FAU CARD Constituency Board Members
Please view the calendar If you are interested in attending our next Constituency Board meeting.
Joe Cardenas
Secretary
Joe is the regional president of Bank United in Florida. He is the father of a young boy with autism. He has been active in a number of community organizations with a focus on programs that seek to help children with disabilities and their families. Joe was the sponsor of the Inaugural FAU-CARD Golf Tournament held on September 20, 2007 at the Winston Trails Golf Course in Lake Worth. Joe has been very active with FAU faculty and the Autism Society of Florida in helping to advocate for autism services for the FAU region and the entire state having traveled to Tallahassee to share his views with legislatures.
Jaclyn (Jackie) Merens
Jackie lives in Boca Raton with her son Daniel who has autism. She has been a member of the UM CARD Constituency Board since its inception. She has been an advocate for children and families since her son was diagnosed in 1988 and is involved with many school and community organizations and boards throughout South Florida. Jackie is currently the South Florida Director for Autism Speaks coordinating fund raising events to raise money for biomedical research.
Contact: jmerens@autismspeaks.org
Joe Eppy
Joe Eppy is the founder and president of Eppy Financial Group, Inc. in Fort Lauderdale Florida. Joe became involved in Autism about 15 years ago when he needed to help a parent plan for their child with special needs. Joe subsequently was called upon by the MassMutual Insurance Co. to create their Special CareSM certification program and continues to teach other advisors how to do this very specific type of planning. Joe speaks nationally regarding this planning and is therefore involved with many of the disability organizations in the South Florida region. Joe actively sponsors many of their educational events as well as their fundraising efforts. Each year Joe puts on a Disability Awareness Night and treats 250 guests with disabilities to a fun tailgate party and tickets to a game. As of last year this game is now held at an FAU Football game. Joe is passionate about his involvement in the community. He and his wife Fran have 2 grown sons and reside in Boca Raton.
Contact: jeppy@finsvcs.com
Glen Stein
Mr. Stein serves the advisory board of the Florida Atlantic University Center for Autism and Related Disabilities. Mr. Stein has over 20 years experience in commercial lending, structured finance and capital markets. He currently leads the funding and capital markets strategies for First Capital, an asset-based lender headquartered in Boca Raton. Mr. Stein is also Co-Chairman of Duvera Financial, a consumer finance and billing company he founded in 2001. Prior to joining First Capital, Mr. Stein served as the Chief Financial Officer of eNeighborhoods, a real estate technology company located in Boca Raton. He was the General Manager of Ocwen Federal Bank’s commercial finance division, including its commercial mortgage servicing, special servicing and multifamily property business lines. Prior to Ocwen, Mr. Stein has served in management positions at Bayview Financial, UniCapital and Prudential Securities Investment Bank’s Structured Finance Group. He began his career practicing corporate law in New York at Winthrop, Stimson, Putnam & Roberts (now Pillsbury Winthrop). Mr. Stein served as Chairman of the Young Presidents’ Organization’s Palm Beach Chapter in 2008-2009. Mr. Stein received his B.A. from Amherst College in 1986 and his J.D. from Columbia Law School in 1989. He is married with two sons.
Terri Rose
Terri Rose is a native Floridian. She holds a Bachelors of Science Degree in Organizational Management from Palm Beach Atlantic University. She is the founder and Executive Director of a 501 c-3 non-profit organization, Health and Life Educational Enterprises, Inc. (H.A.L.E.E.). Ms. Rose has implemented programs for children who are on the autism spectrum for over fifteen years. H.A.L.E.E.’s Aspie’s Connect program provides an opportunity for individuals who have been diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome or High Functioning Autism to come together and socialize with volunteer students from local colleges. She also provides life skills, social skills, and job development and placement skills.
Ms. Rose is a community leader and has collaborated with many agencies over the years to educate the underserved population of Palm Beach County about the availability of resources in the community and the importance of being proactive regarding health care.Ms. Rose has served on the Board of Directors of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, the Breast Task Force of the American Cancer Society and on many committees in Palm Beach County, including Palm Beach County Head Start, the National Association of Fund Raising Professionals, 100 Coalition of Black Women, Kiwanis of Lake Worth, The Caridad Clinic/Migrant Association of South Florida PET Project, and Palm Beach County Immunization Coalition. She continues to be active in the community, serving in leadership roles throughout Palm Beach County.
Ms. Rose has been recognized for her commitment to the community and has received awards for her efforts, the Ribbon of Hope from Bristol-Meyers Squibb for educating women about early detection in breast cancer, the Courage Award from the American Cancer Society, the Leadership Award from Palm Beach County Head Start and Early Head Start and the Community Education Partner Award from the South Florida Affiliate of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.
John Miller
John Miller was born in 1968 in Montreal, Quebec. As a child he dealt with many social and academic difficulties. After many struggles and hard work he graduated from high school in 1986. John completed a BA in Political Science From Florida Atlantic University. A few years later he decided to get a Masters in Special Education, in order to help those with special needs. By chance John started teaching students with autism. During this time he was diagnosed with Asperger's and began the long road of accepting his own diagnosis. Realizing the many difficulties and barriers he had faced throughout his life, he became a strong advocate for individuals on the spectrum. In 2010 he finished a manuscript based on his own life and teaching experiences titled, "The A Word: My Life With Asperger's and the World of Autism." In early 2011 he felt privileged to be invited to the Autism society of Florida's Board. Later in the year he was profiled in Autism Spectrum Quarterly. Presently, he is beginning a manuscript on dating and relationships for males with high functioning autism and Asperger's titled; Navigating the Minefield: A Dating and Relationship Guide for Males with High-Functioning Autism and Asperger's.
Judi Donoff
Judi is a community leader and generous supporter of FAU CARD and many agencies supporting the autism and human services community. She is the wife of Craig Donoff and the mother to Mathew and Garrett Nemeroff and step-mother to Lindsey and Chase Donoff. Chase was an individual with autism who subsequently inspired Judi to work diligently to advocate for children and youth with special needs. Chase has since deceased. Judi has been instrumental in furthering and improving the quality of life for individuals with Autism and was the Honoree of FAU CARD’s 2012 Wings of Hope Event.
Past Board Members
Al Flores
Al has been a resident of Palm Beach County since 1970. He is the father of three children and a CARD constituent for many years. Al is a longtime member of the Autism Society of America of the Palm Beaches and the past chairperson of the Family Care Council. He is the current vice-chair of the Local Advocacy Council. Al is a member of the Partners in Transition Workgroup and member of the Palm Beach County Council for Transition. He earned his MBA from Nova Southeastern University and is currently employed as a Transition Advocacy Specialist at the Coalition for Independent Living Options.
Contact: alflores@att.net
Robert (Bob) Kanjian
Bob and his wife, Anne, have a young son with autism and served together as the 2005-2006 Honorary Chairs for the Palm Beach County Walk Far for NAAR event. Their son, Jack, has made remarkable progress as a result of the intensive and skilled intervention services Bob and Anne have coordinated. Jack is currently in the Talented and Gifted program in Palm Beach County Schools and is fully included in a general education classroom. Bob is an attorney and owner of Building Solutions, LLC in West Palm Beach. HE has served on the Independent Sales Surtax Oversight Committee of the Palm Beach County School District and was the Chairman of the Palm Beach County Environment Appeal Board for 2005-2006. He was elected to the Palm Beach County School Board from District 4 in 2006. In addition, Bob and Anne have been active in helping rally support for an expanded FAU CARD and continue to support CARD's efforts in Tallahassee.
Contact: bkanjian@buildingsolutionsllc.com
Pam Minelli
Pam is a marketing consultant for IBM Corporation with over 20 years of sales, marketing and management experience. She served as Chairperson for the Renaissance Learning Center Governing Board for four years and is currently Chairperson of Renaissance's School Advisory Council. Pam is active in fundraising for the Autism Project of Palm Beach County and has served as Co-Chairperson for their annual dinner. She is also a free-lance grant writer and proud mother to Andrew, a wonderful boy who has autism.
Contact: appbc@comcast.net
