending.

Laura Cota, Board Vice President

Laura has lived in Manatee County for over 40 years and has owned The Cota Group Insurance Company, where she has been counseling residents regarding their insurance coverage for over 20 years.

Jodi Allen, Treasurer

Jodi is Vice President and Senior Relationship Manager, Florida West Coast, with Sunwest Bank.  She was born and raised in Bradenton, FL.  Jodi started her career in banking in 1990, all of it in the Bradenton/Sarasota area, except for three years in the Orlando/Kissimmee area. 

Jerilynn Chapin

Jerilynn Chapin is the HR & Internal Operations Director for Boyd Insurance & Investments. Jerilynn is a highly skilled and compassionate professional with over 30 years of combined experience in the banking and insurance industries.

Debi Cohoon

Debi and her husband have lived in Sarasota County for over 18 years and “wouldn’t want to live anywhere else in the world.”  Before building her real estate business with Premier Sotheby’s International Realty, Debi had professional careers with leadership roles in healthcare, engineering, higher education administration, teaching, training, and corporate education.

Kathleen Cucci, 1988 MCC Alum

Kathleen works as the Marketing Manager & Community Liaison at Manatee Physician Alliance. Before joining the SCFF BOD in 2019, Kathleen served as a member of the SCFF Scholarship Luncheon Committee and has assisted in raising thousands of dollars for SCFF sponsorships. 

Vernon DeSear

Vernon is the Chief Executive Officer of the Manatee Memorial Foundation. He served for 25 years on the Senior Management Group at Manatee Memorial Hospital before retiring in 2020.

Atticus Frank

Atticus Frank is a vice president with Mercer Capital, a business valuation and financial advisory firm that works with private and public companies. He has experience across a wide range of valuation engagements, including estate and gift tax planning and compliance, transaction advisory services, and litigation support.

Jane Knaack-Esbeck

Jane is a retired HR and Administrative Executive with a background in management, training, people development, and culture development in organizations with which she has been associated. Jane has always been a groundbreaker in her career, making things better for everyone involved. Her personal motto, “Draw the circle bigger,” defines her business career and personal life.

Lisa Krebs-Knepp

Lisa Krebs-Knepp is a Vice President and Senior Trust Officer with Bank of America Private Bank. Lisa joined Bank of America in 2011 and has over 25 years of experience in the legal and financial services industry.

Lois Lucek

A lifelong educator, Lois Lucek received her master’s degree in teaching English from Teacher’s College, Columbia University. She taught middle and high school for 33 years in Chatham, N.J., before retiring and moving to Sarasota in 2010. Her mission as a teacher was to get students to college.

Cindy McCollum

Introduced to State College of Florida by a neighbor, Cindy sponsored and mentored a music student at SCF for two years.  She’s currently sponsoring a second music student. Cindy has a marketing and advertising background. She also enjoys being on the planning committee for the annual SCF Avenues to the Future event.

Alix Morin

Alix is passionate about her family, education, students, and volunteering.  She began serving on the SCF Foundation Board of Directors in 2019 but has been involved with SCFF since 2012 as a member of the “Avenues to the Future” event Committee.  She (and her late husband, Mark) have sponsored the SCFF Scholarship Luncheon, and SCFF Avenues to the Future created the “Mark and Alix Scholarship” and the “Dr. Herbie Solomon Memorial Nursing Scholarship” funds at SCF Foundation and supported the SCF Studio for the Performing Arts Building capital project-Student Practice Studio. 

Jeff Phillips

Jeff Phillips has over three decades of experience in the banking, accounting, and finance industry. Currently, Jeff serves as the CFOO for Gallagher & Hagopian Law, where he is entrusted with overseeing all aspects of accounting, finance, and operational metrics efficiencies. Beyond his professional commitments, Jeff also has the privilege of representing the Pittsburgh Pirates organization as the Voice of LECOM Park during the Pirates’ Spring Training season. Additionally, he lends his voice and support to the Bradenton Marauders, the Pirates’ Low A Affiliate, during their regular summertime season.

Carol Whitmore, 1982 MJC Alum

Carol is a longtime Manatee County resident. She attended MJC (now known as State College of Florida), earning her RN degree in 1982. While working in Healthcare, Carol was elected Holmes Beach City Commissioner in 1991 and became Mayor of Holmes Beach in 1998. In 2006, she was elected as Manatee County Commissioner, At Large, representing 420,000 residents until Nov. 2022. Throughout her political career, Carol worked in the medical profession until 2020.

The Board contributes its expertise and generously gives its time and resources. Providing external oversight of the Foundation’s operations, the Board also has an active committee structure that includes an Asset Management Committee, an Audit and Risk Management Committee, a Finance and Resource Development Committee, a Governance Committee, and a Scholarship Committee.

“On behalf of the SCF Foundation and SCF community, we are grateful to our board members and community leaders for their time, expertise and service,” said Holmes. “They make higher education possible for the deserving students of Manatee and Sarasota Counties, and beyond.”

If you’re interested in joining the State College of Florida Foundation board, contact Executive Director Cassandra Holmes at HolmesC@SCF.edu.