BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Trish Leonard
President / American Spokesperson
Trish Leonard IOM, is the President/CEO of TLC Consulting specializing in helping new and existing businesses with Business Development, Marketing and Business Referral’s. Leonard has been active in Southwest Florida for over 38 years serving as: President Zonta Club of Bonita Springs , Founder of Commercial Sales Industry Professionals of SW FL, Vice Chair of City of Bonita Springs Arts in Public Places, to mention a few.
Arnold Haake
Past President
Arnold J. Haake is the recently retired President, CEO and Director of the Royal Palm Bank of Florida, a state chartered commercial bank for which he was the founder and managing organizer. Most of his banking assignments have been in Europe and the Middle East with the international operations of The Chemical (now JP Morgan-Chase) Bank of New York. Haake was born and raised in Missouri, is an Army veteran and has been a full time resident of Southwest Florida since 1994.
Michael Schneider-Christians
Past President and Honorary Board Member
Michael is a 1985 immigrant to Florida from Germany. He has an MBA degree from a German university. Michael was one of the founders of the European American Network group. Michael has always worked in international business, in Im- and Export of tools in Germany and in international real estate here in Florida. www.schneider-christians.com
Candace Wehbe-Dennen
Vice President / European Spokesperson
A former international investment banker, spending 6 months of the year in France and Switzerland, Candace is engaged in the completion of an “Equestrian Village” on her properties in France, and in the Punta Gorda /Charlotte Harbor area where she works closely with government entities to create a “Village of the Arts”.
Multicultural and multilingual, of Swiss and American nationality, her vast overseas experience in both Director level positions of international finance and the Diplomatic Corps have provided Candace with a truly “European” view on issues, and her networks are broad based in industry, government and finance.
Her present company, Economic Development Advisors (www.economicdevelopmentadvisors.com) assists businesses looking to expand either US to Europe or Europe to US, including harnessing institutional investors to finance projects, the build out of tourist revenue streams, development of educational opportunities, investment in foreign real estate or company relocations and expansions.
She is an active member of many local and international organizations and spends her European time with her Welsh Pony Stud, which is one of the leading breeding operations of competitive ponies in France (www.royalwelsh.net)
Economic Development Advisors is available to provide proposals to government entities, individuals and business interests looking to develop their European presence.
Suzanne Specht
Assistant Director and Certified Business Analyst for the SBDC
Suzanne Specht is the Assistant Director, professional development coordinator, and full-time certified business analyst for the Small Business Development Center at Florida Gulf Coast University. She has been with Florida Gulf Coast University since 1997. Suzanne has financial experience and expertise gained from her career as a loan officer with Barnett and SouthTrust Banks. This banking background and Suzanne's ability as a really good listener are two key traits that make Suzanne an effective business analyst. Suzanne recently was awarded the Excalibur Award from the Florida Small Business Development Center Network and represented Florida as the Star Performer in 2004.
Also, Suzanne is a Certified Fastback Facilitator with the Kauffman Foundation and passed a professional Testing Corporation exam to be designated as a Certified Business Communicator. Suzanne is a tireless networker and works diligently to provide sound and knowledgeable business information for our SBDC Clients.
At the SBDC, Suzanne has counseled over 2000 small business owners in the past 13 yrs. She has spent over 12,600 counseling hours with clients assisting them with business plans, financial statements, and loan applications resulting in 140 business start-ups and capital formation over $15 million dollars. Her expertise includes SBA loan packages.
Also, Suzanne has conducted 400+ training seminars, not only in SW Florida but also in faraway places such as Russia, Trinidad, and Haiti. Her international training skills have built relationships with different organizations including partnerships with Halmstad University in Sweden and Kabardino-Balkaria Business Institute in Russia.
She sits on the Access Florida Finance Board, is a member of Gulf Shore Business Magazine editorial board, is a board member for the European American Network and was recently named to the IDS Corp board, a SBA CDC lender. She is supportive as a small business advisor to many local chambers of commerce. In her spare time, Suzanne enjoys international travel, missions work, and reading.
Debbie Laites
Coldwell Banker Residential Real Estate, Realtor
An accomplished professional in the sales consultant field, Ms. Laites has been recognized as a top leader in her profession. She has represented such companies as Bayer Pharmaceutical, Baxter Healthcare and ZLB Bioplasma. Most recently she was the Broker Liaison for the developer, Bonita Bay Group covering the Naples, Bonita Springs and Ft Myers area. She has earned advanced credentials from the National Association of Realtors.
One of her many strengths is working with companies to foster business relationships that ultimately lead to sales generated revenue. Ms. Laites has a long history of delivering results and client satisfaction.
She was named a top producer from the Women’s Council of Realtors where she serves as a board member. She is actively involved in Zonta International and serves as a board member for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation of SW Florida.
When not working she enjoys, tennis, golf, travel and the beach.
Norma B. Henning
Legal Work Experience:
2006 – present
Henning Law Firm, P.A., concentrating on representing foreign investors in the areas of immigration, real estate and business law.
2004-2006
Associate, Cohen & Grigsby, Bonita Springs, FL
2002-2004
Associate, Steel Hector & Davis, Naples, Florida
2001-2002
Associate, Baur, Klein, Matos & Riedi, Naples
1998-2001
Associate, Packman, Neuwahl & Rosenberg, Naples, Florida
1996-1998
Associate, Roetzel & Andress, Naples, Florida
Education:
University of Florida College of Law, Gainesville, Florida, 1996
Juris Doctor; Honors: Cum Laude
Troy State University, Troy, Alabama, 1993
B.A.; Honors: Summa Cum Laude
Major: Journalism and Public Relations
Admission:
Florida Bar, 1996
Florida Civil Law Notary, 2000 - present
Professional Associations:
Collier County Bar Association
German American Business Chamber
German American Chamber of Commerce
Collier County Women's Bar Association
Appointments:
Honorary Consul of the Federal Republic of Germany, 2003 – Present
External Advisory Committee, University of Florida International Center, October 2008 – present Chairman of the CENTCOM Coalition Relations Committee of the Tampa Bay World Affairs Council; March 2009 – present
Languages: English and German
Personal: Proud mother of two wonderful adult human beings; Interests are German/American relations, reading, writing, traveling, exercise, cooking and knitting.
Donald Hanson
Gerda Hanson
Theresa Ayers
Theresa Ayers is the Co- owners of GSW Consulting; a company that helps its clients to create a comprehensive online presence to bring their businesses to a targeted audience.
Theresa spent most of her professional career in the Construction Industry. She realized that to reach a larger more targeted audience she would need to incorporate technology, creativity and innovation into her marketing campaigns. Once she understood the power that the internet afforded businesses with regard to marketing and branding. Theresa co-created GSW Consulting to help small and medium businesses, as well as the larger corporate entities, build relationship driven marketing campaigns.
Theresa speaks at a variety of business and networking venues as well as teaches classes and workshops for social media, digital technology, and e-marketing through out Florida
Jorge Castro
Jorge A. Castro is the President and Principal Broker of Kapital United, LLC a Naples based brokerage and consulting firm that specializes in Real Estate Finance, Investments and Financial Services for individuals and business. Jorge's academic background in Economics and International Business as well as his over 25 years of working experience in local and international markets give him vast knowledge to operate, guide and counsel challenging intercultural and cross-collateral projects. Jorge is active member of the National Association of Realtors and the Naples Area Board of Realtors currently serving in the Commercial Real Estate Committee and in the Budget & finance Committee for 2010.