Board of Directors
Following incorporation January 2, 2022, the TAERSIF Steering Committee transitioned over to a Board of Directors. The Edison Fairs Executive Officers and Directors meet year-round to organize regional educational programs and events that typically host over 1,000 local students at regional competitions and engage nearly 20,000 students in research and creative projects. With a growing regional student population currently exceeding 180,000, it is incumbent upon this organization to expand its impact.
Executive Committee
Lee Hughes
CEO & President
Director, Regional Science & Engineering Fair
Past SDLC K-12 Science Teaching and Learning
SDLC Environmental Education Program (STEM Outreach)
Past President: Florida Association of Science Supervisors
Primary Investigator, Title IV Part A, Student Support and Academic Enrichment Grant
Dr. Gary Nelson, Vice President
Director, Regional Inventors Fair
Veterinarian, Retired
Katie Schlotterbeck, Secretary
Science Fair Administrator, Bishop Verot
Lisa LoCasio Boddicker, Treasurer
Gartner CPA Retiree
Advisors
B&I Contractors, Business Community Outreach
Jim Helms
Ombudsman
SONY HR, Home Depot HR, Author
Honorah Kenney
Former Connecticut Invention Program Administrator
Webmaster
Friends & Guests
B&I Contractors, Business Community Outreach
Randy Antik
Imagine Solutions
Shelby Baucom
City of Fort Myers
Glen Beitman
Super Science Florida
Patty Borden
FGCU
Joseph Byer
SONY
Mary “Susie” Cull
FGCU
Trey Davis
Lee County Schools
Cynthia Dunham-Derheimer
Charlotte County Schools, Edison Festival of Light
& Innovators Association
Robert Fay
Seminole Railway & Florida Freezer
Dr. Laura Frost
FGCU
Karl Gibbons
ESOA
Dr. Shelby Gilbert
FGCU
Dr. Sandra Kauanui
FGCU School of Entrepreneurship Provost
Associate Vice President for Community Entrepreneurship Initiatives
Strategy and Program Innovation
Doug MacGregor
Mactoons
Mark McCreary
Lee County Schools
Professional Development and Leadership Specialist
Teacher on Assignment
M. Eiluned Morgan
Earth Shine Institute President
Shirley Morrison
Former Steering Committee Member, Science Fair
Dr. Caren Polk
Past Inventors Fair Regional School Coordinator
Anatomy & Physiology, Adjunct Faculty, FGCU
Bonita Springs High FGCU Collegiate Medical Academy
Dave Reigle
Former Steering Committee Member, Science Fair
Dr. Mike Savarese
FGCU, Director of Graduate Students, The Water School
Rick Tully
Past Chairperson, TAERSIF
Jason Wikman
Charlotte County Schools, Tech College
Barbara Winitzer
Past Inventors Fair Regional School Coordinator, Retired
Board of Directors
Dr. Megan Atha
FGCU Educational Psychology
Dr. Heather Skaza Acosta
FGCU, Director of Whitaker Center
Roxann Camel
Lee County Schools Elementary Science Coach
Past Regional Inventors School Coordinator
Melissa Giovanelli
Lee County School Board & Edison Festival of Light
Barbara Hartman
Inventors Fair, Kiwanis
Communications Rep., Dept. of Economic Development, Retired
Benjamin Johnson
Science Fair Coordinator
Lee County Schools Middle High
Tim Jones
Science Fair, Fort Myers Kiwanis
Kristie Kennedy
Lee County Schools Elementary
Danielle Knapp
Lee County Schools Secondary Science Coordinator
Gaylin Morris
Charlotte County Public Schools Coordinator
Science Curriculum and Instruction Coach, K-12
Dr. Menaka Navaratna
FGCU, Professor of Mathematics
Kelly Percivall
Student Committe Chair
Community School of Naples, Science & Tech Ed
Dr. Joanna Salapska-Gelleri
FGCU, Assistant Professor of Psychology
Michael Schuman, Grants & Fundraising Committee Chair
Former Student of the Fairs
Todd Thomas
SONY, QLC Liaison