EMILY ANKERSON

Education: B.A., Education, Johnson State College; M.Ed., Saint Michael's College. Employment: Professional educator, elementary school team leader, and curriculum writer for public and private school systems in Vermont. Worked in nonprofit sector in West Palm Beach in various administrative and leadership roles such as Arts Integration Curriculum Specialist, Curriculum Director, and Community Outreach Program Manager. Executive Director of Captiva Civic Association and the CCA Foundation. Activities: President-elect and Board Member, Kiwanis Club of Sanibel-Captiva. Volunteer for several island non-profits.

ALLAN ANTLEY

Education: BA Environmental Sciences, University of Virginia. Employment: Retired from the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) after 35 years, and another 8 years as a Senior Policy Advisor with CSC in support of EPA’s emergency response mission. While at EPA, served as the Deputy Director of the Region 4 Water Management Division and as Deputy Director of the Science and Ecosystem Support Division among other senior positions. Led the development of the Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan for the Tampa Bay National Estuary Program as the Federal Co-Chair of both the Policy and Management Committees. Sanibel Activities: volunteer at Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge (2023);  President, Pine Tree Drive Association; Board Member, Sanibel Bike Club.

JEFF BLACKMAN - SECRETARY

Education: BA, Religious Studies, BA, History, Indiana University; JD, The George Washington University Law School; LLM, London School of Economics. Employment: Practiced commercial litigation and administrative law in Washington, DC; directed international development projects in former Czechoslovakia; directed international law projects for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees in former Czechoslovakia, former Yugoslavia, and former Soviet Union; practiced corporate acquisitions and media licensing in Eastern Europe; co-founded international film distribution company in Eastern Europe; co-founded international law practice; co-founded golf cart rental company on Captiva and Sanibel. Sanibel Activities: Current President and Board Member, Sanibel-Captiva Kiwanis Club; Member, Sanibel-Captiva Chamber of Commerce; Member, Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation.

BARBARA JOY COOLEY

Education: BS from The Ohio State University (OSU) College of Medicine in biomedical communications. Employment: Battelle Memorial Institute, science writing and public information program planning and implementation for federal environmental projects. The OSU College of Engineering, communications director. The James Cancer Hospital at OSU, medical writer. Sanibel Activities: Committee of the Islands, director and vice president, former president; City of Sanibel Historic Preservation Committee, former member; Sanibel Congregational United Church of Christ, trustee, former moderator and deacon; Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation, life member; member and former vice president of the League of Women Voters – Sanibel; Zonta, former member and former newsletter editor; former president of the Gulf Pines Property Owners Association; former publicist for Island Jazz.

ED HOLDEN 

Education:  Bachelor of Engineering from Ohio University; Master of Engineering from University of Colorado. Employment: Held several different engineering positions at Stone & Webster, a diversified engineering services company, for 23 years until Stone & Webster was acquired by Shaw Group; served Shaw Group in various I&C Engineering positions for 16 years until it was acquired by CB &I. Sanibel Activities: City of Sanibel, Structural Inspector and Vegetation Committee; Volunteer for FISH of SanCap and for CHR. Other Volunteering: Serves as Regional Lead for the Tampa Chapter of the International Society of Automation.

WILLIAM MILLAR - PRESIDENT

Education: Northwestern University B.A. Geography, University of Iowa M.A. Urban and Regional Planning specializing in urban transportation policy analysis.

Employment: Lancaster (PA) County Planning Commission transportation planner, Pennsylvania Department of Transportation developer of statewide public transit programs, Port Authority of Allegheny County (Pittsburgh’s principal public transit provider) CEO, American Public Transportation Association CEO.

Active in several Sanibel organizations including serving as a Ding Darling Wildlife Society board member.

BOB MOORE

Education: Non-traditional, life-long learning path including studies in psychology, organizational behavior, and personal transformation. Employment: Retired Senior Vice President Health Management Resources (HMR). Led external and internal training function and program development of lifestyle health programs for Boston-based healthcare company. Managed team that trained more than 10,000 healthcare professionals, developed digitally supported consumer health programs, and ran internal communications and team building trainings. Established learning center to support workplace diversity. Founded with wife, Ariel Hoover, a vegetarian catering business. Ran a school-lunch program as vocational training for learning-disabled high school students. Currently co-chair of the Sanibel-Captiva Renewable Energy Working Group and San-Cap Resilience—both are coalitions of local civic, business, conservation, municipal, and academic organizations (including COTI). Is a trained member of the Climate Reality Project Leadership Corps and is co-founder of the Lee County Chapter of Climate Reality.

MIRIAM PEPPER - VICE PRESIDENT

Education: BA, University of California at Berkeley, independent major, Women & Media. Employment: Miriam retired in 2014 after 38 years at The Kansas City Star, serving as Vice President, Editorial Page Editor, for the final decade. Earlier, she was the Reader's Representative, wrote columns on politics and business and worked on investigative projects. She was part of a Pulitzer Prize-winning team for coverage of a deadly hotel skywalks collapse. Prior to The KC Star, she covered the Missouri Legislature for The Associated Press, and worked as a sportswriter for The St. Louis Post-Dispatch. She joined Opinion in a Pinch in 2014 as Associate Editor of the opinion writing and editing news service serving newspapers, websites and organizations across the country. Sanibel Activities: Volunteer on the BIG ARTS Talking Points Committee.

CARL (BUD) REINHOLD - TREASURER

Education: B.A., Journalism, Marquette University. Employment: U.S. Air Force Active Duty and Reserve Duty; advertising and public relations executive for several organizations and political campaigns; Legislative Director, U.S. Congress; executive of the Redevelopment Authority and the Housing Authority of the City of Milwaukee; investment advisor and financial manager with over $50m in management; currently certified arbitrator. 

LARRY SCHOPP

Education: B.A. Hunter College, LL.B (J.D.) and LL.M New York University School of Law. Member of the New York Bar, retired. Employment: Career in corporate law included position as Vice President - Counsel of Clairol Incorporated; Retired as Vice President - Counsel for Bristol-Myers Squibb Co Medical Products Group. Sanibel Activities: Past board member and president of COTI; principal author of the 2005 “Peoples Choice” Sanibel City Charter amendments; COTI Citizen of the Year 2005; chair COTI Land Use Planning Committee; member of the 2018 City of Sanibel Charter Review Committee; author of numerous articles and commentaries on issues of local and regional interest; SCCF docent on Captiva Cruises ten years; past president Pine Tree Drive Association.

ELLEN SMILEY

Education: BS, Psychology, Denison University; AM & Ph.D., Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Employment: Faculty member, Psychology (with tenure), The City College of the City University of New York; Acting Dean, Social Sciences, The City College; Assistant and Acting Deputy Provost, The City College; Founding Academic Director, Online BA & MA in Psychology, CUNY School of Professional Studies. Sanibel Activities: Island homeowner since 2004; past Treasurer & current President of the Gulf Pines Homeowners Association.