Board of Directors
Lisa Early, Director of Families, Parks and Recreation (FPR), has worked with the City of Orlando since November 2003, when she was appointed as the City's first Director of Children & Education. Prior to joining the City, she served for 12 years as Executive Director of The Howard Phillips Center for Children & Families, a non-profit organization affiliated with Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children that helps children who are uninsured, abused, disabled or HIV-positive. Lisa also lived for 10 years in the Dominican Republic, where she worked with UNICEF to develop preschool education programs for children living in rural villages and the U.S. Agency for International Development, overseeing programs to improve the health of mothers and children living in poverty. Lisa graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Human Development and Family Studies from Cornell University in 1981. In addition to serving as FPR’s Director, she also serves as Project Director for Parramore Kidz Zone.
Rodney Williams joined the City of Orlando in February 2005 and serves as the City’s Families, Parks and Recreation Department’s Recreation Division Manager. He is responsible for the overall operations of 19 community centers and over 150 recreational programs consisting of Athletics, Aquatics, Senior Programs and Cultural Arts. Prior to assuming his position with the City of Orlando, Rodney was the Assistant Manager of the Orange County Parks and Recreation Division. He also worked as a Bank Manager for six (6) years with two financial institutions. Rodney competed as an intercollegiate athlete with both the University of Florida and Stetson University Basketball teams. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration from Stetson University.
Denise Aldridge is the City of Orlando Families, Parks and Recreation Fiscal Manager and has been with the City of Orlando for the past 12 years. She is responsible for the coordination of all business and financial aspects of the department’s operation. Denise has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration from the University of Central Florida and a Masters of Business Administration from the University of Phoenix.
Marcia Bowen graduated with a B.S. in Recreation and Parks from Penn State University in 1983. She has been a certified recreation professional since 1990, which is when she began her employment with the City of Orlando. Marcia works in the Recreation Division, holding positions from Special Programs Manager to her current position as Contract Administrator. Marcia is active in the Florida Recreation and Park Association, serving in various capacities. On the local level, she has been a member of the Regional Board of Directors, coordinated a District Mini Conference, and the Orlando Teen Conference in 2003 with 489 people in attendance. She was a member of the State Board for Professional Certification from 1994-1999, and was the appointed chair for 2004-05.
Laura Bornfreund has worked for the City of Orlando since 2004, beginning her service as the Constituent Correspondent in the Office of the Mayor. She now serves as the Grants and Project Manager for the Department of Families, Parks, and Recreation. In this position, Laura writes and manages grants for the department, serves on the Parramore Kidz Zone project implementation team, and serves on the city’s education team, developing education initiatives and advising on education issues. Before joining the City, Laura taught 4th grade in Orange County Public Schools for four years. She graduated from the University of Central Florida with a B.S. in Elementary Education (2000) and a Master’s degree in Public Administration (2004).
John Perrone has served as Parks Assistant Division Manager for 20 years and is a Registered Landscape Architect with more than 28 years of experience in Residential, Commercial, and Municipal Design. He is a Certified Parks and Recreation Professional and as a Playground Safety Inspector. John's passion is to provide recreational opportunities that augment organized recreation as well as provide safe non-scheduled spaces for spontaneous play and interaction with the environment. He is a past recipient of the City of Orlando McNamara Employee of the Year Award. John has taught Landscape Design and Landscape Construction at Valencia Community College for 15 years. He graduated from the LSU School of Environment Design in 1979.
Yvette Hart-Metzger was born in Curacao, the Dutch Antilles, and speaks/reads/writes, English, Spanish, French, Dutch (official language) and Papiamento (native language). She graduated in 1983 Suma Cum Laude with a Leadership Award, from the University of The Sacred Heart in Santurce, Puerto Rico. She has two bachelors’ degrees: one in Public Relations and one in Advertising, as well as an Associate Degree in communications. She is the Founder and President of Celestial’s Legacy Corp., with an office in Orlando, FL. Her company is a “one stop shop” for brand imaging, sales and marketing consulting, destination management consulting services for corporate and leisure groups, all air and ground transportation, hotel/ resort management. Her latest business venture is taking GREEN to hotel guest rooms, a concept never before in Central Florida. Yvette has over twenty years experience in training and motivation, sales and marketing.
Chirag J. Bhavsar is a graduate of University of Florida. He graduated in 1990 with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and in 1991 with a Masters of Science in Accounting. Currently Mr. Bhavsar works for CNLBancshares, Inc. where he serves as the Chief Financial Officer and Executive Vice President. Mr. Bhavsar began working with the company since 2002 where he also serve as the Chief Financial Officer for CNLBank, CNLBank First Coast, and CNLBank Southwest Florida. Mr. Bhavsar also serves on the Audit Committee and ALCO Committee for all three banks plus the Holding Company. Some of his responsibilities include overseeing the accounting, finance and compliance department. Mr. Bhavsar is also in charge of all securities portfolio. Prior to CNL, Mr. Bhavsar opened Florida Choice Bank with two other executives in 1999. He served as the Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operation Officer. Prior to this he worked as a Senior Audit Manager with Hacker Johnson Cohen and Grieb, a Florida Accounting Firm that specializes in Banking.
Brenda March- President
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