revised january, 2008

Theresa Axford – is Principal of Sugarloaf Elementary/Middle School where she was named Monroe County Middle School Principal of the year in 2000 and 2003. She has taught English, Writing, Journalism, Classroom Management and Communication for Management on the high school and college levels, and has served as assistant principal and principal in both public and private schools. She is a Zonta past president, and has also served on the boards of the YMCA and the Lower Keys Republican Club.

Brownie Ballard – is President and Executive Director for the South Florida Center of the Arts.  Brownie received her Bachelors of Performing Arts Degree from Winston-Salem College in North Carolina, and a Masters Degree of Performing Arts and Education from the University of Miami and FAU.  Brownie’s extensive experience in the arts and education includes over 25 years of teaching music in Miami-Dade public and private schools; owning, managing and teaching in private art studios for over 30 years; music editor with Channel 2; and public relations with Hanson Publishing Company. Brownie is very involved in the community, and she is a member of the Key Largo and Islamorada Chambers, Business & Professional Women’s Association (BPW); the Mariner’s Hospital Advisory Board; and several other organizations.

Tom Butler – a Key Largo resident, retired as president of Westinghouse for Mexico and for Latin America. He managed numerous subsidiaries in Brazil and Venezuela. He speaks fluent Spanish and Portuguese as well as English after 13 years of residence in Latin America. His board service includes Brazil's American Society, Council of the Americas, The Key Players, and Upper Keys Sailing Club.

Connie "C.J." Groth – has won both artistic acclaim and commercial success with her dramatic photographic images, which have earned four international awards in the last three years. She recently signed with an art publishing firm for the international distribution of her prints. The Iowa native has two masters’ degrees: one in journalism and another in business administration. She retired from corporate business management with GE and Borg-Warner in the northeast US, and her own communication sales business in Monroe County in 1998 to devote full time to her art. Groth has lived in the Keys 15 years. She maintains a display of her photographs in Guild Hall Gallery, and has exhibited in 11 other galleries. Her photos of Cuba and Key West have been selected as covers for numerous publications.

Nancy Perez Miller – has over 27 years of architectural and construction experience in South Florida. A graduate in Architecture of the University of Detroit and University of Miami, Nancy established her architectural office in the Florida Keys almost 7 years ago. Nancy Perez Miller Architect, Inc. is a full service firm specializing in public, commercial and residential projects of all sizes and complexity. Community service includes working with the Islamorada Chamber of Commerce, St. Justin and San Pedro Catholic Church, sponsor of Brownie Troop 873 and in 2001 and 2002 and UKAA Minor League and Soccer Teams. Member of (BPW) Business and Professional Women Association, Key Largo Federation of Homeowner’s Association and the Islamorada Historical Preservation Society. Nancy Miller was chosen to be part of Leadership Monroe County Class XI. She has resided in the Florida Keys since 1995 and plans to practice Architecture in Paradise forever.

Dean Walters - is an accomplished singer, conductor, director and producer. A graduate of DePauw University with a major in choral music education and applied voice, Dean also graduated from the prestigious Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia, which is the only academy in the United States dedicated specifically to the operatic arts. He has won many vocal awards including the National Association of Teachers of Singing, and the Regional Metropolitan Opera Auditions. Since moving to Key West, Dean has been a member and featured soloist with the Keys Chorale at FKCC for the past ten years, and has just recently taken over the reins as director, upon the retirement of the group's founder, Emily Boyd Lowe. Dean teaches classes in voice, music appreciation, music theory and an opera/musical theatre workshop at FKCC, and is currently developing the curriculum for an Associate in Arts degree in Music. He has also taught private voice for over 30 years. He is also the music director of the Key West United Methodist Church, and conductor of the community Messiah production.

emeritus

chair emeritus
June Girard – is Chair Emeritus of the Florida Keys Council of the Arts. Recently relocated to Gainesville, June launched two arts council programs: the Art in the Hospital program at Lower Keys Medical Center, and the Arts in the Afternoon lunch-and-conversation series. Ms. Girard served on the hospital board, hosted the TV show Countyline, was president of the Monroe County League of Women Voters and secretary for the Florida LWV board. She was also president of the Tennessee Williams Fine Arts Center Founders Society and of the Red Barn Theatre Band of Angels.

director emeritus
Dr. Shirley Freeman – a founding member of the arts council, Key West resident Mayor Shirley Freeman believes the arts are healthy for the environment, tourism, and the local economy.  She supports positioning the Keys as a national and international arts destination.  Widow of Sheriff William A. Freeman Jr., she follows a long line of Freemans who have held public office in Monroe County for over a hundred years. She is a strong advocate of balancing economy, environment, and quality of life.  Mayor Freeman is a native of Arkansas and is retired after twenty years in school administration in Monroe County.  She was the principal of Douglass and Sigsbee Elementary schools in Key West, and previously she was the principal of the American School in Zagreb, Yugoslavia.  Her Ph.D. in school administration is from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.  Mayor Freeman wrote the introduction to the recently published book Billy Freeman: Florida Keys Sheriff, by AnnieLaura Jaggers.

director emeritus
Bill Andersen – is president of The Andersen Firm, A Professional Corporation, Attorneys and Law, which represents business clients in corporate, tax, management labor and employment, environmental and general civil litigation matters, and individuals in the estate planning and probate matters.  Mr. Andersen graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1976 with the Cleland Leadership Award. He graduated from the Vanderbilt University School of Law in 1984, where he was senior managing editor of the Vanderbilt Law Review. Mr. Andersen had served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the United States Department of Labor in the Bush Administration. He serves on various corporate boards of directors and is a graduate of Leadership Monroe County. A Key West resident, Mr. Andersen is married to an artist turned lawyer; they both love art and strongly support cultural tourism as the future of the Keys.|