Broward College Names New Members to the Broward College Foundation Board of Directors

FORT LAUDERDALE, FL – Broward College is proud to announce that seven new members have joined the Broward College Foundation to support its mission to change lives through education.

“Serving as the Broward College District Board of Trustees representative on the Foundation Board, I am excited to welcome these new members and look forward to working together to help our students,” said Trustee Zachariah "Reggie" P. Zachariah, Jr. “Broward College does so many things for so many people; we’re transforming lives on a daily basis, and these new Foundation board members are going to be an integral part of supporting those efforts.”

The new members joining the Broward College Foundation are:

• Alisa Bert, a long-time hospital executive, senior vice president, interim chief financial officer with Broward Health and treasurer of the Children’s Diagnostic and Treatment Center;
• Dr. Marisa Burke, an adjunct faculty member at Florida International University and the University of Miami with a background in the mental health profession;
• Tim Curtin, a Florida certified addictions professional, a vice president at Memorial Healthcare System with prior board experience for Mission United and the Broward Education Foundation;
• Phil DeBiasi, a successful entrepreneur with extensive philanthropy contributions, including serving as the past Chair of the Board for Handy, Inc. and was appointed to serve on the Board of Nursing Home Administrators;
• Alex Fernandez, a licensed CPA with prior board experience with the Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance and is a member of the Leadership Florida Cornerstone Class 40 and a former Broward College Foundation Board member;
• Russell Marcus, an attorney with private sector and government experience; former Chief Business Development Officer with the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity and former President and Executive Director of the Florida Opportunity Fund, Inc., and
• Pat Smith, former faculty member at Florida Atlantic University and employee at IBM, who comes with prior board experience, including Chair of the Bonnet House and President of the North Broward Auxiliary of the Children’s Home Society.

Since it started in 1971, the Broward College Foundation has worked closely with the Office of Advancement to raise money to support scholarships, academic programs and other needs of the College. Helping students realize their academic dreams and by providing community awareness, advocacy and funding to the college is at the heart of what the Foundation does. These seven new board members bring with them varied backgrounds, skills, ideas and perspectives that will help bring the work of the Foundation to the next level.

“We are definitely working toward making Broward College the number one destination for academic excellence and having these community members join the Broward College Foundation supports those efforts,” said Broward College President and Chief Executive Officer Torey Alston. “I very much look forward to working with them, and our District Board of Trustees – this is an exciting time for Broward College.”

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