NIEL U. ALLEN is a fourth generation resident of St. Petersburg. He has been active in the community through volunteer work with numerous nonprofit organizations, community groups, and committees. He is a realtor with Century 21 in St. Petersburg, and he is also a member of the Pinellas Realtor Organization’s public policy committee.
RINITA OLIVER ANDERSON is president of Urban Exposure, Inc., a multi-cultural marketing agency in St. Petersburg. Her 22 years experience as a Senior Advertising Account Executive began as a Co-op Advertising Director at WQYK, in 1987. She has also been employed by Cox and Infinity Broadcasting. Her passion is providing mentorship for at-risk youth. Anderson’s education includes the University of Florida, University of South Florida, Dale Carnegie and the Radio Advertising Bureau Training Academy.
RAYMOND ARSENAULT, Ph.D., is the John Hope Franklin Professor of Southern History and Co-Director of the Florida Studies Program at the University of South Florida St. Petersburg. Specializing in the political, social, and environmental history of the American South, he has also taught at the University of Minnesota, Brandeis University, and the Universite d’Angers in France as a Fulbright Lecturer. His undergraduate degree is from at Princeton University, and doctorate from Brandeis University. He is the author of many publications, including Freedom Riders: 1961 and the Struggle for Racial Justice (2006) and Paradise Lost? (2005), an anthology he co-edited with Jack Davis on Florida’s environmental history.
PETER BELMONT, an attorney who practices criminal, environmental, and land use law, has lived in St. Petersburg for over 35 years. Serving as chair of the Waterfront Parks Centennial Celebration steering committee, he is also vice-president of St. Petersburg Preservation, Inc., and a director of the Downtown Neighborhood Association. On many Saturday mornings, he may be found leading downtown historic walking tours sponsored by St. Petersburg Preservation. A graduate of Eckerd College, Belmont’s law degree is from Florida State University.
DEBRA DAVIES, a Tampa Bay area resident for almost 40 years, is Preferred Partners Manager for TradeWinds Island Resorts in St. Pete Beach. Prior experience has included positions as account executive at WEDU-TV, the local PBS affiliate, and director of marketing, research, and sales development at WTOG-TV. Davies is a member of numerous environmental groups, including Tampa Bay Watch, Sierra Club, Pinellas County Native Plant Society and St. Petersburg Audubon. She attended Kansas State University and holds a degree in Mass Communications from the University of South Florida.
PHILIP GRAHAM, JR, is managing principal of Phil Graham Studio, ValleyCrest Design Group, an award-winning landscape architecture and urban planning firm. Graham is a registered landscape architect, a certified planner and a LEED Accredited Professional, and received a Business Management degree from Eckerd College. A 4th generation resident of St. Petersburg, he has long been active in the community serving on the St. Petersburg Planning Commission, as president of the St. Petersburg Rotary Club and Suncoasters, Inc., on the Board of Trustees for St. Anthony’s Hospital and Pioneer Park Foundation, and numerous City, County and Chamber committees. In 1986, Graham produced the St. Petersburg Downtown Waterfront Parks Plan, encompassing 11 city parks.
ART GRIFFITH, who is serving as treasurer of the St. Petersburg Waterfront Parks Centennial Celebration Committee, retired in 2008 after 30 years of professional service with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). He has worked with nonprofit groups, has been treasurer of his American Legion Post, and is also finance officer for his family church in Tampa. Prior to his work with the IRS, he had a career in the United States military.
CATHERINE B. MARTIN is former president of the Historic Old Northeast Neighborhood Association and is active in the St. Petersburg community. She is on the board of directors of Florida Craftsmen, a member of the Leadership St. Petersburg Alumni Association, and a member of Leadership Florida. A career human resources executive, Martin is president of Florida Talent Network, Inc., a career development consulting and education firm. She publishes The Job Whisperer, a career development blog. She has a B.S. in Psychology from the University of Pittsburgh and an M.B.A. from Stetson University.
MARILYN R. OLSEN is president of St. Petersburg’s Downtown Neighborhood Association and serves as its representative to the Council of Neighborhood Associations (CONA). She is also a member of The Pier Task Force and on the executive committee of Friends of Williams Park. A part owner and president of Defining Technology, Inc., Olsen has an MBA from the University of Washington in finance and marketing and is a graduate of the University of Minnesota with a degree in anthropology.
SYDNI ANN SHOLLENBERGER, APR, is a public relations consultant with experience working with organizations in the public and private sector. In Washington, DC, she was director of communications for the U.S. Access Board, a federal agency tasked with interpreting architectural requirements set by the Americans with Disabilities Act. In St. Petersburg, she has provided public affairs counsel for non-profit, civic, and community organizations. A graduate of Allegheny College, she is a director of the St. Petersburg Downtown Neighborhood Association, former board member of Tampa Bay Public Relations Society of America, and current member of Florida Public Relations Association and the American News Women’s Club.
JON WILSON, a St. Petersburg resident since 1956, was a reporter and editor for the St. Petersburg Times and Evening Independent for 36 years. He is also the author or co-author of two books on the history of St. Petersburg. Since retiring from the Times in 2007, he has worked for the Florida Humanities Council while pursuing graduate studies at the University of Florida (USF) St. Petersburg, where he has also served as an adjunct journalism professor. Wilson received his bachelor’s degree in English and master’s degree in journalism from USF St. Petersburg.