Executive Committee
Trent Tomengo
President
Trent Tomengo is a Professor of Humanities at Seminole State College of Florida, and professionally exhibits his paintings in museums and galleries. He was an Artist-in-Action at the A&H from 2013-15.
Tomengo earned a B.A. in Fine Art from Stetson University, and an M.F.A. in Painting and a Graduate Certificate in Museum Studies from the University of South Florida. Upon graduating, he served in dual roles as the assistant curator and program coordinator at the Zora Neale Hurston National Museum of Fine Arts. It was, however, his teaching a semester at Stetson University and at Seminole Community College that prompted Tomengo to pursue a full-time teaching career. He is now also a sought-after public speaker and writer on spirituality and the human condition in art.
Tomengo’s intelligent, provocative, and finely crafted paintings are well known in Central Florida, where he has been featured in selected solo and group exhibitions. His work is primarily concerned with exploring ways of conveying the universality of all human beings. Tomengo has earned numerous awards for his art, and has been a judge at various art festivals in the Central Florida area, including Walt Disney World’s Festival of the Masters.
Patrick Terry
Immediate Past President
Patrick Terry was born and raised in Winter Park, a close neighbor to Maitland, and his family has been a member of the local community since the 1970’s. Since 2011, he has worked as an engineer at Siemens Energy, an international industrial conglomerate supplying hardware and service to power providers. He is a proud graduate and current student of the University of Florida, where he earned a BS in Materials Science and Engineering in 2014, and is currently pursuing an MS in Industrial and Systems Engineering. Since 2014, he has served on the board of FHSMUN, Inc., an educational nonprofit serving domestic and international middle and high school students. Patrick’s goal in joining the A&H board is to preserve and enrich a unique piece of history and culture in Central Florida.
Bill Randolph
First Vice President
Bill Randolph, CPSM, Affiliate ASLA, works with JCR Consulting, a landscape architecture firm in Maitland, FL. Randolph received a BS in Photojournalism from the University of Florida with a minor in history, and he earned a MA degree focused on business from Webster University while serving in the U.S. Air Force. Randolph has been actively involved in both professional associations and non-profit organizations. A resident of Maitland since 1988, he volunteered to serve on city advisory boards which earned him recognition as Maitland Citizen of the Year in 2005. He transitioned from the Maitland Historic Society board to the A&H board in 2010 where Randolph served as the 2013-14 Board President, facilitated the expansion and renovations to the Germaine Marvel Building, and spearheaded the city-approved conceptual site plan for the future expansion of A&H’s Maitland Art Center. As an accomplished photographer, he won several Air Force awards for images depicting life in the military, has images published in books and magazines, and self published a book of his photographs taken at Kennedy Space Center during the final 23 Space Shuttle missions.
Joe Ales
Second Vice President
Joe Ales is a structural engineer and Senior Principal with Walter P. Moore and Associates and serves as the Managing Director of their Orlando office. He started his career in the firm’s Tampa office and then served as Managing Director of their Los Angeles office before moving back to Florida. He has been a resident of Maitland with his family since 2014 and he and his wife have one child each in Dommerich Elementary, Maitland Middle School, and Winter Park High School. Throughout his 24 years in structural engineering practice, Joe has served on numerous technical committees and boards, and is currently co-chair of the Local Planning Committee for the 2019 Structures Congress, which will be held in Orlando. The Structures Congress is the largest yearly gathering of structural engineers in the United States. He is a licensed professional engineer in Florida and seven other states and is a Fellow of the Structural Engineering Institute. Joe received his Doctorate in Civil Engineering from The University of Texas at Austin and his Master and Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee. Though he is unequivocally left-brained, Joe has a deep appreciation for the arts and is looking forward to being an active member of the Maitland Arts Community.
James Dorman
Treasurer
James B. Dorman, Jr., CPA/PFS, CFP®, is the President and founder of Dorman Financial Management, P.A. in Maitland, FL. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration, Accounting from Stetson University. Jim’s work experience includes 8 years with Arthur Andersen & Co., at the time the largest international accounting and consulting firm in the world. He is a Member of the Financial Planners Association (FPA), and successfully completed the rigorous education curriculum for the prestigious CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional certification. Jim is also a member in good standing with the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Florida Institute of Certified Public Accountants, having also successfully taken and passed the Certified Public Accountants’ (CPA) examination. Jim is active in the local community, serving on the Board of Directors of the Art and History Museum – Maitland and on the Advisory Council of the Enzian Theater.
Gloria Pickar
Secretary
Dr. Gloria Pickar holds Nursing degrees and a doctorate in Higher Education Administration from the University of Florida. She has more than 45 years’ experience in higher education and business, including President and Chief Academic Officer of the leading higher education online learning services company acquired by Pearson. She was named six times to Top 50 Women-Led Businesses in Florida. Gloria is also a nursing clinician, educator, and author of two nursing textbooks still in publication. She started teaching nursing at Valencia College and was the founding director of the nursing program at Seminole State. UF College of Nursing awarded her Nursing’s Education Leader for 2020. She served as Co-President of the League of Women Voters of Orange County for three years 2018-2021. She writes for the Orlando Sentinel as a member of Central Florida 100. In addition to serving on the Maitland Art & History Museums’ Board, she is a member of Friends of American Art for the Orlando Museum of Art, Friends of the Orlando Philharmonic, and the Founders Square Council for the new Rollins Museum of Art. Gloria was named an Orlando Super Woman for 2020 by Orlando Magazine. Gloria and her family are committed sustaining members of A&H.
Directors
Peter Banca
Member Emeritus
Peter Banca has a unique connection to Maitland’s National Historic Landmark. He was the only child to grow up at The Research Studio, during the founding years of J. André Smith. Peter’s parents, Attilo & Florence Banca assisted André with the management of the artists colony. The Bancas were André’s closest personal friends and heirs. Peter is a resident of Branford, Connecticut, living in his family home, which was designed by André Smith. Peter retired from a career in finance. He is married and has a daughter.
Nate Balint
Nate Balint is a corporate attorney and a partner at Akerman LLP, specializing in mergers and acquisition transactions and other corporate representations. He is originally from New York and moved to the Orlando area in 2006. Nate is a graduate of the University of Rochester, with a B.A. in Economics and Political Science, and obtained his law degree from New York University School of Law. Nate has also been a non-profit board member with Health Workforce NY and ACG Orlando, and has done volunteer legal and teaching work with low-income youth. Nate is an appreciator of the arts and enjoys spending time with his family, traveling, and coaching and playing basketball.
Barbara Coleman-Foster
Barbara Coleman-Foster currently serves as the Associate Vice President of Organizational Culture and Strategy at Seminole State College of Florida. Although Barbara's academic background is in mathematics, she is an art enthusiast who enjoys museum visits, guided talks, and interactions with artists. Barbara is a proponent of life-long learning and has experience with diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives at Seminole State and in her community.
Photo courtesy of Seminole State College of Florida
Bill Dacko
Bill Dacko is a retired Correspondent Banker. He started his banking career in Tampa and has served Florida’s financial services industry for 40 plus years. Bill earned a BA degree in Accounting and Political Science, plus an MBA in Finance from the University of South Florida.
A resident of Wekiva Springs since 2000, he served as Treasurer of the Maitland Art Center for the period of 2008 -2010; during the time of the merger of the Maitland Art Center and Historical Society.
Bill and his wife, Cherie Dacko, are avid supporters of the visual arts. Cherie is an accomplished artist in a style most closely identified with veristic surrealism. As Central Florida’s only National Historic Landmark, serving on the A&H board is a unique opportunity to help promote its cultural benefits.
Christopher Grim
Christopher Grim serves as a Partner for Grennan Fender CPAs, leading their Outsourced Accounting Department. Mr. Grim has more than 25 years of experience in public accounting, corporate accounting and financial management. Prior to joining Grennan Fender, Chris was the Chief Financial Officer for a defense contractor, and he has held senior positions in a number of highly regarded accounting firms, where he was chiefly responsible for audit and financial review functions. Chris has served clients in a variety of industries including construction and real estate, defense, nonprofit, manufacturing, distribution, and technology. Chris possesses an MBA from Rollins College in Florida and a B.S. in Economics from the University of Delaware, and has been a licensed CPA in the State of Florida since 1999.
Karen Allen Harrison
Karen Allen Harrison is a newer resident of Maitland. She has previously lived and worked in Kentucky, Houston, and Washington D.C and held various positions with the Federal Government. Most recently, she served under a Two-Star General as the Program Manager for the Southeastern District of the United States Army Reserve Equal Opportunity Program. She is an active volunteer in the local community with the League of Women Voters, Friends of the Maitland Library and The Orlando Museum of Art. Karen has earned numerous award throughout her career She is the recipient of the distinguished Presidential Hammer Award for reducing fraud,waste and abuse in the Government. Karen holds a B.S and M.S from Indiana University. Karen feels A&H is a wonderful place, and wants every person regardless of who they are or where they live, to just feel welcome here.
Lisa Junkerman
Both a strategist and practitioner, Lisa Junkerman has 25 years of applied, integrated marketing expertise on national and global levels. She is currently Chief Marketing Officer and Director of Business Development for ITEC Entertainment, a global themed entertainment solutions provider. Lisa previously worked for Fortune 250 companies, including Motorola, Inc. and Progress Energy/Duke Energy, and in the higher education industry where she was Assistant Vice President and CMO for Marketing for Rollins College. Lisa is also Principal of Chief Marketing Associates, Inc., an integrated marketing communications and branding firm. She has an MBA degree from the Crummer Graduate School of Business at Rollins College and a BA in Business Administration with a marketing major from the University of South Florida.
Betsy Owens
Betsy Owens is Vice President of Marketing & Community Relations for Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Florida (BGCCF). Previously, Owens served as Executive Director of Casa Feliz Historic Home Museum in Winter Park for 12 years, and as Managing Director of the West Virginia Business Roundtable for 7 years. She holds a BA in Economics from the University of Virginia and an MBA from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
A third generation Central Floridian, Owens lives in Orlando with her husband, Paul. They have two adult children, and an ill-behaved black lab mix named Peanut. Betsy sings in the Bach Festival Society Choir and is past President of the Winter Park History Museum Board of Directors.
Michael Thomas
Michael Thomas is the owner of John Michael Exquisite Weddings & Catering. He started John Michael Catering in 1995 with a partner, John. John soon lost interest and Michael bought him out, keeping the name the same. In 2007, John Michael Catering became John Michael Weddings and Special Events to better portray the company’s market and rebranded in 2015 to become John Michael Exquisite Weddings & Catering.
Michael attended the University of Central Florida where he earned a bachelor’s degree in hospitality management and master’s in business administration, both of which well equip him to create the best events possible. Michael loves creating one-of-a-kind weddings and events, large or small, and infuses passion and creativity into everything he does. Each and every wedding and event he works on is an opportunity to make beautiful, lasting memories. He loves thinking of innovative ways to allow his clients to truly impress their guests…and with corporate parties, their boss!
Michael was born and raised in Hartville, Ohio, near the Akron/Canton area. He moved to Florida in 1987 and owns a home in the SoDo district of downtown Orlando with his husband Rustin Davis. Together, they have four children – Pugs Nadia and Nina, a tabby cat, Petey, and a Jack Russell Terrier, Lindy. In his spare time Michael enjoys bowling, golf, backpacking and travel.
John Michael Exquisite Weddings and Catering is committed to developing a stronger community and inciting social change. Many organizations are those that John Michael has proudly given back to over the past twenty years. We believe in giving back to the community that has helped us prosper, and, in doing so, have been named Orlando’s 36th most philanthropic company by the Orlando Business Journal.
James Tivy
James Tivy serves as the CFO for ITEC Entertainment, a global themed entertainment solutions provider. His professional experience includes over 25 years of corporate accounting across a wide variety of industries, including several publicly traded companies headquartered in Orlando. Born in The Bahamas, James attended high school in New Smyrna Beach before graduating from the University of Florida with a BSAc from the Fisher School of Accounting, and has been a licensed CPA since 1996. James was a non-profit board member with the Lyman Rowing Association, serving as their treasurer and subsequently as president. James enjoys traveling and has an appreciation for classical architecture and its history.
Board Opportunities
Art & History Museums – Maitland seeks remarkable individuals to serve on the Board of Directors; individuals who desire to make a difference in Central Florida; individuals who are passionate about arts education for all ages and preservation of our cultural heritage, including a National Historic Landmark; and individuals who are dedicated to the Museum’s mission to “stimulate thought, spark the imagination, enrich the spirit, and foster appreciation in art, historical research and preservation.”
Ideal Board Candidates will have:
- Capacity to directly support the institution;
- Connections to supporting resources in the region; and
- Knowledge, experience and skill sets in leadership areas, such as legal, financial, fundraising, and business development.
Please contact A&H at 407.539.2181 or info@artandhistory.org for more information.