Meet Our Board

Board of Directors

Chris Renfrow, CPA, CFE President and Founder
Everett S. Rice Vice President
Jeanette G. Renfrow
Mary G. Robinson
Elaine Wahl Secretary Treasurer
Terry McCoy
Rusty McClelland

Advisory Board Members

Mary A. Devine, Vice-President, CMSA Advertising & Public Relations
Dick Crippen
Ann W. Duncan, Principal, Vertical Integration, Inc.
Honorable Karen Williams Seel, Vice Chairman, District 5 Commissioner in
Pinellas County, FL

Board of Directors

Chris Renfrow, CPA, CFE President and Founder

Experience Summary

With more than 25 years of administrative and financial management experience in the nonprofit industry, Mr. Renfrow founded Charity Works, Inc. in 1996 to foster innovative philanthropy. His healthcare experience includes positions with Shriners Hospitals for Children and All Children’s Hospital. Mr. Renfrow’s responsibilities as president and CEO of Charity Works, Inc. include the following:

Managing the organization's administrative responsibilities and daily operations
Developing and administering purchasing, educational, and marketing programs
Consulting with nonprofits, major corporation donors, grant-making foundations, and businesses on how to benefit for supporting the nonprofit sector
Negotiating with vendors to obtain a most-favored-customer status for IRS approved charities
Researching trends in trade-related issues which impact the operations of nonprofits
Educating individuals on uniting business interests
and philanthropic efforts

Education

Master of Business Administration, Florida Institute of Technology, 1988
Bachelor of Science, University of South Florida, 1987
Bachelor of Business Administration, Stetson University, 1979

Affiliations

American Institute of Certified Public Accountants
Florida Institute of Certified Public Accountants,
Past President and board member of FICPA Suncoast Chapter
Association of Certified Fraud Examiners

Everett S. Rice Vice President

Attorney, Cohen, Jayson & Foster, P.A.

Long-time Pinellas County Sheriff Everett Rice brings a wealth of knowledge to Cohen, Jayson & Foster in the areas of leadership and investigative techniques. With 34 years of experience in law enforcement, Rice steadily worked his way up the ranks from the Police Academy to Chief of Detectives. His innate passion for justice led him to study law while working in the Sheriff’s Office, receiving his Juris Doctorate from Stetson Law School in 1984. Rice is also a graduate of both the FBI Academy and the FBI National Executive Institute.

Everett left law enforcement in 1985 to practice law full-time at the law firm of Kwall and Rice, P.A. in Pinellas County. Feeling as though he still had a difference to make in law enforcement, Rice entered the Republican primary for Sheriff in 1988. He won the primary and the general election by a two-to-one margin. He was re-elected for three subsequent terms.

As Sheriff, Everett Rice managed one of the largest and most progressive law enforcement and corrections agencies in the country, with over 3,000 employees and a budget exceeding $200 million. In 1997, Rice was elected president of the Florida Sheriffs’ Association. Under his leadership, the FSA lobbied and won creation of the Department of Juvenile Justice, and also lobbied to create rules requiring felons to complete at least 85% of their prison sentence.

In 1996, Pinellas County voters passed term limits for all county constitutional officers. Rice took exception to the term limits, on the basis that the office of Sheriff was a state office and, as such, not subject to a county charter amendment. He instigated a lawsuit that year, and 6 ½ years later, a Florida Supreme Court ruling tossed out the county term limits; out of respect for the 1996 vote, in 2004 Rice did not run for re-election as sheriff. He was, however, elected in 2004 (without opposition) to a seat in the Florida House of Representatives.

Everett Rice first met Senior Partner Barry Cohen in an adversarial relationship, when Cohen sued the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office and other law enforcement agencies for access to documents in 1989 during the investigation of Dr. William LaTorre, a Pinellas County doctor who was ultimately acquitted on four counts of vessel homicide charges. Impressed with Cohen’s legal acumen and advocacy skills demonstrated in the courtroom, Rice himself called upon Cohen to represent the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office in 1994, when a former U.S. Attorney threatened the agency with a lawsuit. After receiving correspondence from Cohen, the complainant failed to follow through on his threat of litigation, saving county taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars in superfluous litigation.

Rice will divide his practice at Cohen, Jayson & Foster between state and federal criminal defense, white-collar criminal defense and civil litigation. He will also work closely with the firm’s in-house investigation team and external investigators (former FBI agents, IRS special agents and FDA officials) to artfully discover information before it is “properly framed” by government or corporate investigators or representatives.

Areas of Practice

Criminal Defense
White-Collar Criminal Defense
Civil Litigation

Education

Stetson University College of Law, J.D., 1984
University of South Florida, B.A., 1975
FBI National Executive Institute
FDLE Chief Executive Institute

BAR Admissions

Florida, 1984

Honors and Activities

Served as Pinellas County Sheriff, 4 terms (1988-2004)
State Representative, District 54 (2004-2006)
Former President, Florida Sheriffs' Association
University of South Florida Distinguished Alumni Professional Achievement Award

Jeanette G. Renfrow

Mrs. Renfrow serves as Senior Vice President and City Executive of USAmeriBank in Clearwater, FL. She is a graduate of the University of South Florida and holds a Bachelors degree in Finance. In addition, she is a graduate of the American Bankers Association, Stonier Graduate School of Banking, Rutgers University and served as President of her class. She served as the 2006 Chairwoman of the Board for the Clearwater Regional Chamber of Commerce, 2007 President of the Belleair Country Club, and serves on the Boards of the Clearwater Jazz Holiday Foundation, Charity Works, Inc., the Morton Plant Mease Hospital Community Board, and Leadership Tampa Bay. She has been honored as a "Woman of Distinction" by the Suncoast Girl Scout Council and received the "Tribute to Women in Industry Award" from the YWCA.

Elaine M. Wahl, CPA Secretary/Treasurer

Elaine Wahl has been with Belleair Country Club for over 18 years serving as their Comptroller and Chief Financial Officer. Belleair Country Club is a 501c(7) Corporation in Belleair, Florida. Elaine oversees the Accounting Department and Administrative staff at the Club. Prior to Belleair Country Club, Mrs. Wahl was an Auditor for 5 years with the regional Accounting firm of Cherry Bekaert & Holland CPA’s. Before that, she was an Internal Audit Senior with Goldome Savings & Loan. Mrs. Wahl is a Certified Public Accountant, certified in the State of Florida, for over 25 years. She is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the Florida Institute of Certified Public Accountants and Hospitality and Financial Technology Professionals. She earned her Bachelor of Science Degree in Accounting from Florida State University and her Masters Degree in Accounting from Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton. Elaine Wahl is married to Rick Wahl who is the Golf Course Superintendent at St. Petersburg Country Club. Together, they have two children: a 5 yr. old girl named Sydney Katherine and a 7 yr. old boy named Justin Richard. Elaine also has a daughter named Taylor Chianco, 18 years old, who is studying Micro and Molecular Biology at the University of Central Florida. They reside in Palm Harbor.

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Terry L. McCoy

Terry McCoy is Senior Vice President and Branch Manager with Morgan Stanley Smith Barney. He has been with Morgan Stanley Smith Barney since 1999 and previously served as a Branch Manager with Bank of America Securities, Inc. He is a graduate of the University of Georgia. He is married to Cheryl and they have one son, Lee.

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Mary G. Robinson

Mary was born in the Spring of 1913 in Framingham, Massachusetts. As a small child she moved with her father, John Bellamy Gilbert, and her brother, John, to Philadelphia, Pennsylvaniawhere her father worked for Dennison Manufacturing Company. She still remembers the brick streets, and lamplighters.

After finishing 8th gradeat the local public school, Mary attended Friends Select School, and later transferred to the Misses Kirk’s School in Bryan Mawr, PA.

After high school, Mary went to Russell Sage College in Troy (near Albany) New York, and after graduation married Albert Chambers in 1936. They moved to Rochester, New York and later to Palmyra, New York where they restored a cobblestone house on the Erie Canal. Albert died in 1959 and Mary went on to teach 3rd grade at Columbia School for Girls in Rochester. She married Carlton Robinson in 1964.

Mary and Carl moved to Belleair Beach, Florida in 1985 and together they traveled extensively around the world. In 1994 Carl died and Mary continues to live in her home in Belleair Beach, FL. Mary serves on the board as an emeritus member.

Rusty McClelland

Rusty McClelland currently serves as General Manager of CBS Outdoor Advertising in the Tampa Bay market. A veteran of the out-of-home advertising industry, Mr. McClelland began his advertising career nearly 20 years ago as an account executive and now manages one of the largest CBS Outdoor plants in North America.

Born in Lakeland and raised in Winter Park, Rusty is a fifth generation Floridian who excelled in soccer and golf while at Trinity Prep. He is a graduate of the University of Florida where he was a member of Pi Kappa Alpha (PKA) fraternity.

Mr. McClelland continues to contribute in a directorship role with several community organizations including Metropolitan Ministries and All Children’s Hospital. In his leisure time, Rusty enjoys golfing, travel and watching college football

Advisory Board Members

Mary A. Devine, Vice-President, CMSA Advertising &
Public Relations

Overview

Ms. Devine is Vice-President of CMSA Advertising & Public Relations of Palm Harbor, a full-service ad agency which provides creative development, media strategy, internet marketing and public relations to companies throughout the Southeast. Ms. Devine oversees the brand management, creative operations and client services at the agency. Working in an agency provides her the platform to utilize her creative talents for her clients’ success. Her twenty years of marketing experience combines with her sincere passion for the business to consistently bring synergistic results.

Education

Ms. Devine achieved a Bachelors Degree in Mass Communications & Advertising at the University of South Florida in Tampa.

Personal

Ms. Devine grew up in Dunedin with her parents and four older siblings. She is currently married and has two young children. Her passions include a lifelong love of ballet. Ms. Devine co-founded and acted as artistic director of the Florida Ballet School from 1996-2007, where she performed, taught and choreographed ballet.

Honors & Affiliations

Participated in more than 40 Gold & Silver Addy Awards for Creative Excellence in Advertising in the Tampa Bay Area
Recipient of YWCA's "Business Woman of the Year" award
Current or past board member of: Charity Works, Clearwater Chamber of Commerce, Clearwater Jazz Holiday,
Rotary Club of Clearwater, Directions for Mental Health, Florida Gulf Coast Ballet Company, Downtown Clearwater Association, Women’s Issues Network

Dick Crippen

Dick Crippen is a popular former sports anchor in the Tampa Bay, Florida television market. Crippen began his career at ABC affiliate WLCY Channel 10 in 1965, being one of the station's first on-air personalities. He continued until 1981, when he left for rival WFLA-TV. He anchored the evening sportscasts until the late 1990s.

Crippen now works in community development and as senior advisor for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays baseball team. Previously he hosted an hour long weekly sports show called Bay Sports with Dick Crippen on Catch 47 (Brighthouse Cable channel 47). Dick is also a popular speaker speaking on sports, motivation and broadcasting. He is a popular host of many local events, including athletic ceremonies at the University of South Florida.

Crippen has done play by play work on the The Water Channel's American Powerboat Television, ESPN's coverage of Unlimited Hydroplane Circuit, as well as NASCAR'S Motor Racing Network.

Dick has been a staple of Tampa Bay Area broadcasting for better than four decades. For more than 35 years he has been sports director at both the NBC affiliate (19 years - WFLA-TV) and before that at the then ABC affiliate (16 years - WTSP-TV). He has also worked extensively in radio and was best known as part of the Q Morning Zoo on Q105 Radio.

His sports broadcasting also included several years with NASCAR’s Motor Racing Network and 17 years doing the radio broadcasts for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He also served as stadium announcer and television broadcaster for the Tampa Bay Rowdies.

Crippen's work has taken him around the country as he broadcast the Unlimited Hydroplane Circuit on ESPN for ten years and is currently associated with the APBA Offshore Racing Circuit. He has also done a drag boat series, the 12 hours of Sebring, motorcycle racing and is host of Boattest Reports that just recently moved from Speedvision to the Outdoor Life Network.

He has been an integral member of the Super Bowl Task Force that landed three Super Bowls for Tampa Bay and has also been part of the birth of NFL Football, NASL Soccer, NHL Hockey and Major League Baseball in Tampa Bay. His job in sports took him to ten Super Bowls as well as Final Four’s; Sugar, Orange and Fiesta Bowls; years of Florida/Florida State match-ups and several World Series. He was named Florida Sportscaster of the Year four times in the 90’s by the National Sporstcasters and Sportswriters Association.

Dick is currently Executive Director of Community Development for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays and also heads up their Rays of Hope Foundation. He serves on eight board of directors including the St. Petersburg YMCA; PARC (Pinellas Association for Retarded Children); United Way of Tampa Bay; Florida Blood Services; CASA; Pinellas Education Foundation; and the Salvation Army Advisory Board. He is also a lifetime member of the board for the Suncoast Ronald MacDonald Houses and serves on the Board of Counselors at the University of Tampa and the President’s Council at the University of South Florida.

Dick and wife Penny, reside in St. Petersburg.

Ann W. Duncan

Ann W. Duncan is the President of Vertical Integration, Inc., a nationally certified Women’s Business Enterprise (WBE) and a state certified Minority Business Enterprise (MBE). Vertical Integration specializes in commercial real estate with a focus on Strategic Portfolio Planning, Real Estate Portfolio Optimization, Transaction Management, Catastrophe Planning/Recovery, and Project Implementation. Ann has represented tenants in transactions for over 5 million square feet of office space and provided strategic consulting for real estate portfolios of over 50 million square feet. She has been recognized both within the commercial real estate industry and across the State of Florida for her tireless commitment to the highest levels of service and innovation.

She is currently a member of the Statewide Board of Governors for Florida’s university system and is serving as the Chairman of its Student Affairs Committee. Ann has chaired or served on numerous national, statewide and regional boards including Leadership Florida, the National Association of Office and Industrial Properties (NAIOP), the University of South Florida- Board of Trustees, and the Pinellas Environmental Foundation.

Ann holds a Finance degree from the University of South Florida, as well as a Black Belt in Six Sigma from Villanova University. She is married to Pinellas County Commissioner Ronnie Duncan, and they have two children, Katlyn and Carson.

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