Retired retail executive Darlene DeMichele has joined the Board of Trustees at Guadalupe Center, a nonprofit celebrating its 40-year history of creating endless possibilities for Immokalee students and families through the power of education.
DeMichele devoted nearly half of her professional career to QVC, which offers omnichannel shopping experiences across linear TV, e-commerce sites, digital streaming and social platforms. In her role as the company’s president of U.S. commerce, she was responsible for QVC’s $5 billion dollar business unit and its merchandising, planning, broadcasting, strategic development and new business initiatives. DeMichele’s corporate experience also includes roles as president of Rue La La, president of Multi-Channel Management Group and executive consultant for ShopNBC.
After retiring, DeMichele turned her attention to nonprofits and philanthropic initiatives. She founded and served as executive director of Ikatu International, an organization focused on creating job opportunities for sub-Saharan African youth, and she continues as an active impact investor with an emphasis on sustainable poverty alleviation initiatives. Locally, DeMichele is a former trustee of the Naples Children & Education Foundation and co-chaired the 2023 Bucket List Bash for the American Cancer Society. She also has held board positions at The Women’s Leadership Board at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, The Breast Cancer Research Foundation, Peabody-Essex Museum and Micro Credit Enterprise Social Capital.
Guadalupe Center’s 21-member Board of Trustees is a governing body that advocates for transformative education for students in Immokalee. Trustees set policy and direction for the nonprofit while facilitating strategic connections that further enable the organization to take a student-focused approach. Guadalupe Center provides high-quality educational programs for 1,950 students annually at multiple campuses in Immokalee and operates Guadalupe Resale Shop in North Naples.
Guadalupe Center’s Board of Directors is led by Rich Monaghan (chair), Joseph Baughman (immediate past chair), William Dempsey (vice chair), Gloria Beissinger (treasurer) and Tom White (secretary) in partnership with Guadalupe Center President and CEO Dawn Montecalvo. Additional trustees are as follows: Alice Arena, Dan Capes, Bev Cherry, Liz Curtin, Kelly Dee, Darlene DeMichele, Susan Duke, Phyllis Ettinger, Beverly Koren, Lisa McNichol, Maria Trejo, Mark Nagan, John Paro, Deborah Toler, Eric Wallach and Linda Yost. Trustees emeriti include Phil Beuth, Tom Brand, Bob Coletti, Carl Ehmann, Ed Marchetti, Bunny Salisbury, Roger Vasey and John Vatterott.
