Florida Atlantic Presidential Search Committee Biographies

Sherry Murphy, Chair
Florida Atlantic Trustee

Sherry Lautenbach Murphy is a seasoned sales executive with a track record spanning over three decades. Currently serving as the Chief Revenue Officer at MRI Software, she oversees a global revenue portfolio of $700M and leads a team of over 400 sellers worldwide.

Prior to her current role, Sherry held key leadership positions at PROS, Oracle, Nutanix, and IBM Corp, where she played instrumental roles in driving sales growth and operational excellence. With extensive industry experience across retail, distribution, financial services, public sector, and enterprise clients, Sherry has a proven ability to exceed sales and revenue objectives. She specializes in leveraging technology and consulting services to drive operational transformation and innovation for businesses of all sizes.

Beyond her professional achievements, Sherry is dedicated to mentoring and coaching sales and technical professionals, contributing to talent development and organizational success.

Robert Allen, Esq.
Founding Partner, Robert Allen Law

Robert N. (“Bob”) Allen, Jr., a resident of Palm Beach County, most recently served as a member of the Presidential Search Committee for New College of Florida, which he attended from 1974 to1978, graduating with a degree in International Relations, having served as head of the college’s student government.  He served as a member, and then as Chairman, of the Student Executive Committee.  He was elected by the graduating class to serve on the Board of Trustees and later served two additional terms by appointment of Governor Jeb Bush.

Bob attended law school at the University of Notre Dame, where he enrolled in a joint program in Law and Theology, served as an editor of the Notre Dame Law Review.  Upon graduation in 1981, he worked in the corporate department of a major law firm in Miami, became a partner, and later headed up its international work group.

He founded Robert Allen Law, an international law firm in 1993, practicing in diverse areas of law.  With offices in Miami and Palm Beach, Robert Allen Law has become an industry leader in the yacht sector.  Its legal team represents buyers, sellers, manufacturers, dealers, brokerages, and banks throughout the globe.  With sixteen lawyers, the firm has one of the world’s largest practices focused on the sector, serving as principal legal advisor to both the International Yacht Brokers Association and the International Yacht Arbitration Council.  Bob is a regular speaker at seminars on legal issues related to the industry, from London, to Monaco, to South Florida.  He is listed as one of top lawyers in the world in his field by the Chambers Guide.

Outside of work, Bob was the founding Chairman of Miami Bridge, Inc., a half-way home for runaways www.miamibridge.org; served as a member of the board of directors and on the Executive Committee of The Ocean Conservancy, the world’s leading ocean conservation association www.oceanconservancy.org; was the founding Chairman of Miami-Dade Coastal Cleanup, Inc., a project to keep Miami’s beaches clean www.volunteercleanup.org; served as a member of the trial court Judicial Nominating Commission in Miami-Dade by appointment of Governor Jeb Bush and serves as a member of the Fourth District Court of Appeals Judicial Nominating Commission by appointment of Governor Ron DeSantis.

Bob also served as an officer and Parliamentarian of the Young Democrats in Dade County, then Florida, and later as Legal Counsel and Finance Chairman of the Republican Party of Dade County.  He was the Republican Candidate for Congress in Miami (District 19) in 1990 and, later, a member of the legal team on the winning side of the Bush v. Gore litigation. He was also a founding member of the board of directors of the Foundation for Democracy in Africa.  He has published articles on a variety of subjects in diverse publications.

Bob is married and has a 12-year-old son who keeps him busy.  In addition to Palm Beach County, he has lived in Miami, Washington, D.C., Gainesville, and outside the U.S. in the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Spain and Guatemala.  He has a native fluency in Spanish and is an avid reader of history.

Stefan Andjelkovic
Student Body President-Elect

Stefan Andjelkovic is a dedicated first-generation student from Serbia. After spending most of his time before college in Serbia, Stefan moved to Florida to pursue higher education at Florida Atlantic University. His journey in Student Government began as a member of the House of Representatives. In his sophomore year, he was appointed as the Student Body Treasurer, a role which exemplifies campus based financial knowledge of budgets and financial planning.

In his third year, Stefan served as the Chief Financial Officer, where he further demonstrated his financial acumen and leadership by having an administrative oversight of $9.7 million of allocated revenue for the year. During this time, he also gained valuable industry experience working at an aviation company. In this role, Stefan developed financial models and created revenue forecasts, showcasing his ability to apply financial knowledge to real-world business scenarios. His significant contribution included creating a comprehensive five-year master plan that highlighted the company's growth rate and extensive financial statement modeling.

Currently, in his senior year, Stefan ran Student Body President and got inaugurated in May 2024, aiming to bring his extensive experience and passion for student government to the highest level of student leadership. As a finance major, Stefan focuses on financial markets, financial planning and analysis, continually honing his skills to prepare for a successful career in finance.

Outside of his academic and professional pursuits, Stefan enjoys watching and playing tennis.

Robert "Bobby" D'Angelo
Florida Atlantic Alumnus

Robert D’Angelo a locally know developer with Compson Associates, Inc has lived in Boca Raton, FL since 1987. He is a graduate of Florida Atlantic University class of 1993. He is one of two main principals in a 4th  generation family development company which has been developing in Boca Raton since the early 70’s.  Robert has a special affinity and a proven track record of 35 years in the arena of sales, marketing and management. Some of Compson’s projects include Sandler Medical Plaza, The Excelsior, Renaissance Commons, Tower 155 and their newest project called “The Aletto at Sanborn square”, will be a new Class A office addition to Boca’s Skyline. “The Aletto” will be located in the heart of Downtown Boca with Bocas first rooftop restaurant. Mr. D’Angelo currently sits on the board of the BDB of Palm Beach County. He lives, works and enjoys life with his wife Lori and their three boys Nicholas, Christoper and Matthew.

Earnie Ellison
Florida Atlantic Trustee

Earnie Ellison is the managing partner of the Ellison Consulting Group, LLC. Mr. Ellison's current businesses provides consultancy in developing and implementing inclusionary strategies and event management for professional sports organizations and sports businesses. His prior corporate career includes PGA of America, Director Business and Community Relations from 1997-2013; UDIC, (family business) Executive Vice President Business Development from 1993-1997; Unisys, Director of Finance from 1988-1992; and Corporate & Division financial positions with IBM from 1970-1988 to include five years on international assignments in North and South America, Far East, Europe and Middle East Countries.

Mr. Ellison has received many outstanding civic and business awards. Notable recognitions include 2021 Urban League of Palm Beach County Life-Time Achievement Award and 2015 Milwaukee Fellowship Open Life-Time Achievement Award. In 2015, Ellison accomplishments were recorded by The HistoryMakers, the world’s largest collection of successful African American’s testimonies that’s archived in the Library of Congress.

Ellison is a graduate of Alabama A&M University with a bachelor's degree in accounting. Ellison is a life member of Kappa Alpha Psi and Sigma Pi Phi (Boule) Fraternities.

Michelle Hagerty
Philanthropist

Michelle Hagerty is a dedicated philanthropist with a focus on youth wellness and children’s initiatives. A graduate of the University of Southern Maine, she resides in Boca Raton with her husband and two children.

Upon graduating from college, Michelle began her professional career in New York City in advertising sales. She then moved to Florida, where she served as Vice President of Florida Sales for White Rock Distilleries.

Michelle serves on the Boca Raton Regional Hospital Foundation Board, the Nicklaus Children’s Hospital Foundation Board, and is a trustee at Saint Andrew’s School. Her commitment to her community is evident through her involvement with local charities, including the Boys and Girls Club of Boca Raton and Sweet Dream Makers.

Passionate about making her community a better place for youth and young adults, Michelle actively participates in various initiatives aimed at improving their well-being. She also cares deeply about athletics and supports the athletic programs at Florida Atlantic University (FAU). You can often find her cheering on the football and basketball teams within her community.

In her free time, she enjoys running, skiing, and spending quality time with her family and friends.

Jeff Joyner
Florida Atlantic Alumnus

Jeff Joyner, Esq., is a member of the Florida Atlantic University National Alumni Association Board of Directors.

An experienced national security professional, Jeff has served around the world as a member of the United States Department of State's Diplomatic Security Service.

A resident of Boca Raton, Jeff holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from FAU and a Juris Doctorate from Florida A&M University College of Law.

Craig Mateer
Board of Governors

Craig Mateer is the founder and CEO of CCM Capital Group, Inc. a hospitality, logistics, and real estate operations company. Prior to his work at CCM Capital Group, Governor Mateer founded Bags, Inc., a diverse aviation, logistics, and hospitality services company that operates in more than 250 cities across the U.S., Canada and Europe. During his 30 years as founder and CEO of Bags, Inc., he registered numerous patents in the travel and technology industries and established key strategic partnerships with Walt Disney World, more than 250 airports, major airlines, major cruise lines, TSA, and CBP to innovate unique guest service initiatives. In 2018, he sold Bags, Inc. to the publicly traded SP Plus Corporation. Governor Mateer was selected as a finalist for the EY Entrepreneur of The Year 2014 Award in Florida and a CEO of the Year honoree by the Orlando Business Journal.

Governor Mateer graduated from the Florida State University in 1988 having attended the university on a basketball scholarship.

Governor Mateer’s appointment to the Board of Governors is one of his many philanthropic commitments. He is an active supporter of the disadvantaged, multiple health initiatives and Florida State University and has served on numerous community boards including Visit Orlando, The Salvation Army and YMCA among others. He is a member of the Micco Club, the FSU Varsity Club and a Seminole Boosters Platinum Chief.

Governor Mateer has four children and currently resides in Orlando.

J. Scott McCleneghen
Executive Vice President, SE Florida Pro CRE at First Horizon Bank

J. Scott McCleneghen is The Executive Vice President for SE Florida Pro CRE at First Horizon Bank. Prior to joining Pro CRE in 2024, Scott was the team lead for the Southeast Regional Commercial Group at First Horizon Bank in Florida. In this role he successfully built a team of bankers that added significant revenue contributions to the bank and enhanced the banks brand awareness. He worked directly with the Regional President to develop new ways to cross sell between the various lines of business. Scott has over 20 years of banking experience in the South Florida market.

Prior to Joining First Horizon (Previously Iberiabank), Scott was with City National Bank of Florida for 14 years as Managing Senior Vice President and Palm Beach County Market Executive. Outside of banking, Scott is a member of the board of directors for the Timber Tech PGA Championship tour event at Broken Sound Golf Club, chairperson of the finance committee of St. John Paul II High School in Boca Raton, and chairperson of In The Pines of Delray Beach.

Scott is a past board member of Horses and the Handicapped of Broward County, the Local Advisory Committee for the Local Initiative Support Corporation, a member of the Professional Advisory Board for Boca Community Hospital and a past member of the Palm Beach Economic Council. Scott graduated from The University of Alabama with a BS degree in Business Administration. He is a native of South Florida and currently resides in Boca Raton with his wife of 30-years and their 2-children ages 21 and 18. He is very active in the community and enjoys playing golf and fishing in his free time.

Pablo Paez
Florida Atlantic Trustee

Pablo E. Paez serves as the Executive Vice President of Corporate Relations for GEO and is responsible for the oversight of GEO’s investor relations, external communications, media relations, and community engagement. Mr. Paez also serves as the Executive Director of The GEO Group Foundation and is responsible for the oversight of The GEO Group’s charitable donations and community involvement. Additionally, Mr. Paez serves as Chairman of The GEO Group’s employee-funded Political Action Committee (GEO-PAC).

Mr. Paez joined GEO in 2003 as Manager of Corporate Communications and has served in increasingly senior positions. He has served on a number of community and charitable boards including as Chair of the Board of Directors for the Florida Atlantic University Alumni Association, Vice Chair of the Florida Atlantic University Finance Corporation Board, and Board Member of the Palm Beach County Chapter of Take Stock in Children.

Mr. Paez obtained his Bachelor of Science in Finance and Real Estate and Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Florida Atlantic University, where he served as Student Body President and as a member of the University’s Board of Trustees. Pablo married his FAU Sweetheart, Veronica, and they reside in West Palm Beach with their two children, Adriana and Pablo Jr. In addition to following FAU’s sports teams, he enjoys watching professional soccer and Formula 1 racing.

Brian Poulin
Chair, Florida Atlantic Foundation Board

Brian M. Poulin is a Principal of Evergreen Partners, LLC. He has a background in tax law and has been a developer and owner of rental real estate for over 25 years. Brian is also a Principal of Preservation Management, Inc., an affiliated property management company.

Prior to co-founding Evergreen Partners, Brian was a founding Principal in The Wishcamper Group and held positions with Wishcamper Properties, Inc., Baker Newman & Noyes, and KPMG Peat Marwick.

Brian is a graduate of Tufts University. He received a JD from University of Maine School of Law, and an LLM in taxation from Boston University School of Law. Brian currently serveson several not-for-profit boards, including The National Leased Housing Association, The Orange Bowl Committee and the Florida Atlantic University Foundation.

John Tolbert
Senior Vice President, Blackstone Real Estate Hotels & Resort

John C. Tolbert is the Senior Vice President, Asset Management at BRE Hotels & Resorts and the chairman of Revelation Consultancy. John is the former President and Managing Director of Boca Raton Resort & Club, A Waldorf Astoria Resort. He serves on several business and community boards, including the Cultural Council of Palm Beach County, Tourism Development Council of Palm Beach County, Boca Raton Historical Society, Cendyn Corporation, American Hotel & Lodging Association, Boca Raton Bowl, and Boca Raton Chamber of Commerce, among others. He serves as advisor to the boards of FAU Business School, Lynn University, and NSU Hospitality Programs.

A highly sought after public speaker, John has spoken about topics from business leadership to hospitality excellence, at events including Gary Vaynerchuk's Agent2121. He has been featured on CNBC, ESPN, Yahoo! Finance, and the popular Netflix series Stay Here, and has been profiled in magazines including Palm Beach Illustrated, Boca Raton Magazine, and more.

John has been Hilton Worldwide's "Luxury Leader of the Year," Greater Boca Raton Chamber of Commerce's "Business Leader of the Year" and co-chair of numerous non-profit and charitable organizations.

Stephanie Toothaker, Esq.
Chairwoman and Chief Strategist, Toothaker.org

Stephanie is a Martindale Hubbell AV rated attorney, regularly recognized as a SuperLawyer and by Florida Trend’s Legal Elite and known for a sophisticated approach to governmental relations and procurement. Representing private equity firms, innovative companies, and entrepreneurial individuals seeking complex land development entitlements, her specific expertise on these matters is focused on innovative activation of property rights, public/private P3 initiatives, mixed-use projects, land use plan amendments, zoning modifications and site plan approvals in the commercial, residential, hospitality, and sporting sectors.

Stephanie is an effective advocate at the Federal, State, and local level. Based in Fort Lauderdale, she regularly represents clients before governmental entities throughout South Florida. Stephanie is consistently recognized for her unique ability to seamlessly navigate multi-agency processes, efficiently manage the government relations environment, and achieve success with aggressive timelines. She is a recognized leader in Medical Marijuana permitting and approval, and was critical to the passage of Florida’s landmark legislation to change the legal boundaries of both Broward and Palm Beach Counties to enable more effective development patterns.

Stephanie’s practice also includes representation of global sporting and destination lifestyle brands. With clients that have included David Beckham's InterMiami, Red Bull Global Rallycross, Swatch Volleyball World Championships, Key West Race Week, and Informa - producer of the Monaco, Fort Lauderdale and Palm Beach International Boat Shows - she has a proven ability to leverage resources to create profitable outcomes.

Her impressive understanding of public policy at the nexus of government and private entities has as its foundation her deep experience in the national political arena. Stephanie served as special counsel to U.S. Senator Bob Graham, where she was the first female and youngest in history to serve in that capacity. She served on the Kerry-Edwards legal team, was co-lead regional counsel for the Obama-Biden legal teams and more recently chaired Gwen Graham's political committee in her race for governor.

The bottom line is Stephanie delivers on cutting-edge projects with transformational results:

  • As David Beckham’s and Jorge Mas’ legal striker, Stephanie ensured InterMiami’s DRV PNK 20,000 seat soccer stadium and training facility was approved - and built - in 13 months. Today, Leo Messi plays there.
  • Stephanie navigated the Tavistock team through approval of the landmark Pier 66 reimagining, and represented Lionheart and Fortune in their approvals of their Ritz Carlton Residences .
  • Stephanie orchestrated One Stop/ArtsPark, a visionary $100 million public/private musical, cultural, culinary and community initiative.
  • Stephanie secured the winning RFP and groundbreaking of Fort Lauderdale’s new Police HQ.
  • Stephanie broke height ceilings with Kolter’s groundbreaking Selene - the tallest buildings on Fort Lauderdale Beach, and Kushner Companies’ evolutionary Broward Crossing developments.
  • Stephanie quarterbacked Cymbal Development’s Raintree Riverwalk Residences (formerly Marina Lofts) multi-jurisdictional project, and the adjacent Moderno’s Rivr Lofts.
  • Stephanie has represented Marriott, Hilton, OTO, Key Development and Summit with beach hospitality initiatives, and secured approval for Brookfield’s Marina Hilton stunning new event complex.
  • Stephanie drove Roger Penske’s first South Florida Porsche Concept Dealership and high tech F3 Boat Club - a $35 million state-of-the-art dry stack marina.
  • Stephanie provided critical direction to secure the preservation and re-imagination of the historic Mai Kai.
  • Stephanie led the multi-year and multi-faceted development of the Ritz Carlton Residences in Pompano Beach.
  • Stephanie leads the development team for the groundbreaking development of the 35 acre Miami Gardens City Center slated to include the first of its kind F1 Museum and Simulator.

She has been a regular contributor to Florida Trend and is involved with a broad range of civic organizations including board membership for the NSU Museum of Art, Jack & Jill, the Transportation Management Association and the Fort Lauderdale Downtown Development Authority to name just a few. Stephanie serves on the Board of the University of Florida College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and the Bob Graham Center for Public Service, and is the first and only woman to serve as Commodore and Governor of the Lauderdale Yacht Club founded in 1938. She was previously a Director and Head of the Land Use & Zoning Practice at Tripp Scott, and a partner with Ruden McClosky and Blosser & Sayfie after beginning her career at Greenberg Traurig.

Roland Valdivieso
Florida Atlantic Alumnus

Roland Valdivieso is a lifelong South Florida resident. Valdivieso has over 20 years of commercial banking experience in a variety of senior roles. Currently, Valdivieso serves as the Market Executive for BanescoUSA for Palm Beach County where he is responsible for managing a team of high performing bankers focused on growing the banks growing the bank’s Florida presence by focusing on Middle Market, high new worth, non-profit, private equity and commercial real estate clients. Prior to First Republic Roland held various leadership roles with Professional Bank, First Republic, TD Bank and Bank United in Palm Beach and Broward Counties.

Valdivieso’s extensive background in banking includes C&I Lending, Asset Based Lending, Commercial Real Estate Lending, Construction Lending, SBA Lending and International Lending as well as providing private banking and cash management solutions to his clients.

Roland is active in the community and is the Past Chair for the FAU Alumni Association as well as the FAU Finance Board, he also sits on the finance committee of St Anns School in West Palm Beach. Roland is married to Sara and has two children Andres (16) and Elena (12)

Kevin Wagner, Ph.D.
Professor and Associate Dean, Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters

Kevin Wagner received his J.D. from the University of Florida and worked as an attorney and member of the Florida Bar with the law firm of Scott, Harris, Bryan, Barra, and Jorgensen in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. He returned to the University of Florida five years later to earn an M.A. and Ph.D in political science.

Dr. Wagner has lectured extensively on American Politics and has been cited in many leading newspapers including the New York Times, Boston Globe, New York Newsday, the Dallas Morning News, and the Miami Herald. He has been featured as the political analyst for CBS 12 in West Palm Beach and on national television including NBC’s "The Today Show."

His work has been published in leading journals and law reviews including American Review of Politics, Journal of Legislative Studies, and Politics and Policy.

Dr. Wagner has presented at national conferences including the American Political Science Association, the Southern Political Science Association and the Midwest Political Science Association. His recent work focuses on the affects of technology on politics and campaigning and is currently completing a book with Roman and Littlefield Press entitled "Click and Reboot: How the Internet is Revolutionizing American Politics." His other research focuses in the areas of American Institutions, American Political Development, Judicial Politics, Political Behavior, and Research Methods