A trio of new board members has joined Guadalupe Center’s Board of Trustees, a governing body that advocates for students and families in Immokalee.
The new members – Kelly Dee, Phyllis Ettinger and Lisa McNichol – will join the other trustees in advocating for transformative education for the students of Immokalee, facilitating strategic connections that further enable the organization to take a student-focused approach and helping to set policy and direction for the nonprofit, which provides educational programs to more than 1,900 students annually. Guadalupe Center offers a nationally accredited Early Childhood Education Program, an After-school Tutoring & Summer Enrichment Program and the college-preparatory Tutor Corps Program. The organization has grown to include four educational campuses across Collier County, school-based education programs and the Guadalupe Resale Shop, a boutique in North Naples.
“Trustees at Guadalupe Center are involved in far more than setting policy, approving budgets and developing long-range plans,” said Dawn Montecalvo, the organization’s president and CEO. “They also are volunteers, mentors, donors and ambassadors who recognize that a high-quality education can – and will – create a cycle of prosperity that drives transformational, generational change in Immokalee.”
Dee is president of Dee & Associates, a Naples-based accounting firm focused on income tax consulting for business owners, trusts, estates and individuals. He previously worked in the auditing department of an international accounting firm before founding his own company. Dee, a licensed CPA, earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in accounting from the University of Florida.
Ettinger is an active volunteer at Guadalupe Resale Shop and a retired elementary school teacher. She co-founded six licensed early-childhood centers and an educational direct mail company in Minnesota. She has served as president of the Early Childhood Directors Association and as a board member of Toys and Things, as well as Redleaf Press, and earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from the University of Minnesota.
McNichol is an advisory board member for the School of Education at Drexel University, where she co-founded the McNichol Early Childhood Education Lab. She spent more than 20 years in consumer goods advertising and marketing before transitioning into the financial services industry as a personal financial consultant and real estate investment manager. McNichol earned a business degree from New York University.
In addition to the three new appointments, Guadalupe Center also announced the following executive leadership positions for 2023: Rich Monaghan (chair); Joseph Baughman (immediate past chair); William Dempsey (vice chair); Gloria Beissinger (treasurer); Tom White (secretary); and Dawn Montecalvo (president and CEO). Additional trustees include Alice Arena, Dan Capes, Bev Cherry, Liz Curtin, Susan Duke, Fred Hagemann, Marguerite Hambleton, Beverly Koren, Maria Munguia Cortes, Mark Nagan, John Paro, Debbie 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.
About Guadalupe Center
Guadalupe Center is a purpose-driven nonprofit organization with proven success in creating endless possibilities for the students of Immokalee through education, as well as fostering personal and academic success that leads to economic independence. Established in 1984, Guadalupe Center is a premier, education-focused organization that delivers outstanding results: 95% of students in the nationally accredited Early Childhood Education Program meet or exceed kindergarten readiness standards; 100% of students in the After-school Tutoring & Summer Enrichment Program demonstrate significant gains in reading and math; and 100% of seniors in the college-preparatory Tutor Corps Program graduate from high school and are accepted into college, with more than 94% ultimately earning a college degree. With a mission to break the cycle of poverty through education, Guadalupe Center serves more than 1,900 students annually and is generously supported by private donors, philanthropic organizations and community partners. For more information, please visit GuadalupeCenter.org or call 239-657-7711.