President

Dr. José Francisco Barros, DDS, is an Endodontist who has practiced in South Florida since 1987. He joined Tropical Audubon Society in the late 1980s, was asked onto the Board in 1992, and was elected TAS president in 2002.

 Born in Spain after his family returned to their homeland from Cuba to escape the Castro-led Revolution, José and his family then immigrated to United States in 1962, settling in Jacksonville, Florida, where “Joe” grew up on the North Florida beaches and along the St. Johns River. It was here that he became enchanted by Nature. As a child exploring the great outdoors, he learned to identify local fish, snakes and birds. As a boy scout, he enjoyed hiking and camping. Primed by his interactions with wildlife, Joe attended University of Florida, where he received a B.S. in Zoology, followed by a stint at Emory University, where he received a Dentistry degree in 1987; he next earned an Endodontics Certificate from Nova Southeastern University in 1999.

When Joe’s family resettled in South Florida he followed, discovering the Everglades and Biscayne Bay, balancing his private practice with his passion for Nature. In the decades since joining TAS, Joe has hosted Native Plant Sales, led bird walks here and abroad, and has represented TAS at numerous gatherings. During his tenure as TAS president, the conservation organization has been instrumental in conservation efforts protecting Biscayne Bay and supporting Everglades Restoration as well as the natural areas in Miami-Dade County in holding the Urban Development Line.

While birds and birding occupy much of his free time outside the dental office, the broader Animal Kingdom remains of keen interest, so he was honored to accept a place on the Zoo Miami Board in 2016.

Married to Helen Torres since 1991, the two find joy in music, travel and birding, and also take great pleasure in the camaraderie of the extended TAS family.

Honorary Director

Roger Hammer joined the Tropical Audubon Society Board in 1997, and currently serves on it in an honorary capacity. A professional naturalist and also a survivalist instructor for the Discovery Channel's reality TV show Naked and Afraid, he presently leads annual wildflower walks in Everglades National Park for TAS and other organizations. But Roger may be best known for his epic role as manager of the 120-acre Castellow Hammock Nature Center, where he served for 30 years before retiring from the Miami-Dade County Parks Department in 2010.

He received the first Marjory Stoneman Douglas Award presented by the Florida Native Plant Society in 1982, TAS honored him with the Charles Brookfield Medal in 1996, and in 2003 he received the Green Palmetto Award in Education from the Florida Native Plant Society, which also bestowed on him the prestigious Mentor Award in 2019. He has delivered keynote speeches at Florida Native Plant Society state conferences and at the 2008 World Orchid Conference in Miami. In 2012, Roger received an honorary Doctor of Science degree from Florida International University for his work on the flora of Florida. He is the author of Everglades Wildflowers, Florida Keys Wildflowers, Central Florida Wildflowers, Complete Guide to Florida Wildflowers, Attracting Hummingbirds and Butterflies in Tropical Florida, Exploring Everglades National Park and the Surrounding Area, and Paddling Everglades and Biscayne National Parks. 

Roger lives in Homestead with his wife, Michelle.

Honorary Board Member

Richard Pettigrew is a former Florida lawmaker and retired environmental attorney. He served in the Florida House of Representatives for the 97th district, as a Democrat, serving from 1963 to 1972. From 1971 to 1972, he was Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives. During his Florida House Speaker tenure, he was instrumental in achieving strides toward Everglades Restoration. He was a Special Assistant to the President for Governmental Reorganization between 1977-1980.  He retired from Morgan, Lewis & Bockius, where had served as Partner in charge of the Miami office's Environmental Practice Group (1981-1998). He is a long-time member of the Tropical Audubon Society Board and is an active member of the Conservation Committee.

Richard was born in Charleston, West Virginia, in 1930 and moved to Florida with his family the same year. Following his career in the Florida statehouse, he also served as Chair, Audubon of Florida Board of Directors, 1999 to 2004 and as Chair of Greenhouse Emissions Committee, Miami-Dade Advisory Task Force On Climate Change, 2007 to present.

He attended the University of Florida, A.B., 1953, LL.B., 1957, Florida Blue Key, Hall of Fame, Phi Delta Theta Phi Alpha Delta, Tau Kappa Alpha, Lopez Prize award for best student contribution to Volume 10 UF Law Review. He served in the United States Air Force, Captain in Reserve, Photo Intelligence, and served in Korea and Japan.

Board of Directors

Hailing from bird-rich Colombia, Eliana Ardila Kramer was destined to be a birder and nature lover. Her biological endeavors have taken her to the far corners of the world, where she immerses herself in nature with a warmth and excitement for all life.

 A Miami resident since 1995, she joined the Tropical Audubon Society Board in 2021. She’s rarely ever spotted without a camera hanging around her neck; she is a committed and spirited photographer with a keen eye for composition and technique. She’s also a field biologist, ceramicist, gardener, vegan chef, avid environmentalist ... you name it. 

 Formally, Eliana is the executive director and lead veterinary technician for Project PetSnip, where she has spayed and neutered tens of thousands of pets and stray animals since 2013.

 Her passion for Florida native plants is expressed in her own backyard, where she maintains a naturally landscaped space that is frequented by birds, butterflies and other native wildlife. With her outgoing personality and contagious enthusiasm, she is a captivating speaker, too. Together with her veterinarian husband, Marc Kramer, they are the “Birding by Bus” couple with an active social media presence and a birding tour business of the same name. Inspired by her 1978 Volkswagen Bus, she has nurtured her unique ecotourism company through which she leads birding and nature tours worldwide, specializing in Latin America, as well as tours designed specifically for women.

High Pines resident and retired veterinarian Michael Aronsohn joined Tropical Audubon Society Board in 2024, a role that aligns with his passions for birds, nature and gardening.

Michael received a BA in Biology from Temple University and a VMD from the University of Pennsylvania, where he completed a surgical residency in 1981. Prior to moving to South Florida in 1994 with his wife Penny, an attorney, and their 3 children, he was a Clinical Professor of Veterinary Surgery at Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine and served as Chairman of the Massachusetts State Board of Veterinary Medicine.

Subsequent chapters included a private specialty practice in Miami and teaching Veterinary Surgery at Iowa State University, Louisiana State University and the University of Melbourne in Australia. Michael has authored more than 30 scientific articles and book chapters, has lectured nationally and internationally, has contributed his veterinary services to native American tribes in North Dakota and Washington State and to indigenous peoples in Australia, and volunteered in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria to care for injured and displaced animals.

Michael is a longtime member of the National and Massachusetts Audubon societies. He has participated in examining, banding and collecting blood and fecal samples from Osprey chicks from approximately 100 nests on the Westport River in Massachusetts, and from around Hog Island Audubon Sanctuary in Maine.

After participating in a birding trip to Biscayne National Park with his daughter’s MAST Academy class led by Field Trip Coordinator Brian Rapoza, Michael was inspired to join TAS.

Michael is also an avid photographer and intrepid traveler who has hiked several sections of the Appalachian Trail and scaled its Northern terminus, Mount Katahdin, three times; it was in the latter setting where he spotted his first Bald Eagle.

Retired attorney Miguel Caridad joined Tropical Audubon Society in 2020, He became a Conservation Committee member in 2021, and was voted onto the Board of Directors in 2022.

Miguel was born in 1958 in Havana, Cuba; in 1961, his family emigrated to Miami, where he grew up. He left Florida for Columbia College, NYC, and later attended University of Pennsylvania Law School, where he received a law degree.

He returned to Miami to pursue a rewarding career in criminal defense, highlighted by a 30-year tenure with the Federal Public Defender’s Office Felony Cases Unit.

Shortly before retiring in 2016, Miguel began learning about South Florida’s natural environment, which he first got to know on “kayak-camping” adventures to Everglades National Park and the Big Cypress Preserve.

Miguel subsequently volunteered at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, where he maintained Pine Rockland habitat with other volunteers as well as helping Fairchild biologists monitor endangered plants struggling to survive in pockets across MDC.

Further afield he participated in planting torchwood trees (the host plant for the Schauss butterfly) at the Crocodile Lake National Wildlife Refuge in the upper Keys. Outside of his volunteerism Miguel enjoys birdwatching, photography and stewarding his native Pine Rockland habitat he created in his own yard via the Connect to Protect Network, a community program under the Fairchild umbrella.

Saralane Conde is a Certified Public Accountant who serves as Manager of Accounting at the University of Miami. She was on the Tropical Audubon Board from 2014 to 2018, serving as Treasurer and as a member of the Finance Committee. She rejoined the Tropical Audubon Society Board in 2021.

Her professional trajectory includes roles as Manager of Financial Reporting, Payroll & Internal Audit for Starboard Cruise Services (a division of LVMH Moët Hennessy-Louis Vuitton), Manager of Corporate Accounting for LNR Property Corp. and Senior Financial Auditor for PricewaterhouseCoopers, along with holding various Senior Accounting, Senior Internal Audit and Senior Business Analysis positions for Royal Caribbean Cruises.

Saralane holds a B.S. in Chemistry from University of Miami and a Master of Science degree in Accounting from Florida International University.

She enjoys the outdoors and walking her dog daily, and usually can be found volunteering in the TAS Bird-friendly Demonstration Garden on the third Saturday of every month.

Victor Dover, FAICP, LEED-AP, is Principal-in-charge of Dover, Kohl & Partners Town Planning.He is nationally recognized as an innovator in city planning, neighborhood design and street design. He joined the Tropical Audubon Society Board in 2021.

 Victor has led more than 200 charrettes and lectures around the world on the topics of livable communities and sustainable development, and has served as National Chair of the Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU). He coauthored, with John Massengale, the breakthrough book Street Design: The Secret to Great Cities and Towns (Wiley 2014).

Victor has been awarded the John Nolen Medal for contributions to Urbanism, is a Fellow of both the American Institute of Certified Planners and CNU, and is an adjunct faculty member at the University of Miami. Victor also serves as Vice President of the Parks Foundation of Miami-Dade.

Bio to Come.

Kirsten Hines is a Coconut Grove-based author, photographer and conservationist. Anchored by her master’s degree in biology and background as an environmental educator, her writing and photography highlight nature and wildlife around the world, as well as closer to home where, among other conservation work, she aims to inspire the re-greening of South Florida’s urban corridor. She served on the Tropical Audubon Society Board from 2006-2008 and rejoined in 2018.

Kirsten’s writing and photography have appeared in several publications, including six books on Florida’s nature and history: the wildlife gardening reference Attracting Birds to South Florida Gardens (University Press of Florida, 2014), the coffee-table book Birds of Fairchild (Acclaim Press, 2014), and the pictorial history books Key Biscayne (Arcadia Publishing, 2014), Biscayne National Park (Arcadia Publishing, 2017), Dry Tortugas National Park (Arcadia Publishing, 2019) and Everglades National Park (Arcadia Publishing, 2021). Kirsten’s upcoming books include the photographic coffee-table book Wild Florida: The Animals of the Sunshine State (University Press of Florida, 2023), and a pictorial guide to the Birds of Florida (Bloomsbury Publishing, 2023). Kirsten’s images have also been featured in numerous photography showcases, public art programs, and in numerous solo and juried group exhibitions regionally, nationally and internationally. She lectures and conducts workshops on birds and other wildlife, gardening, travel and photography. She is a founding member of the women’s group Phoebes Birding, is a Conservation Associate of the Institute for Regional Conservation, a member of the IUCN Iguana Specialist Group, and serves on the board of Audubon Florida. Learn more about Kirsten and her work at www.KirstenHines.com.

Daniel C. Jones (Dan) enjoyed a 30-year career with the Miami-Dade County Public Schools as a journalism and social studies teacher, department chairperson, assistant principal and principal.  Following his retirement from the school district in 1997, he then worked for 13 years as an adjunct professor for Barry University and as a professional services contractor, before truly retiring in 2010.  To put his history and writing background to good use, Dan volunteered in 2013 to research and document the rich history of Audubon societies in South Florida, and joined the TAS Board in 2018.  

 Raised and educated in Tampa from the age of 3 after his family moved from South Carolina, Dan attended the University of Florida, where he graduated in 1967 with a B.S. degree in Journalism and Communications. While teaching at Miami Edison High School, he earned an M.S. Education degree from Florida International University in 1974. 

As the resident TAS historian, Dan was responsible for the acquisition of a Florida Historical Marker to recognize the Doc Thomas House as a Florida Heritage Site, and for establishing the guided tours program for the society’s historic 1932 headquarters. In addition to his passion for local history, the High Pines resident also enjoys reading, meeting new people, being in nature, casual birdwatching, playing golf and traveling with his wife, Kathy. He remains an avid Gator fan and follows the FIU Panthers, too.

From rattling off the names of every dinosaur at the age of 2, Marc Kramer’s beginnings as a birder began in the early 1990s as a student at Cornell University. Mesmerized by the work of his ornithology professors, he embraced the opportunity to conduct avian field work on a remote seabird island in Alaska, in the neotropical rainforests of Panama, and on a wetland refuge for shorebirds in Northern California. Those formative days set into motion an unrelenting enthusiasm for birds. A plethora of “life birds” later, he steered his professional career toward birds — albeit with a unique twist: Marc became a veterinarian specializing in the medical care of birds, wildlife and unusual pets. He joined the Tropical Audubon Society Board in 2021.

After completing his veterinary training at Cornell and a wildlife medicine internship in Canada, Marc moved to Miami in 2000 for his first job at an avian and exotic animal veterinary hospital. In addition to working with non-traditional pets, he has worked tirelessly in the animal shelter medicine field, with a focus on providing high-volume spay and neuter services for dogs, cats and rabbits. He is licensed as a veterinarian in seven states. In addition to providing services throughout South Florida, he often travels outside his home state to deliver much-needed veterinary care to remote and low-income communities domestically and abroad.

Over the past 30 years, Marc has made birds his life’s passion, both professionally and recreationally, traveling across the globe in a perpetual birding quest. Together with his wife, Eliana, who shares the same obsession — they embarked on a North American birding “Big Year” in 2018, tracking down birds on an epic road trip from Florida to Alaska in their 1978 Volkswagen Bus! From that memorable adventure, their ecotourism company “Birding by Bus” was hatched, enabling them to lead birding and nature excursions worldwide.

Bio to come.

DeBlois Milledge is a Miami native, the daughter of the late Lewis “Brother” Milledge, a Tropical Audubon Society Board member. She joined the Tropical Audubon Society Board herself in 2021.

 Her love of the environment and education began as a child. Her father was a Scout leader, so as the family spent time camping, canoeing and hiking, DeBlois began to learn the names of the local plants and animals, and the importance of native species to our ecosystems. As a young person, she worked as a Naturalist at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Biscayne Nature Center.

Music lovers from Coconut Grove to Key West know DeBlois as a singer-songwriter and guitarist. South Florida concert venues, such as The Barnacle Moonlight Concert Series, showcase her folksy, family-friendly vibe. Many of her songs are about South Florida's unique nature. Her song "South of Okeechobee" is featured in the PBS documentary “Escape to Dreamland, The Story of the Tamiami Trail,” by director Timothy Long.

The accomplished singer/songwriter received her Associate of Science in Nursing degree from Miami Dade College, and a Bachelor of Arts from Florida International University. She presently works as a pediatric nurse, writes songs and camps on weekends.

Engaging with the legacy of stewardship that her father brought to TAS, with a focus on groundskeeping, volunteer coordination and community outreach through music, is what excites DeBlois most about her board role.

Oscar J. Padron is a partner at Turner & Associates, LLP in Miami. The High Pines resident is a Certified Public Accountant and a Certified Financial Planner. He joined the Tropical Audubon Society Board in 2020.

Richard Pettigrew is a former Florida lawmaker and retired environmental attorney. He served in the Florida House of Representatives for the 97th district, as a Democrat, serving from 1963 to 1972. From 1971 to 1972, he was Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives. During his Florida House Speaker tenure, he was instrumental in achieving strides toward Everglades Restoration. He was a Special Assistant to the President for Governmental Reorganization between 1977-1980.  He retired from Morgan, Lewis & Bockius, where had served as Partner in charge of the Miami office's Environmental Practice Group (1981-1998). He is a long-time member of the Tropical Audubon Society Board and is an active member of the Conservation Committee.

Richard was born in Charleston, West Virginia, in 1930 and moved to Florida with his family the same year. Following his career in the Florida statehouse, he also served as Chair, Audubon of Florida Board of Directors, 1999 to 2004 and as Chair of Greenhouse Emissions Committee, Miami-Dade Advisory Task Force On Climate Change, 2007 to present.

He attended the University of Florida, A.B., 1953, LL.B., 1957, Florida Blue Key, Hall of Fame, Phi Delta Theta Phi Alpha Delta, Tau Kappa Alpha, Lopez Prize award for best student contribution to Volume 10 UF Law Review. He served in the United States Air Force, Captain in Reserve, Photo Intelligence, and served in Korea and Japan.

Brian Rapoza was, until his retirement in 2018, an environmental science teacher, outreach specialist and internship coordinator at MAST Academy, Maritime & Science Technology High School in Miami. During his tenure with the Miami-Dade County Public Schools system, dating to 1988, he has led thousands of school children on bird-watching expeditions through Everglades National Park and other area birding destinations. In 2006, he was named MAST Teacher of the Year. He has served as Tropical Audubon Society Field Trip Coordinator since joining the TAS Board in 2001. In this role, he leads birding field trips throughout Florida, the U.S. and the Neotropics.

Brian is the author of Birding Florida, a bird-finding guide to more than 200 locations throughout the state. Since 2001, he has also served as the Christmas Bird Counts compiler for both Miami and Coot Bay/Everglades National Park. 

He is a returned Peace Corps Volunteer, having served in the Philippines from 1983 to 1985, and is past president of the Returned Peace Corps Volunteers of South Florida. 

Originally from New Bedford, Massachusetts, Brian attended the University of Massachusetts and graduated in 1980 with a B.S. in Marine Biology.

Terrence “Rock” Salt has been a leader in Everglades Restoration efforts since 1991. He retired from the Department of the Army in 2013 and accepted a position as a Trustee on the South Florida National Parks Trust. His 6-year term ended in 2019, when he was elected to the Tropical Audubon Society Board and serves as a co-chair of the Conservation Committee. 

From 1991-1994, then Colonel Salt led the Corps of Engineers effort to receive Congressional Authorization and funding for the Kissimmee River Restoration project. Construction commenced in the Spring of 1994 and set the course for the start of comprehensive Everglades Restoration planning. In 1994, Rock began his work as the Executive Director for the South Florida Ecosystem Restoration Task Force and member of the Governor’s Commission for a Sustainable South Florida. These two groups formed the core of the planning process that resulted in the Federal legislation for the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan. 

In 2003, Rock shifted to the role of coordinating the Department of the Interior work to implement the restoration plans. In March 2009, he accepted a position in the Obama Administration as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army (Civil Works) and coordinated ecosystem restoration principles and policies for the Corps of Engineers throughout the United States. 

Rock graduated from the U.S Military Academy at West Point in 1966. He and his wife, Heather, were married after his graduation and have four sons and nine grandchildren.

Jeff Shimonski has worked in the Tropical Horticulture & Arboriculture industry since 1972, with a focus on Sustainable Landscape Development. He formed Tropical Designs of Florida in 1996, a consulting firm that specializes in Tree Resource Evaluations, Site Inspections/Reports and Due Diligence Evaluations. Jeff brings his considerable tree expertise and love for native plants and wildlife to our conservation mission. Because his High Pines residence abuts Steinberg Nature Center his presence and input have proven all the more valuable. 

From his Miami base, Jeff consults globally with architects, landscape architects, property owners and developers on new and existing landscape developments. His credentials also include a remarkable 40-year combined tenure as Director of Horticulture & Facilities at the old Parrot Jungle in Pinecrest and at the zoological theme park's Jungle Island iteration. 

Jeff is a member of the American Society of Consulting Arborists, and is an ISA-certified Arborist Municipal Specialist. His scope of work includes Tropical Horticulture, Tropical Arboriculture, ISA Tree Risk Assessment Qualification, Sustainable Landscape Development and Plant Health Care, Integrated Mosquito Management and Expert Witness Testimony. On his rare off days he enjoys communing with Nature in his own backyard "jungle." 

Elizabeth Smith has been communicating on the delicious and luxurious for decades. In 1984, she co-founded Wine News magazine, an award-winning international publication printed with soy-based ink on recycled paper. After retiring the niche magazine in 2010, she channeled her media experience into a branding consultancy. In the same year she launched an Open Space initiative that would morph into Whitman Woods Project. In collaboration with North American Land Trust, the project aims to save the last woods standing on a Laurel Springs, New Jersey, lakefront where Poet Walt Whitman famously sought renewal in Nature.

Serving since 2011 on the TAS Board, Elizabeth contributes her publishing know-how to the TAS Mission, helping facilitate messaging, cultivate community partnerships and create signature events such as Conservation Concerts, Walk in the Woods with Wine & Whisk and BEE-cause Flea.

Born in Coral Gables, Elizabeth spent her childhood swimming in Biscayne Bay, riding her bike to Matheson Hammock and camping at Owaissa Bauer. Indoctrinated by her parents with a deep-seated respect for the environment and a recycling ethos, she has advocated for conservation since her formative Girl Scout years. 

Elizabeth cofounded Les Dames d'Escoffier Miami and the original Pinecrest Farmers Market, and has served on the advisory boards of Educate Tomorrow, Merrick House, Miami Wine & Food Festival and Slow Food Miami. She holds a B.A. in Mass Communications from the University of South Florida (1978) followed by postgraduate Photojournalism studies at University of Miami.

Tiffany Troxler is a research scientist with the Southeast Environmental Research Center at Florida International University. She is Director and Associate Director for Science of the Seal Level Solutions Center. Her research focus on Wetland Ecosystems Ecology employs approaches that include landscape- to local-scale hydrological monitoring of surface and groundwater water quality and ecosystem responses to environmental change. Her research informs management and restoration of coastal and freshwater wetland ecosystems. Tiffany joined the Tropical Audubon Society BOD in 2014.

From 2011-2013, she was visiting researcher and wetland expert with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Task Force on National Greenhouse Gas Inventories based in Japan at the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies. The author of more than 30 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters is also co-editor and contributing author of two IPCC methodological reports published in 2014. She is a national Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Inventories review expert for the United National Framework Convention on Climate Change in the Land Use, Land-Use Change and Forestry sector, and has trained government experts around the world to develop and conduct national scale GHG inventories.

As project collaborator and working group co-lead in the Florida Coastal Everglades Long-Term Ecological Research program, she works to engage students and colleagues in national and international collaborative research with the aim of addressing local- to global-scale sustainability challenges.

Tiffany holds a B.S. in Anthropology from Tulane University and a B.S. in Environmental Science from Florida International University, the latter at which she also earned her PhD in 2005.

Advisory Board

Artist, Naturalist and Field Guide Rafael Gálvez coordinates the Florida Keys Hawkwatch, the southernmost migration monitoring project in the continental U.S. The counts have been conducted during the fall season since 1999, and count data can be viewed via FloridaKeysHawkwatch.com. Rafael joined the Tropical Audubon Society Board in 2010.

With Rafael’s input and a revitalized initiative to enhance citizen science activity in the region, TAS took on a leadership role with Florida Keys Hawkwatch in 2010. Since then, Rafael has coordinated the project as a combined effort between volunteers and research professionals, under the auspices of regional and national conservation organizations.

Rafael has been birding and illustrating birds since age 12, when he first joined TAS. His love of Florida birds was sealed during the 7th grade, when he set out to illustrate in the field all of his county’s water birds for his science fair project.

Rafael has participated in numerous conservation and education projects throughout Florida, Eurasia and Latin America. He is currently illustrating a series of guides to birds and habitat and is an international tour guide for Victor Emanuel Nature Tours.

George Gann is Executive Director and Chief Conservation Strategist of the Institute for Regional Conservation (IRC), and International Policy Lead for the Society for Ecological Restoration (SER). He has spent the last 40 years working on the conservation of rare plants, the restoration of ecosystems and a host of other conservation and sustainability issues. He has played a leadership role in several organizations including IRC, SER and the Florida Native Plant Society. He served on the Tropical Audubon Society Board 1997-2008, and on the Advisory Board ever since.

The South Florida native attended the University of Colorado Boulder, where he received a B.A. with distinction in International Affairs and Environmental Conservation. He has traveled widely in Latin America, as well as Europe, Asia and Australia, and contributes to national and international outreach on behalf of IRC and SER. 

He is highly regarded and widely respected for his conservation work, which has earned him numerous awards, including: Chair Emeritus from the Society for Ecological Restoration, the Conservation Colleague Award from The Nature Conservancy and the Tropical Audubon Society Board Appreciation Award.

George lives in Delray Beach, Florida, with his wife Egdomilia and their daughter Maya; his son Leif resides in North Carolina

Cindy Lerner has been civically engaged in environmental advocacy by advancing sustainable policies and implementing programs and improvements at the local, state and national level since 2000. She joined the Tropical Audubon Society Advisory Board in 2018. 

From 2008 through 2016 Cindy was the twice-elected Mayor of Pinecrest, Florida. During her term, she focused on a number of important community issues, including climate resilient practices, enhancing transit options, water quality, renewable and efficient energy practices, gun safety and sea level rise. She also served as President of the Miami-Dade County League of Cities. 

While mayor she led the Village of Pinecrest to become certified as a Florida Certified Green Local Government from 2012-2017 and to create its own Climate Action Plan. In the process she became a nationally recognized leader on Climate Change policies. 

Prior to serving as Pinecrest mayor, Cindy was elected to the Florida House of Representatives for South Dade, District 119, serving from 2000-2002. Before running for public office, she was a practicing attorney with the Guardian Ad Litem Program at Miami-Dade County’s Juvenile Court, representing the best interests of thousands of abused and neglected children for 16 years. She suspended the active practice of law in 1998 to focus on advocating for better, more proactive legislative policies and priorities.

Among her extensive local, state and national advocacy and leadership efforts, Cindy served as the Chair of the National League of Cities’ Energy, Environment and Natural Resources Policy Steering Committee, in 2015. Currently, she serves on the Miami Waterkeeper as a Trustee, on the Advisory Board of The Cleo Institute, and on the Board of Pace Center for Girls, Miami.

She is the recipient of numerous awards including: 2001 Legislator of the year, Florida Chapter of Sierra Club; 2009 Woman of Impact Award, Women’s History Coalition; 2010 Leadership in Government Award, Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce; 2014 Municipal Elected Official of the Year Award, US Green Building Council South Florida Chapter.

Cindy holds a B.A. from Tulane University and a J.D. from Emory University School of Law.

She lives in Pinecrest and enjoys spending time with her three adult children and four grandchildren and traveling with her husband.   

Gary Milano is a Senior Environmental Scientist/Biologist and Habitat Restoration Specialist. He holds a M.S. degree in Marine Biology and Coastal Zone Management and a B.S. degree in Zoology. Gary joined the Tropical Audubon Society Board in 2013.

From 1980 until 2013 he was the Program Director for the Miami-Dade County Department of Environmental Resources Management Habitat Restoration Program. In this role, his responsibilities included identifying and prioritizing regional restoration opportunities; developing legal agreements with local and federal governments; developing the habitat restoration designs; applying for local, state and federal environmental permits; obtaining funding grants; coordinating the contractor selection process; overseeing restorations; and conducting and supervising the success monitoring.

During his county tenure, he coordinated and managed the restoration of more than 600 acres of wetlands, 150 acres of coastal and dune communities, 150 acres of tropical hardwood hammock, 22 islands in Biscayne Bay and two barrier island ecosystem projects.

From 1975 to 1980, Gary served as a Research Biologist for the State of Florida Department of Natural Resources. From 1974 to 1975 he was a research assistant at the State of South Carolina Department of Natural Resources Marine Resources Research institute in Charleston, South Carolina.

Gary has been recognized with numerous local environmental awards and the “Natural Areas Association Carl N. Becker Stewardship Award” presented in 2008. In addition, he was also named “Miami-Dade County 2008 Employee of the Year.”

He has a personal passion for Biscayne Bay, and is relentless in his advocacy of it. An environmentalist to his core, he generally eschews automobiles and commutes around town on a bicycle.

Dennis Olle is a shareholder in the Miami office of a national law firm and is the former practice group leader of its Business Transaction practice group. Dennis advises clients with respect to various types of general corporate matters. His extensive securities practice includes capital raising (public and private offerings), corporate disclosure and mergers & acquisitions.

A past president, director and vice-president of the Tropical Audubon Society Board, Dennis currently serves on the Advisory Board. In 2012, he received TAS’s Charles M. Brookfield Medallion for “outstanding service in the protection of our natural resources.” The medallion is the society’s highest honor acknowledging significant contributions toward conservation in South Florida. He was the tenth of eleven people to win the award in more than 30 years.

The protection of native South Florida butterflies is a big part of Dennis’s conservation advocacy. He is a member of the North American Butterfly Association (NABA) Board of Directors and currently serves as the President of the Miami Blue Chapter of NABA. He has been involved in a number of other conservation efforts as well, including the National Audubon Society Environmental Council, the Public Health & Environmental Degradation Task Force; Dade County/Florida Keys Water Supply Plan Advisory Committee; Citizen’s Committee (South Florida Water Management District); and the Biscayne Bay Partnership Initiative. He also served as Barnacle Society Director from 1992 to 1995.

Dennis holds a B. A. from Rice University and a Juris Doctor from Columbia Law School.

Sonia Succar Ferre is a passionate environmental leader with more than 15 years of experience managing diverse organizations and projects tackling the most pressing climate challenges. She joined the Tropical Audubon Society Board in 2014.

 Now a LEED AP, Sonia began her career as a field engineer for Turner Construction on the region’s largest multi-modal project, the $2 billion Miami Intermodal Center, implementing the company’s first comprehensive on-site recycling program. As the Environmental Project Manager to the City of Miami, Sonia implemented Miami’s first Climate Action Plan, and oversaw the development of the Miami Green Lab Resource Center, a LEED Silver Certified Building structure. As the Environmental Manager for the City of Coral Gables, Sonia implemented the city’s first comprehensive Sustainability Master Plan, Bicycle Master Plan and Tree Succession Plan. Sonia most recently held executive positions at two leading national non-profit environmental organizations, where she launched the first $10 million

global water prize on phosphorus pollution for The Everglades Foundation and established the first urban conservation program for The Nature Conservancy in Florida.

Sonia is Vice Chair of the City of Miami Forever Bond Citizens Oversight Board. She holds a B.A. in Environmental Studies and Growth Management from Rollins College, and an M.A. in Environmental Management from Harvard University. Sonia is President of SONIA LLC, a consulting firm helping to advance urban resilience in a place-based, integrated, inclusive and risk-aware manner. She currently serves as a strategic advisor for The Atlantic Council’s Adrienne Arsht-Rockefeller Foundation Resilience Center. She lives in the City of Miami with her husband José Javier and their two sons.