Melinda Casado

Melinda Casado has lived in St. Augustine with her husband, Arthur, since 1989.  When Art proposed, he lived in Wichita, Kansas, and she was in Long Beach, California.  St. Augustine was just a starting point for a new life together, knowing they could relocate if it didn't suit.  Son Luis was born at Flagler Hospital in 1991, setting the permanent anchor.  She has enjoyed living in such a beautiful area, meeting numerous friends, and developing a great community spirit! 

Melinda's first foray into community volunteerism was serving on the board of Bright Beginners at Memorial Presbyterian Church in 1993.  From there, the community seemed to call!  She served in the Junior Service League for five years and was a Cub Scout Pack Master and Den Mother for four years.  Next came the role of PTO President of Cathedral Parish School.  Melinda also served on the Board of Directors for Epic Community Services for three years. 

In 2005, Melinda and a good friend started the successful retail business, Tre' Sebastian.  Tre' Sebastian has been her main focus since.  This past December, she became the sole owner.  September will be the five-year anniversary of the opening of the shop! 

Melinda and Art celebrated their 20th wedding anniversary last summer, and at the same time began a new journey in their life with son Luis heading off to Ole Miss for his new life at college.  Melinda and Art spend most vacation time in the Keys and enjoy peace and quiet time together.  Art was Melinda's one true love, and she feels very fortunate that she gets to spend her life with him.  Casado means "the married one" in Spanish, and that is exactly what they are as a couple. 

Melinda's father-in-law, Luis Casado, came from Cuba in 1929 with approximately $25 in his pocket. He was sponsored by the Quaker Church, and through his determination and brains, became a successful Cuban-American businessman with strong ties to his Church, Family, and Community.  Melinda's husband has fond memories of visiting Cuba pre-1959, and remembers the natural beauty of the country and the friendly people of Cuba. It seemed appropriate to Melinda that this would be the year to serve the Junior Service League once again in their fund-raising efforts.  “Night in Old Havana” will be a super event, and Melinda is looking forward to it. 

Elaine Fraser

Elaine is a true original ~ hard work was her life at a very early age.  Education and sports were important elements, but an additional high priority included working for and with others.  She was involved with The Oldest Wooden School House and The Fountain of Youth, worked at Holiday Isle and Sea Fair Restaurant, became the first female St. Johns County Beach Lifeguard and volunteered many hours to The Humane Society, all before the age of 18.

The 1977 graduate of Jacksonville Episcopal High School moved to Tampa and lived in the area for over 10 years.  Elaine worked in the Student Personnel in Higher Education Department at the University of South Florida as she achieved her B.A. in Sociology and pursued her M.A. in Counselor Education.  She transitioned into the corporate world in 1984, accepting a position at Paradyne Corporation, a data communications company, in Largo, Florida to compliment her coursework for her M.B.A. in Marketing, Management and Management Information Systems.

Elaine has not slowed down since returning to St. Augustine in 1988.  She is filled with the same intense passion her grandfather, former Mayor of St. Augustine and Florida State Senator Walter B. Fraser, had for the tourism industry and local community. Elaine continues the legacy of preservation, restoration and education of two of St. Augustine’s historic treasures ~ Ponce de Leon’s Fountain of Youth and The Oldest Wooden School House Historic Museum and Gardens.  When Ripley Entertainment, Inc. needed a new General Manager for the St. Augustine Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Museum, they asked Elaine if she would join their team.  She successfully added the responsibilities to her workload from 2002-2006, making the location one of the top three Ripley Museums in the world.

Volunteerism ~ Giving back to the community ~ Preservation ~ Legacy… these are but a few of the elements of The Junior Service League and Elaine’s identifying characteristics.  She has enjoyed volunteering her time to the St. Augustine Attractions Association, the Chamber of Commerce’s Tourism Advisory Board and St. Johns County Tourist Development Council as a board member, officer and chairman.  Elaine has served on the City of St. Augustine’s Visitor Information Center Ad Hoc Committee, the Mayor’s Parking and Transportation Committee, and had the honor of being elected chairman of the Municipal Code Enforcement Board four of the six years served.  State of Florida officials and organizations recognized the leadership and organizational skills of this young woman.  Governor Bush appointed her to the Florida Tourism Commission and VISIT FLORIDA Board of Directors in 2002.  This past Chairman of Florida Attractions Association was recently honored when asked to serve as a member of the Attractions Industry Leadership Council.

On a more personal note, Elaine is the proud Aunt of two wonderful nieces and five fabulous nephews.  She shakes her head in disbelief that she has been back in her hometown for over 20 years, but she feels privileged to witness the children of her two brothers (John W. and V. Bryan Fraser) and sister (Elizabeth Binninger) grow into these marvelous young ladies and gentlemen!  Elaine has a special man in her life, Ray, currently residing in Wake Forest, North Carolina.

It is exciting for Elaine to be a candidate for Queen, Junior Service League, 2010.  She feels it is an opportunity to honor all past members of the JSL and to say Thank You for their hard work and dedication in making this an organization that continues to make many positive contributions to St. Johns County! Elaine’s grandfather was instrumental in the creation of the Restoration and Preservation Plan of St. Augustine.  She plans on continuing the family tradition by focusing on Preservation and giving back to the community as candidate, as well as celebrating St. Augustine ~ The Birthplace of a Nation!

Valerie Lee

Valerie Lee has been a St. Augustine resident for almost all of her life.  At the age of two, she moved with her family from Los Angeles, California back to her father’s hometown of St. Augustine. She attended the local catholic school until the sixth grade and then moved back to California until the 11th grade, when the family decided to again return to Florida.

Valerie graduated from St. Augustine High school in 1985. She then attended school in Jacksonville at FCCJ where she received her AA degree before moving on to the Interior Design program at Florida State University.  She graduated in 1990 after studying abroad at one of Florida State’s campuses in Florence, Italy.

Valerie opened her own interior design firm in Tallahassee in 1997.  After the birth of her first child, Shelby, she decided that she wanted her family and business in St. Augustine.  In 2000, she opened Anastasia Design Group in the St. Augustine location just north of the parking garage downtown. In 2009, she opened her Chicago office with Natalie Marty.

In addition to being a successful business owner, Valerie is the proud parent of Shelby (age 9) and Skylar (age 2 ½). Shelby will be attending the 5th grade at Ketterlinus during 2010-2011.

Valerie owns multiple rental properties, and with the untimely passing of her brother, Tommy Lee, inherited the task of managing his properties as well.  In addition to rental properties, Valerie also owns the Sea Breeze Motel on Anastasia Island.  She has been renovating it to become the future “Tommy Lee Sea Breeze Motel,” a retro 1950’s surf-themed motel.  In the fall of 2010, she is also launching an on-line furniture store, a subsidiary of Reed & Lee, LLC

Valerie was a member of the Junior Service League from 2000-2003. She was involved in all aspects of the beginnings of the Kids Bridge project, supervising the renovation and construction of the home located on San Marco Avenue.  In 2007, she was asked to be on the board at EPIC community services, were she hopes to stay for a very long time.  Although Valerie is a busy business-owner and single mother, her commitment to volunteerism with worthwhile organizations is why she is honored to be a candidate.

Gail McGuinness

Gail Ashton McGuinness is a native of St. Augustine and a member of one of the oldest families in St. Augustine. She is the proud wife of A.J. McGuinness, owner of McGuinness Commercial Properties.

Gail attended Cathedral Parish School and St. Augustine High. She left St. Augustine to pursue a career in Fashion Merchandising and Management, and she operated her own business for 25 years.  Choosing to make a career change, she decided to return home and help set up and manage a dental practice.  Gail met the love of her life and married. After marrying, she retired from the dental field and moved on to enjoy travel, boating, bike riding, and everything that life has to offer. She has enjoyed serving on the decorating committee for the Limelight Theater along with other community activities.

Gail is excited and honored to be a candidate for Queen of Junior Service League’s Night in Old Havana.  The endeavor is a way Gail can serve the community that she has always called home and paradise. Donations to her candidacy will enable the League to continue to fund the many projects they embrace in our community.

Juanita Schreiber

Juanita Schreiber is the proud mother of 2 children – Tray and Deana – and 3 grandchildren who she adores – Trace, Aaron and Harrison.  She is blessed to have her mom and dad still living in Palatka, as well as many family members.

Juanita grew up in Palatka and moved to St. Augustine in 1982 where she opened a new business “Juanita’s Boutique”.  For 17 years, she was the owner, manager and buyer at her boutique.  During that time, she held many fashion shows for various charities in St. Augustine.  Most noteworthy, she held fashion shows for the Junior Service League during the time they were restoring the St. Augustine Lighthouse.

In 1999, she sold her business and went to work at H.W. Davis.  She is the manager and window decorator for both H.W. Davis clothing stores, as well as the buyer for the women’s store.  While at H.W. Davis, Juanita continued to do numerous fashion shows for a variety of charity fundraisers.   Most recently, she did the fashion show for the 2009 JSL candidates, which was held at the Casa Monica.  Juanita is happy to work with the current owner of H.W. Davis Co., Rob Lichter, whose family has owned the H.W. Davis clothing store for the last 50 years since it was established in 1894.

Aaron Johnson

Aaron Johnson is originally from Panama City Florida and has lived in St. Augustine for eight years.  He is happily married to his high school sweetheart, Alison Johnson, who is the Legislative Aide to State Representative Bill Proctor.

In 1997, Aaron graduated from Bay High School in Panama City.  He continued his education at the University of Florida (GO GATORS!) and completed his degree in Decision and Information Science in 2002.  He began work in St. Augustine with a local communications company, and in 2007 started and continues to grow The Network Operations Company (www.TheNOC.net).

Since making St. Augustine his home, Aaron has co-founded The Young Professionals Organization (YPO) of St. Augustine (www.staugypo.com) and the 450Next, a YPO community initiative that just completed its first project with the Solomon Calhoun Community Center.   He also serves on the Board of Directors for The ARC of St. Johns (www.arcsj.org).

Aaron is happy to be involved with the Junior Service League’s 2010 Gala and is excited about assisting the worthwhile charities and organizations the event supports. 

Ryan Pereira

Ryan Pereira, a native of India and in the process of becoming a citizen of the United States of America, is the proud father to 5-month old Aiden Pereira and husband to Terri Pereira.  They currently reside in St. Augustine, Florida.

Ryan has been practicing in St. Augustine since 2002.  He is the Director of The Limb Care Centre and The Center for Advanced Vein Care at Anastasia Medical Group. He is a Diplomat of the American Board of Podiatric Surgery and is Board Certified in both Foot Surgery and Reconstructive Rearfoot/Ankle surgery.  He is also a Fellow of the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons.

Ryan graduated from the Ohio College of Podiatric Medicine with his Doctorate in Podiatric Medicine and completed his residency in Podiatric Surgery at St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center in Hartford, CT.  In 2005, he completed advanced fellowship training as a lower limb reconstructive surgeon at the Russian Ilizarov Scientific Center in Russia.  At the Limb Care Centre he specializes in elective and reconstructive foot and ankle surgery including ankle replacement surgery.  At The Center for Advanced Vein Care, Ryan treats the various aspects of venous disease, the most common of which are varicose veins, spider veins and venous ulcers utilizing the VNUS closure and Sclerotherapy techniques.

As a former member of Rotary International from 2002 to 2005, Ryan volunteered with their philanthropic efforts around the St. Augustine area. He also donated his time and expertise for the victims of Hurricane Katrina in Waveland, Mississippi, and volunteered his service with the American-Colombian Orthopedic foundation in Cartagena, Colombia.

Joe Pickens

Joe Pickens is a native of Crescent City and currently a resident of Palatka, Florida.  He and his wife, Linda, have three children.  He is a graduate of Wofford College, B.A., Magna Cum Laude and a graduate of the University of Florida College of Law, J.D.  He is a current member and elder of the First Presbyterian Church of Palatka.

Joe Pickens became the fourth President of St. Johns River Community College (SJRCC) in 2008.  He served for District 21 in the Florida House of Representatives from 2000 – 2008, and was a Southern Regional Education Board member, Chairman of the House Education Appropriations Committee and Chairman of the House Schools and Learning Council.

 

 

 

Joe’s recent achievements and community involvement includes:

• Learning of Life, National Board Member
• Palatka Rotary Club, Dual Paul Harris Fellow
• American Cancer Society Legislative Award 2007 and
  Putnam County Unit, Board Member
• Independent Colleges and Universities of Florida All-Star Award - 2008
• Coalition for Education of Exceptional Students Legislative Award
  2007-2008, 2006-2007, 2001-2002
• Florida Association of School Administrators Legislative Award,
  2008, 2005, 2003
• Florida School Boards Association, Legislator of the Year
  2007, 2006, 2005, 2004, 2002, 2001
• Florida Association of District School Superintendents,
  Legislator of the Year 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004
• Central Florida YMCA - Club FYT Legislative Award - 2006
• Florida Chamber of Commerce, A Honor Roll
  2003, 2004, 2005, 2006
• YMCAs of Florida, Outstanding Leadership Award 2006
• Associated Industries of Florida, Champion for Business Award 2005
• Independent Colleges and Universities of Florida, Liberty Bell Award 2005

Cameron Coward

Cameron Coward was born in 1984 and is a native of Northeast Florida. Cameron is an honors graduate from The Baker County High School and a graduate of the Law Enforcement Academy. Cameron has been involved with Law Enforcement in Northeast Florida for over ten years.  First, serving in Baker County where he was an Explorer then working as a reserve before being hired with the St Johns County Sheriff's Office in July of 2004.

Cameron is an entrepreneur that has started and managed several successful businesses, from a large sophisticated pressure cleaning company to a multi- county party rental business. Cameron is currently a co-owner and the operations manager of Ancient City Consulting, which specializes in the political campaigns and elections of our local leaders.

Cameron began his journey into politics several years ago and has quickly climbed the leadership ladder in the Republican Party. Cameron is the secretary for the local Young Republican organization and the Northeast Florida Chairman for the State Young Republican Organization. Cameron is also a REC Committeeman in St Johns County. Cameron's goal is to hold a public office in Northeast Florida in the near future.