BOARD OF DIRECTORS

The Island School is supported by the Cape Eleuthera Foundation Board of Directors:

Chair

Mr. Leslie Morris has been in real estate development in South Carolina since 1973 and has built over $200 million in hotels, condominiums, and resorts. With his partner, he created the largest hotel company in the Myrtle Beach area. Morris currently manages Pawleys Plantation Golf & Country Club, a golf resort in Pawleys Island, SC.

Members At Large

Mr. William Bardel is the associate head master and chief financial officer of The Lawrenceville School. Prior to this appointment, he worked in city planning in New York City and was a managing director in international investment banking at Lehman Brothers.

Mr. Kenneth Beall, Jr. has been a partner at the law firm of Gunster, Yoakley, et al. in West Palm Beach since 1964. He is the director of the Whitehall Foundation and the Wells Family Foundation and serves as secretary and trustee of the Caribbean Latin American Action organization.

Dr. Daniel Benetti is associate professor and director of the aquaculture program in marine affairs division at the Rosenstiel School of Atmospheric and Marine Sciences at the University of Miami. He has partnered with CEF to develop the offshore aquaculture project, modeled after a similar system he developed in Puerto Rico.

Mr. William Bohnett (Parent S’02) is a partner with the international law firm of Fulbright & Jaworski L.L.P. in New York City specializing in corporate and securities matters, including investment company, investment adviser, hedge fund, and emerging company representation. Bohnett is a visiting fellow of the World Resources Institute and a member of the National Council of Environmental Defense.

Mr. Eric Carey is originally from Tarpum Bay, Eleuthera and is the appointed executive director of the Bahamas National Trust (BNT) and is a committed Bahamian environmentalist that has served as the Director of Parks and Science Liaison for BNT since 2003.  He is the past president of the Society for the Conservation and Study of Caribbean Birds and was a conservation officer at the Department of Agriculture.

Mr. Daniel DeVos is the president of D.P. Fox Ventures, LLC, a business and management firm, and developer and owner of successful sports teams in Michigan. Additionally, he is chairman and CEO of the Georgian International Group of Companies Ltd., headquartered in Barrie, Ontario and is president of Landquest Cays, Ltd., developer and manager of the Princess Cruise Lines’ Princess Cays docking and entertainment facility on Eleuthera. He serves on the boards of many corporations and civic organizations.

Dr. Sylvia Earle is the co-founder and director of Deep Ocean Engineering, Inc. as well as the chairman of Deep Ocean Exploration and Research. She is an Explorer-in-Residence with the National Geographic Society and a Research Associate with the Smithsonian Institution. She is the former chief scientist at the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration. She is on several boards including the Center for Marine Conservation, The Explorers Club, World Resources Institute, and the Lindbergh Foundation.

Ms. Francesca Forrestal graduated from Nightingale-Bamford and attended The Island School in fall 1999. Frankie is currently enrolled at UC-Santa Cruz in marine studies. She has been a lead donor to the Cape Eleuthera Foundation for the past several years.

Ms. Jennie Freeman is the founding principal of Deep Creek Middle School.  She worked five years in Eleuthera, four years at the middle school and one year at The Island School.  Jennie received her M.Ed from Lesley University in collaboration with Shady Hill School and attended Colby College as an undergraduate.

Mr. David Green (Parent S’04) is the Vice Chairman and Managing Director of Cape Eleuthera Resort Limited, master developer of the 4,400 acre Cape Eleuthera penininsula. In 2005, the company broke ground on a 70 unit residential project--Powell Pointe at Cape Eleuthera--and the redevelopment of the 13 acre Cape Eleuthera Marina. Most recently, Mr. Green served as Executive Vice President/COO of DP Fox Ventures, a Michigan based company with holdings in the sports, automotive and real estate industries.

Ms. Carlene Larsson (Parent F’03) has worked in the human resources field developing an expertise in consulting and recruiting, compensation, and employee performance assessments. She has written several articles and delivered papers on issues of race, class, and gender. She is on the board of Visions, Inc., a non-profit organization that provides multicultural consultation and training to individuals and groups.

Dr. Kevin Mattingly is Dean of Faculty at The Lawrenceville School and an Island School mentor. He was a founding faculty member of Milton Academy's Mountain School Program, a semester academic program for high school students focused on environmental science. He has been a master teacher for fifteen years in the Klingenstein Institute for Teachers at Columbia University, where he has led seminars on the application of learning theory to teaching strategies and curriculum design.

Mr. Ernie Parizeau (Parent F’03 and S’06) is a venture partner at Norwest Venture Partners, a venture capital firm.  He joined the firm in 1984 and opened its Boston office in 1989.  He graduated from Dartmouth in 1979 with a A.B. degree in Engineering Sciences and in 1984 with an MBA degree.   Ernie is also a Adjunct Professor of Entrepreneurship at Babson College and the Olin College of Engineering.   He is a trustee of the Noble and Greenough School, the Charles River School, and the Newton Wellesley Hospital.  

Ms. Clare Pierson (Parent S’00) is active in several community organizations in New York City, including the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. She is an herbalist and has taught and lectured on various aspects of homeopathy and spiritual ways of healing. She serves as a trustee and vice president of the Rockefeller Family Fund.

Ms. Wendy Siegel (Parent S’06) is a co-founder of “KIDS”, a pediatric foundation for education and fund raising at the NYU Medical Center and serves on its executive board.  She is also a member of the board of trustees for the Horace Mann School in New York.  She served as president of the board of trustees of the Big Apple Circus for 10 years.  In 2006 Wendy was named co-chair of the Council of National Trustees for National Jewish Medical and Research Center in Denver.

Ms. Kenyatta Thompson is originally from Wemyss Bight, Eleuthera and is the director of resort services for the Cape Eleuthera Resort and Yacht Club where she assists with marketing and human resources, manages food and beverage service, and obtains all the necessary Bahamian permitting to operate the marina.  She is currently the chairlady of the South Eleuthera Disaster Relief Committee and a member of the South Eleuthera Mission Foundation.  Kenny has held positions with the Bahamas Teacher Union, the Bahamas Industrial Tribunal and Princess Cays.

Dr. David Verdier (Parent S’03) is a doctor of ophthalmology in private practice in Grand Rapids, MI. He is a member of several medical associations and serves in an advisory capacity to many community-based organizations including the East Grand Rapids Schools Foundation, Macatawa Park Cottagers Association, and the Grand Rapids Art Museum.