Panelists
2017-2018 Cultural Facilities
October 26, 2016
9:00 AM - to conclusion
R.A. Gray Auditorium
Chair: Sandy Shaughnessy
Program Manager: Elsie Rogers
Lois Benson
Escambia County
Mrs. Benson is a graduate of Emory University in the field of Interior Design. She is a former councilwoman for the City of Pensacola, as well as a former state representative from 1992-1994. She currently serves on the board of the Emerald Coast Utilities Authority but was also a board member of the North Florida Water Management District. Mrs. Benson is very involved in her local community, serving on the boards of the Five Flags Rotary, The Zoo of Northwest Florida, and the Northwest Florida Historic Preservation Board.
LaVon Bracy Davis
Orange County
LaVon holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Theater Arts with a concentration in Acting from Howard University and a Juris Doctor from Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University, College of Law. LaVon is a licensed attorney and currently works as the Project Community Coordinator for Hines, the Owner's Representative for the forthcoming state-of-the-art Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts. She is excited about her recent appointment to the Florida Council on Arts and Culture.
Timothy Deratany
Brevard County
Mr. Deratany, a former Florida State Senator and Representative, is president of Deratany Consulting, a Governmental and Public Affairs firm. Prior to lobbying, Mr. Deratany served as Mayor of Indialantic and Director of University Relations at the Florida Institute of Technology.
At some point during each day, you can find Mr. Deratany painting in his riverside art studio. An avid artist for the past ten years, Mr. Deratany is a board member of the Brevard Museum of Art and Science and previously served as Chairman of the Florida Seaside Art Show. He belongs to the Brevard Watercolor Society and the Brevard Artists Guild. For Mr. Deratany, art offers a welcome respite from the hectic world of politics.
Katharine Dickenson
Palm Beach County
Mrs. Dickenson is a graduate of the University of Miami with a Masters in Education. She has been actively involved in her community by serving on such boards as the Children’s Museum at Singing Pines, Historic Palm Beach County Preservation Board, Historic Palm Beach County Preservation Board, as well as the Boca Raton Historical Society.
Mrs. Dickenson has also served on the boards of the Dorset Theater Festival and Manchester Music Festival in Vermont, the Florida Historic Preservation Advisory Council, Florida Trust for Historic Preservation, and the National Trust for Historic Preservation. She has been awarded the 1989 Florida Trust Distinguished Service Award, Palm Beach County’s Judge Knott Award in 1996, the 1995 Boca Raton’s Myrtle Butts Fleming Award and was recently inducted into Who's Who of American Women, 2006-07, the 25th anniversary issue.
Towson Fraser
Leon County
Towson Fraser currently works for Southern Strategy Group, and has more than 10 years of political and governmental experience.
Most recently, Towson served Governor Charlie Crist as his Deputy Chief of Staff and Legislative Affairs Director. As Deputy Chief of Staff, Towson coordinated with numerous state agencies including the Department of Environmental Protection, Department of State, Department of Revenue, Fish and Wildlife Commission, Water Management Districts, and the Agency for Workforce Innovation. As Legislative Affairs Director, Towson managed the progress of the Governor’s priorities through the legislative process including budget issues and landmark legislation in regard to energy, health care, insurance, and property taxes.
Prior to working for Governor Crist, Towson served as Communications Director for Speaker Allan Bense, as well as the Republican Party of Florida, the Department of Management Services, and the Department of Community Affairs. Towson also worked in the House Majority Office under Speakers John Thrasher and Tom Feeney.
A native of Tallahassee who grew up in Jacksonville, Towson, his wife Carrie, and their children Caroline, Jack, and Helen live in Tallahassee.
Lisa Jensen
Polk County
Bio not yet available.
Robert Judd
Broward County
Mr. Judd, an attorney with Gunster, Yoakley & Stewart, P.A., is a graduate of American University and Catholic University where he earned his Juris Doctor (J.D.) in 1985. Mr. Judd serves on the boards of the Community Foundation of Broward County and the Broward Performing Arts Center Foundation. He also serves as President of the Josephine S. Leiser Charitable Foundation and on the Donor Committee of the Fort Lauderdale Historical Society. Mr. Judd is a member of the Broward County Estate Planning and Planned Giving Councils, and has offered estate planning-related seminars to several local cultural organizations.
Glenn Lochrie
Broward County
Glenn Lochrie is a fourth generation South Floridian and has spent his life promoting and participating in the arts in Florida. For over 15 years he has been selling, appraising and judging fine art created by Floridians. Glenn opened two award winning fine art galleries in Broward County that focused exclusively on the artists of Florida from 1850 to present. Glenn designed a young collectors program that introduced Florida's young professionals to art collecting and has given many lectures on building a Florida art collection. Working with local organizations, Glenn has judged art competitions and sponsored local art events and charities. As a volunteer, he helped organize an innovative art program and fundraising auction for the historic Bonnet House of Fort Lauderdale. Glenn continues as an art consultant to his many clients and maintains an art gallery website; in 2010 he started a blog focusing on the arts in Florida that has readers in over 30 countries. Glenn is committed to increasing awareness and support of the unique cultural resources of Florida.
Hope McMath
Duval County
Hope McMath dedicates herself to connecting the arts to community needs including education, accessibility, the environment, wellness, and inclusion and diversity. Core to her work is a strong belief that the arts, and those who create it, are society’s great truth tellers and that art has the power to transform people and communities. Hope served at the Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens for 22 years, moving from Director of Education to Deputy Director, before seven years as the organization’s Director. She led the organization through an important period of growth, both through capital expansion and a significant increase in visitation. Her commitment to using the arts to lift up conversations around education, race, equity, and universal human rights has been recognized with a 2012 Times-Union EVE Award, and in 2016 received the OneJax Humanitarian Award, a Cultural Icon Award from the Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville, and Equality Florida’s Voice for Equality Award. She is a graduate of the Getty Institute and National Arts Strategies Executive Leadership programs. Hope gives her time generously to a variety of organizations and causes including the State of Florida Council on Arts and Culture, Leadership Jacksonville, Any Given Child Jacksonville, TEDxJacksonville, and We Are Straight Allies. Hope acquired B.A. and M.A. degrees from Jacksonville University. She is a working artist and enjoys sharing an artful life with her art-educator husband, Barry Wilson.
Terry Olson
Orange County
Terry Olson has been Orange County's “Chief Arts Instigator” since the County authorized the creation of the Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs in 2001. Previously he was the Executive Director of the Arts & Cultural Alliance for Central Florida. Terry has been involved professionally in the Arts since he completed an M.A. in Theatre from the University of Minnesota. He moved to Florida to help open Epcot Center bringing SAK Theatre, a company he co-founded and managed for 21 years, Since moving to Orlando, he has helped start and run more than a dozen other arts organizations including the Orlando Theatre Project, the Orlando International Fringe Festival, and Orlando’s Downtown Arts District. He attends as many as 40 arts events each month. He has been asked to speak at various organizations including the prestigious TEDX conference in Tampa. He is the past President of the Florida Association of Public Art Professionals. He served as Executive Director or Board member for a number of national or international arts networking and support organizations.
Mr. Olson has served as an adjunct professor at the University of Central Florida and guest lecturer at Rollins College and has worked with composer Keith Lay from Full Sail on several projects and with Cole NeSmith on the Creative City Project. His photographic art has been featured at SNAP! Orlando. He has performed on many of the Central Florida stages including the Orlando Shakespeare Theater, Orlando Opera Company, Southern Ballet Theatre, Mad Cow Theatre, the Garden Theatre and more. Most recently he is helping with a collaboration of a dozen visual arts organizations to celebrate 20 art legends of Orange County – people who in the 50 years (1932-1982) before the opening of Disney’s Epcot Center, laid the groundwork for the current visual arts community.
He received the “Outstanding theatre advocate” award from the Florida Theatre Conference, the Downtowner of the Year and Golden Brick awards from the Downtown Orlando Partnership, the Champion of Sustainability award from the Healthy Community Initiative and the Humor award from the Grant Professionals Network.
Brenda Shoffner
Okaloosa County
Brenda Shoffner is the arts and entertainment editor for the Northwest Florida Daily News in Fort Walton Beach. For more than 22 years, she has reported on the arts community with her news stories, columns and blogs. She is primarily responsible for the content and production of the newspaper's award-winning weekly entertainment magazine. She also serves as an ambassador to the community and has been recognized as such by various arts organizations. Mrs. Shoffner has a Bachelor of Science degree in journalism from the University of Kansas and considers it an honor to cover the many talented people in Northwest Florida and beyond.
KATHRYN TOWNSEND
Seminole County
Kathryn Townsend is a graduate of Florida Atlantic University and Rollins College. A resident of Oviedo, she is a founding member of Helpful Hands, Inc., a 501(c)3 charity, which focuses on helping families in crisis. A former public school music teacher, in addition she has served on numerous committees and in leadership roles in Seminole County including President of the Seminole Cultural Arts Council; the Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center Board; Leadership Seminole/2006; State of Florida IFAS Regional Committee; Seminole County Cooperative Extension Advisory Board Chair; City of Oviedo Planning, Zoning and Appeals Board and the Seminole County Tourist Development Council. She was a recipient of the 2009 Seminole Regional Chamber of Commerce Professional Women's Award for Art and Culture and is included in the Manchester Who's Who 2005-2006.