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Innovator, researcher, physician:

PBA’s ninth president VOLU M E XXX I, NO. 2 SU MME R 2 020 WWW.P BA.E D U

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Volume XXXI No. 2

ALUMNI ASSOCIATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS Annaleah Morrow ’93/’97 M.S. President Josué Léon ’11 MBA VicePresident Jessica Clasby ’13/’15 M.S. VicePresident Katrina Dawe Lewandowski ’16 Secretary Nancy Albertz-Schmidt ’05 Pharm.D. Robert Anderson ’94 April Bernal-Cleek ’01 Daylen Brinkley ’15 Bruce Burk ’10 Victoria A. Chouris ’97/’01 MBA Alexandra C. Cook ’93/’94 MBA Britton Cotton ’10 Natalie Diaz ‘11 Jeff Gordley ’97 Karen Hilo ’02 MBA Ryan Howerton ’09 Pharm.D. Putnam Kling ’10 Jean Marseille ’05 Zach McElroy ’02 Matt McKee ’95

Nicholas Mohnacky ’06 Ramona Owen ’91 Kelli Roads ‘96 Keith Rossin ’16 Don Sloan ’73 Ben Starling III ’92 Laura Titus ’16 David L. Williams II ’16 PARENTS COUNCIL Robert and Cindy Read, Co-Chairs Wayne and Deretta Cotton Founding members Dee Devine Vincent and Sally Grillo Webb and Beth McCanse Suzanne Mehregan Dave and Kathleen Michaeli Dan and Kendra Pearson Enrico and Laura Pucci Joe and Patti Rip Donald and Shirley Scott

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Feature s

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Dr. Debra A. Schwinn | President Laura Bishop | Executive Vice President for Advancement Becky Peeling, APR, ‘05 M.S. | Associate Vice President for University Relations and Marketing Mary Jacobs | Associate Vice President for Development Steve Eshelman ‘99 | Director of Alumni Relations Ellen Vaughan | Director of Annual Fund Development

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Fa i th a n d Ph a rm a c y

Th e c rowd l ove s i t

Worship music fills the air at Gregory grad’s pharmacy.

Men’s basketball team has fans on their feet in record-breaking season.

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Katie Gentry ‘16 | Coordinator of Alumni Relations

Current Magazine Volume XXXI No. 2, July 2020 Current magazine is published by the office of University Relations and Marketing, Palm Beach Atlantic University, P.O. Box 24708, West Palm Beach, FL 33416-4708.

John Sizemore, editor: john_sizemore@pba.edu

G od ' s whisper

Cl a s s N o te s

PR major follows her passion to International Justice Mission.

See who has a new job, spouse or baby (and share your news with us).

PBAAlumni

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On the cover:

@pbauniversity

@PBAtlantic

PBAvideo

New president Dr. Debra A. Schwinn poses with her hard hat after touring the eight-story student residence under construction. (See page 27.)

From the new president What a joy to be sharing with you from the pages of Current magazine! I am so pleased and thankful to have joined the wonderful community that is Palm Beach Atlantic University.

Though May 4 was my first day as the University’s ninth president, I’ve actually been at PBA since April 6, working behind the scenes and learning all I could as Bill Fleming finished his distinguished presidential tenure. I know that you join me in thanking God for all that Bill and Pam Fleming have done for PBA, and we pray for abundant blessings on their retirement years.

My thanks go out to the Presidential Search Committee and to all the others who have so graciously welcomed me. I felt the warm community embrace from the moment I stepped onto campus.

And since that time, I’ve continually been seeing that the committee and the trustees did not exaggerate in their praise and enthusiasm about PBA’s students, faculty, staff and alumni.

With the help of parents and other PBA supporters, the University truly is equipping our graduates to be resilient servant leaders, fearless in faith, committed to stepping out as adventurers who positively change the world. I keep finding new examples of this, like the news of our latest Fulbright award winners: Isabella Lindh ’18, Sarah Selden ’19 and Chanel Nassir ’20.

They’ll be heading to Bulgaria, Spain and Burma, respectively, to teach English and serve as ambassadors of good will from our nation and our University.

The Fulbright is a highly prestigious, international honor that brings acclaim to any university whose graduates win one. I was so proud to learn that PBA has produced six Fulbright students in just the last three years. In case you missed that good news posted on our website, you can read all about it here: go.pba.edu/fulbright-news.

And as always, inside the pages of Current magazine you can read about other PBA students and alumni who are making us proud. The features inside this issue include a story about some of the many ways the PBA family has stepped forward with heart, talent and leadership to help meet needs caused by the coronavirus pandemic. (See page 7.)

Sadly, we recognize that COVID-19 has brought fiscal uncertainty or illness to many of our PBA families. We pray for those families, and we suggest a

Dr. Debra A. Schwinn and her husband, Dr. Robert Gerstmyer (Photo by Capehart Photography) way that you can help them. (See page 23.)

Because of the pandemic’s fallout, the University itself faces great challenges, financial and otherwise, as we prepare for the fall semester. But we are planning to open on time, with classes on campus. On pages 4-6 you can read more about this, including a special message to the parents of our students.

Universities across the nation and the world face daunting fiscal challenges these days, but I am confident that God has a plan, a future and ambition for Palm Beach Atlantic. Trusting for His guidance and provision, we shall remain focused on our students and our greater purpose. In so doing, we thank you for your dedication and commitment to PBA. Finally, on a personal note, with my husband, Dr. Robert Gerstmyer, I’ve moved into a home near the University. Bob is a New Testament scholar who currently teaches at the University of Iowa in the Department of Religion, and he’ll be happy to fill in at PBA in any way that might be helpful. We have two grown daughters and the cutest little grandson, just born in February.

I look forward to meeting many of you at Homecoming & Family Weekend, Oct. 1-4. Please save that date, and for more details, stay tuned online at go.pba.edu/hfw. Go Sailfish!

Warmly,

Dr. Debra A. Schwinn President Current Summer 2020

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The doctor is in Meet PBA’s ninth president

Dr. Debra A. Schwinn dove into her presidential role May 4, hearing the biblical echo for such a time as this: a call for bold leadership to face new challenges. An experienced educator, researcher and physician, Palm Beach Atlantic’s ninth president has come with a passion and track record for collaboration and innovation.

“Dr. Schwinn is an exceptional leader with great interpersonal skills; she’s creative, energetic and a person with a deep and passionate faith and love for Christ,” said Timothy S. Sotos, chairman of the Board of Trustees and chair of the committee that recommended Schwinn to the board after a nationwide search.

Sotos announced Schwinn’s appointment and introduced her to the PBA family on Jan. 16 in the DeSantis Family Chapel. Before a large crowd of faculty, students and staff, she spoke about her excitement to join PBA, about her background in the liberal arts and about her own journey of faith.

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She had most recently been associate vice president for medical affairs at the University of Iowa, and last fall she had turned down other career opportunities in medicine, saying, “it became very clear that God was calling me to Christian universities.” With “the innovativeness of PBA, the real need and my desire to make sure that Christ-first liberal arts education is deeply supported through these turbulent times for higher education,” the opportunity at PBA “just felt like a really good fit,” Schwinn said.

When in January she spoke of “turbulent times,” no one here dreamed of the challenges that would come with the coronavirus. But she shared then “lessons that God has taught me,” including how to deal with difficult situations. “You can hide from the world, you can get bitter or you can jump in with both feet and grow and learn something from the situation.”

When Current magazine interviewed Schwinn months later, after PBA had sent students home to finish the spring semester online, it became clear that the new president had “jumped in with both feet” to meet this COVID-19 challenge.

Dr. Debra A. Schwinn at a glance: • Ohio native, earning B.A. in chemistry from The College of Wooster • M.D. from Stanford University School of Medicine • More than 200 peer-reviewed publications • 27 years as National Institutes of Healthfunded primary investigator • Member, National Academy of Medicine • Major administrator positions at Duke University, University of Washington, University of Iowa • Sustained record of team building, program launching and campaign fundraising

Dr. Schwinn visits with students and (below, left) shows off a Sailfish-branded face mask.

And many in the University community took comfort seeing such a medical professional lead PBA now, as they recalled the Book of Esther and the question posed to Queen Esther, “Who knows but that you have come … for such a time as this?”

Schwinn had been dean of the University of Iowa’s School of Medicine, and before that she spent more than 15 years in leadership positions at Duke University Medical Center and the University of Washington in Seattle. She had earned her undergraduate degree in her native Ohio at the College of Wooster, a liberal arts school founded by the Presbyterian Church, and she received her medical degree from Stanford University School of Medicine.

In 2014 Stanford honored her with its prestigious Lifetime Alumni Achievement Award, calling her “a nationally known investigator in molecular pharmacology,” and an “invited lecturer and visiting professor throughout the world,” who has “laid the groundwork for innovations in medical education, bench to bedside research, and teambased patient care.”

Schwinn now sees multiple opportunities for PBA to lead as an innovator. As an example, she explained: “The world is changing, and it is likely that going forward our graduates will need to reinvent themselves every 10 years or so throughout

• Community/personal interests include reading, CrossFit, violin, Steven Ministry, Rotary

their careers.” She envisions the University helping equip its graduates with new skills as they earn specialized postgraduate certificates in programs of perhaps three courses.

“Maybe you’re running a nonprofit today and you don’t have an analytics background,” she said. “An analytics certificate could really help you do the kind of market segmentation and analysis you need for your nonprofit.”

She sees far-ranging possibilities for such new programs.

And she sees increasing opportunities for PBA’s departments and schools to work together. In her previous work, she said, “I loved to create centers and institutes that brought people together across the whole university.”

Schwinn has 27 years of research experience as a principal investigator funded through the National Institutes of Health. “To do the best research now,” she said, “you must have different perspectives on the problem, because our problems are more complex today.” To tackle difficult research problems, she imagines strong, broad collaboration, for example, between PBA faculty and students in nursing, pharmacy, kinesiology and the sciences.

In addition to her past roles as innovative researcher, Schwinn has a long record of leadership in fundraising. One (CONTINUED ON PAGE 6) Current Summer 2020

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(CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5)

of her teams transformed a university physicians group from losing millions of dollars a year to being vibrant and fiscally sound.

She sees two key elements in fiscal stewardship: first, attention to detail, regarding how all funds flow in and out; and secondly, having a Christ-first perspective, asking, “What is God calling us to do and how can we manage that purpose with the best stewardship possible?”

The pandemic accentuates pre-existing fiscal pressures on universities, she said, creating a “perfect storm” for higher education today. “But ever since God called PBA into existence 52 years ago, innovation has been in our DNA,” she said. “Hence, I am confident PBA will buffer this storm, and not just to survive, but to thrive.”

As Current magazine goes to press, the University plans

to open fall classes Aug. 17, with on-campus and in-person instruction. “In order to protect our campus community, we will adjust our instructional approach, residential life and on-campus activities as needed, while continuing to offer the distinct on-campus university experience for which PBA is known,” Schwinn said.

Elsewhere on this page she offers a special message to the parents of PBA students. And to PBA alumni, she has this to say: “I am committed to ensuring that PBA remains a Christfirst university, integrating Christian faith with outstanding academics. Building upon our founders’ strong foundation, my vision is that PBA become the premier Christian university in the country. In ways, PBA is the best-kept secret around; it is time to let everyone in on the secret and follow God’s leading into the future.”

Watch President Schwinn’s welcome video:

go.pba.edu/schwinn-welcome

A message from Dr. Debra A. Schwinn to parents of PBA students: There has never been a time in the history of our country when Christian education has been more important.

COVID-19 has shown us (again) that we are not in control.

Yet, as Christians, we know that God IS in control. Many university students have existential questions and concerns after being home for several months of family-isolation. As a Christian university, PBA is a place where students can ask the hard questions while faculty and staff hold each student in a circle of love and prayer, so their faith is deepened, rather than lost, during such times. Moving from teen faith to storm-hardy (or hurricane-proof) adult faith at PBA is transformational.

As for COVID-19 and returning to campus, we must acknowledge COVID-19 is now in every community in this country. This is an aggressive and dangerous virus.

Having said this, unless we find ways to keep university-

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age students in our home for another year or two, without ever going out, they will be exposed whether at home or at school until we get a vaccine. So, the question is how we can best protect students, and our faculty and staff, while on campus since there will be COVID-19 at some point in time in some students on campuses across this country. We at PBA have been working hard to codify the best safety practices possible. Fortunately, with our new residence hall opening in August, we have an empty building that can be used for isolation as needed. We have very strong nursing and pharmacy schools with experts in infectious diseases who are up to date with national guidelines and we have an experienced crisis management team. We will let students and their families know more details as we move forward with planning to open this fall on our usual mid-August start date, God willing.

Francky Pierre-Paul interviews a chef who became homeless because of the pandemic. Video: go.pba.edu/perspective

COVID-19:

A

s the coronavirus pandemic ravaged the nation, PBA alumni, students, faculty and staff responded with great compassion and creativity, using their widely varied passions, talents and training.

Alumni from the School of Nursing and other PBA grad medical professionals were serving COVID-19 patients from one end of the nation to the other. As Marissa Pacheco ’16 nursed cardiac patients in her California hospital, she spent extra time with all of her patients while their families were unable to visit.

“Being that listening ear puts them at ease,” she said.

When the nursing class of 2020 graduated with a virtual ceremony, they were encouraged and challenged by alumni speaker Kevin Young ’16/’18 M.S.N. He spoke from a hotel room in New York, where he was volunteering in an ICU fighting COVID-19.

“Through the eyes of a nurse you will see life’s worth,” Young said. “Human life is worth enough that Christ paid for it by sacrificing Himself.” He is working on his doctor of nursing practice degree at PBA. Organizational leadership student Francky PierrePaul got to know a chef who became homeless when his restaurant shut down because of the pandemic’s economic impact. “Everything hit so fast; I didn’t have the savings, so I ended up on the streets,” said the chef, who had joined a group of more than 160 homeless people living in “Tent City” at Lake Worth Beach.

During his COVID-19 “vacation,” Pierre-Paul interviewed and narrated for a video he commissioned to call attention to the needs of the homeless. (View

The PBA community responds to pandemic-related needs in many ways video at go.pba.edu/perspective.) He works as intake specialist at Vita Nova, a West Palm Beach organization that concentrates on youth homelessness, and he has formed his own nonprofit to serve the homeless.

Tent City is located within John Prince Park. “It’s impossible for me to pass this park every day, and not understand that there are people out here that need love and understanding,” said Pierre-Paul. “God has blessed me to be alive, and to have both hands and feet and I always say why not give that back to Him and allow Him to use me as His vessel?”

The PBA family found many other ways to “give back” and serve during the pandemic, including: • Faculty moved quickly to create online versions of their coursework, so that students could finish the semester at home.

• Faculty and staff members produced webinars and other outlets on topics ranging from dealing with anxiety to career transition in a time of uncertainty.

• Gregory School of Pharmacy professor Dr. Erin Dorval and supporter Dr. Damien Simmons made their own hand sanitizer at Atlantis Pharmacy and gave it to hospitals and health care workers in need.

• The pharmacy school, the School of Nursing and the School of Arts & Sciences donated or loaned spare supplies to area hospitals.

• First Year Experience peer mentors and MOSAIC offered virtual programming to help students adjust to and address academic, physical and mental health challenges posed by the virus. MOSAIC is a multicultural outreach within Student Development.

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“To be patriotic is not to be left or right. You should want the best for your country.”

Former head of state Tony Blair explains his centrist view in Feb. 6 visit to PBA

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ormer British Prime Minister Tony Blair told a LeMieux Center for Public Policy audience that Britons and Americans need a dose of the same medicine.

“Be genuinely prepared to listen to those who disagree,” he said, in regard to Brexit and America’s feuding political parties. “They’re our opponents, not our enemies.”

Blair was prime minister of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from 1997 to 2007. He shared insight on civility in politics, his humanitarian work in Africa, the spread of Islamic extremism in the Middle East and North Africa, Israeli-Palestinian relations and Brexit during a public question-and-answer session moderated by former U.S. Senator George LeMieux, for whom the Center is named. Blair spoke to a large crowd in the DeSantis Family Chapel and also took questions from a group of high-achieving students during a private gathering.

Why the Brits went for Brexit Speaking about Brexit — the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union — Blair said Britons supported the plan for the same reasons Americans supported U.S. President Donald Trump: They belonged to a segment of the population that believed it’s being left behind. They worried about immigration and the rapid pace the world is changing, and not necessarily to their benefit, Blair said.

In the yearlong transition out of the European Union, Britain needs to develop a new trade framework with Europe, he said. The UK can alter its relationship with the European Union, but not its geography, Blair said, noting Paris was only a two-hour train ride away.

As a young man studying at the University of Oxford, Blair had no political aspirations whatsoever he said.

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Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair Instead, he wanted to be a rock star. His perspective shifted toward the end of his sophomore year.

“I decided I wanted to change the world, and I decided politics was the best way to do that,” Blair said.

“It’s the motivation that makes you do something well.”

At age 43, Blair went on to become Britain’s youngest prime minister since 1812 and the only Labour leader in the party’s 100-year history to win three consecutive elections. During his tenure, overall crime decreased, the economy and employment grew and he tripled foreign aid to Africa. An advocate of military intervention, he took action in Iraq, Afghanistan, Sierra Leone and Kosovo, where Kosovan Albanians were so grateful that they named their children after him.

Blair’s entry into politics coincided with the Conservative Party’s rise and the Labour Party’s loss of four consecutive elections over 20 years. When Blair came to power, as a centrist, he was willing to see the

they need support.”

Since leaving office, Blair has continued humanitarian efforts through the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, which works alongside political leaders to help them govern effectively, address difficult challenges and combat extremism.

After being prime minister

Former U.S. Sen. George LeMieux value of the other party’s contributions.

“I think that’s sensible,” Blair said. “You’ve got to respect the people who voted the other way, because if you don’t, you won’t understand what motivated them.”

Blair’s father was a strong influence on his life. A foster child who grew up in a poor part of Glasgow, Scotland, the elder Blair was on the rise in the Communist Party until he joined the military. He came out of World War II as a Conservative. Years later, he would complain to his son, “The problem with your party is it’s not patriotic, and it doesn’t favor aspiration.”

“To be patriotic is not to be left or right,” Blair said.

“You should want the best for your country.”

Lessons from hard times When Blair was still a boy, his father had a debilitating, career-ending stroke. He grew up quickly and learned that “when people fall on hard times,

Also after leaving office, Blair was an envoy for the United Nations, United States, European Union and Russia, working toward peace in the Middle East. That, too, is really about combatting extremism, he said. For example, Iranian leaders support Hezbollah, a Shiite militant group, but they also support Sunni extremist groups when it’s in their interest to do so, Blair said.

“I don’t think Shiites and Sunnis are at war with each other,” Blair said. “I think the moderates are at war with the extremists.”

To end extremism, the West needs to support leaders such as those in Saudi Arabia who are modernizing the Middle East. It would be a “huge mistake” to disengage, Blair said. Because the U.S. did not intervene in Syria, the Russians and Iranians will decide the future there.

“The trouble is, if you don’t get involved and others do, you have to work out the consequences of withdrawing your influence, withdrawing your power,” Blair said.

The Center has hosted members of presidential administrations, admirals and journalists, but hosting a former head of state was a first.

• The LeMieux Center for Public Policy publishes a quarterly newsletter called The Quill. The Spring 2020 issue featured the article "Religious Liberty in the American Experience" by Dr. Daniel L. Dreisbach, professor at American University in Washington, D.C. To read the newsletter online or to subscribe to the printed version, visit: go.pba.edu/thequill.

The LeMieux Center also offers The Quill Podcast.

The May 12 podcast was entitled "Florida Confronts a Pandemic." Follow at go.pba.edu/quill-podcast

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Jeremy Schroeder at Life Pharmacy, and his wife, Megan, with their children and Hoover

Lif e PHARMACY

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(Photo by Mark M. Odell)

"

Dream comes true for pharmacy grad

W

"God had always put it in my heart to open a Christian pharmacy business."

--Jeremy Schroeder '08 Pharm.D.

here Faith and Pharmacy Meet,” declares gives 10 percent of its profits to a local charity, said the website for Jeremy Schroeder’s store Schroeder.

“We’ve had people in here singing, worshipping in Bradenton, Florida. Life Pharmacy freely,” he said. “Now people are coming in with smiles opened in March 2019, but that motto on their faces.” has rung true for Schroeder as far back as 2003, when Bradenton resident Susan Bassler is one of those he was looking for a place to study pharmacy.

“I was so happy when I learned PBA was a Christian smiling customers. “It’s a great atmosphere to walk into,” she said. “It’s not like you come in and they school,” he said. “I thought, what better place to bombard you with the Lord or preach at you. They just learn pharmacy than somewhere where I can grow get to know their customer, and then they’re able to spiritually?” share how they would deal with a crisis or how they Having grown up in Sarasota, Florida, Schroeder would deal with an illness.” did his undergraduate studies at State College of Schroeder worries that some pharmacies “go down Florida. As he worked his way through the program the wrong path” under the pressures of the corporate at the Lloyd L. Gregory School of Pharmacy, he loved the atmosphere of prayer and faith, and he built lasting world. “It can become just fill as many prescriptions as possible, rather than get to know the relationships with classmates and patients. professors.

“Taking a pill every day isn’t going “The fellowship was huge, with Worship music to fix your health,” he said. “It’s really chapel and community service,” he relationships that equal better health said, “and we’d get together to study fills the air outcomes. I want my patients to be and pray, growing mentally and in the store the healthiest: physically, mentally spiritually.” and spiritually healthy. We want He received his doctorate in on Lakewood people exercising, we want people to pharmacy in 2008 and landed jobs as have good relationships with their a pharmacist, first with CVS and then Ranch husbands and wives. We want people with Publix. He and his wife, Megan, to understand that there’s a God that began putting aside money for a Boulevard. loves them, and that Christ died for special dream. them.”

“God had always put it in my Schroeder will ask customers if heart to open a Christian pharmacy he can pray for them, but everyone is welcome at the business,” said Schroeder. He moved his family to the pharmacy, regardless of their religious faith, or lack of rapidly growing Lakewood Ranch community, where he found a new shopping plaza just starting up. He felt faith, he said. “And we treat everybody the same.”

Life Pharmacy provides health screenings, God’s direction to open his own pharmacy there. immunizations and compounding, which is a way for He knew he’d face plenty of extra challenges the pharmacist to customize medications to fit the owning a business, but he longed for the freedom and needs of the patient. Megan Schroeder is in charge of opportunity to shape the business the way he and his the front of the store, which offers vitamins, probiotics wife felt like God was leading.

“Ninety percent of the time it’s a regular pharmacy,” and other more natural remedies, as well as oils, candles and Christian-themed gifts. he said, “but we’re a little different.”

Like most small business owners, Schroeder is Life Pharmacy advertises on the Christian station putting in long hours, but “we’re growing every Joy FM, and worship music fills the air in the store on month,” he said. And at the end of the day, he might Lakewood Ranch Boulevard. Customers find a board go home “worn out,” but he has the satisfaction of for prayer requests, and each month the business faithfully following God’s “direction for my life.”

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'Every ecosystem is interconnected. Just because you don't live next to the ocean doesn't mean that your actions aren't affecting it.'

--Meagan Landis '15

Meagan Landis '15 works on metal frames placed for coral reef restoration in the Philippines.

Says environmentalist with a heart for missions:

Conservation comes back to our stewardship of Earth

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n full wetsuit and scuba gear, Meagan Landis ’15 dove to the ocean floor off the village of Casay, Philippines. She carried fragments of coral from a nearby reef, and with plastic cable ties, she attached the coral to a metal framework. With the nonprofit organization Reefs for Life, she was working to restore coral reefs threatened by the very communities that need them.

Coral reefs, she explained, serve vital roles in areas such as the Philippines. The reefs buffer nearby homes from typhoons, and they provide a rich nursery ground for many species of important fish. Those fish account for a major source of protein and livelihood

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for the Filipino people.

“We are responsible for our ecosystems and keeping them healthy because we depend on them,” said Landis.

But to increase their yield, over the years fishermen had learned they could stun schools of fish by spraying cyanide or exploding dynamite in the water near the reefs. Those practices made it easier to haul in great loads of fish, but they also caused terrible damage to the coral reefs. Corals, after all, are living animals: invertebrates with their own divinelyplanned place in the ecosystem, said Landis.

“In order to help restore the ecosystem,” she said,

“we are trying to salvage what is left of the surrounding existing reef and using those fragments to restore the reef.”

Reefs for Life uses Biorock® technology to hasten the restoration. Solar panels mounted on boats generate low-voltage electrical current that flows down through wires to the metal framework onto which the coral fragments are tied.

As explained at Reefsforlife.org, “The electric field causes minerals in seawater to precipitate and adhere to the metallic frame. The result of this process is a build-up of calcium carbonate on the steel frame and the creation of a favorable environment for attached coral.” Using this innovative technology, Reefs for Life is seeing coral fragments grow five to seven times faster than they would have grown naturally, Landis said.

As Landis and others work to restore the reefs, they also discourage the use of destructive fishing practices.

The fishermen have not understood all that happens below the surface of the water with blast fishing or cyanide fishing, she said, “so we’re there to first, educate.”

Landis shares the Reefs for Life conservation principles with local college students who are preparing for careers as teachers. “We teach them our curriculum and they go out into the community and teach it to the local people,” she said.

The curriculum includes topics such as proper trash disposal and recycling as well as sustainable fishing, said Landis, because “every ecosystem is interconnected.

“When we let pollution on land get out of control, it spills into our waterways in a never-ending cycle. Just because you don’t live next to the ocean doesn’t mean that your actions aren’t affecting it.”

Teaching about ecosystems provides Landis a natural way to share biblical principles. “We come back to where God handed over the stewardship of the Earth to Adam.” And her work in the Philippines has allowed her to combine her two great passions: conservation and missions.

While she works as an environmentalist under Reefs for Life, she also serves through the agency World Team (Worldteam.org), which practices “holistic church planting,” meaning that the Gospel of Jesus “must be applied to the whole person, addressing physical, spiritual and social needs.”

Landis had majored in biology, with a concentration in marine biology, so in 2016 when she first heard about this dual opportunity in the Philippines, she sought advice from Dr. Linda Sedlacek, associate professor of earth science and oceanography. “At PBA the professors are so intentional and the science department was more like family,” Landis said.

Sedlacek recalled how much her former student had loved the fieldwork in oceanography classes and also how much Landis “always wanted to do something for people.” So she encouraged Landis that “this was just like the perfect opportunity” for her.

Now, said Sedlacek, “Meagan gets to share her faith, while at the same time helping to protect the environment that she very much cares about.”

Reefs for Life uses Biorock® technology to hasten the coral reef restoration. Solar panels mounted on boats generate low-voltage electrical current that flows down through wires to the metal framework onto which the coral fragments are tied.

Landis loads equipment for another dive.

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Buzzer beater

De'Ondre Jackson PBA's all-time lead scorer in the D-II era

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T

he pinnacle of a record-breaking men’s basketball season came one week in February, with two cliffhangers before large crowds of Sailfish fans.

At home on Feb. 19, PBA faced the Nova Southeastern Sharks, who had bested the Sailfish 103-88 in January, and who were ranked No. 10 in Division II by the National Association of Basketball Coaches. For much of the game it seemed the Sailfish might pull off an upset, but the Sharks pulled ahead 77-71 with just two minutes left in the game.

PBA fans stayed on their feet as the Sailfish pulled within two points of the visitors and the seconds still ticked away. Then with only 16 seconds remaining, PBA’s Dahrius Nunn fed the ball to De’Ondre Jackson, who landed a three-pointer to win the game 78-77, stunning the Sharks and leaving the Rubin Arena erupting in Sailfish celebration.

The following Saturday, Feb. 22, it was Rollins College that should have had the home-court advantage, but the PBA Alumni Association hosted a special event that drew Sailfish fans to Winter Park.

21-win season featured first NCAA tournament invite and thrilling, crowd-pleasing finishes “We had a tremendous following up there,” said David Balza, head coach for PBA men’s basketball. “We probably had as many fans as Rollins did.”

The alumni and other Sailfish fans were not disappointed (see one alumnus’ account on page 16), as the game went into overtime and the Nunn/Jackson combination once again beat the buzzer to win. With 30 seconds left and the score tied at 8686, Jackson made a three-point bucket on a Nunn assist.

After those thrillers with Rollins and Nova Southeastern, Jackson was named Sunshine State Conference Player of the Week, and the Sailfish were declared National Division II Team of the Month.

PBA went on to a record 21-9 season, including a nine-game winning streak. And for the first time in school’s history, the team qualified for the NCAA post-season tournament, only to see the tournament canceled because of the COVID-19 threat.

Jackson, a senior, is now PBA’s lead scorer in the Division II era, with 1,431 points in his college career. But Jackson had plenty of company in the scoring column, making the Sailfish (Continued on following page)

David Balza Head Men's Basketball Coach

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(Continued from previous page)

Darhius Nunn, here driving toward the basket on Feb. 19, was one of five PBA players scoring their 1,000th college career point this season.

Alumni view from the stands Sean Bates ’92 was among the many fans cheering on the basketball team during the exciting game at Rollins College Feb. 22. He had high praise for the players and coaches:

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a tough team to guard against, said Balza. This season four other Sailfish scored the 1,000th point of their careers: Dahrius Nunn, Malek Barber, Dan Largey and Jules Jasmin.

“On any given night, any of the five of them could explode for a career night,” said Balza. “We really relied on that group effort.”

Balza came to PBA seven years ago, the year after the Sailfish men won only one game. “We talked an awful lot about culture, just trying to build with the right people,” he said. “This is a very good conference, and we knew it would take some time to catch up in this league.”

The coach cited the good recruiting effort by Assistant Coach Evan Sizemore, who has been with the program three years.

“I thought we had a special group this fall, from the talent level,” Balza said. “But there’s a lot more than just having the right kind of guy. I’ve been very blessed with guys who really bought in at all levels: academically, socially, within the community, before they ever got on the court.”

The Sailfish had a team GPA of 3.27, with six players earning a GPA over 3.5. Balza said the team shone in Workship community service and chapel participation as well.

To balance college athletics and all those other demands “really says something about the character and the culture of this team,” he said.

From the beginning to the end it was so obvious that this team in particular has a will to win. Coach Balza and the coaching staff were fun to watch as well; coach Balza was coaching up the kids on the bench, on the court and was excellent with his game plan and on court team rotations. They played with high energy, unselfishness and focus on every play. Even when several penalties went against them, even though the score was close and went back and forth, they never seem to lose their composure. This goes way beyond their obvious and great physical talents. This is a special group of young men and they should take great pride in how they played, and what they achieved.

Former Sailfish basketball player Nate Vera '13 (2nd from right) leads youth program Perseverance Basketball.

Teaching life lessons with the hoops

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he youth program Perseverance Basketball has its roots in the time when its founder especially needed perseverance. Nathanael “Nate” Vera was entering ninth grade when his father died of Lou Gehrig’s disease. In the years that followed, Vera found such great value in the life lessons he learned and the mentoring he received playing basketball that he developed a program now touching thousands of kids with those same benefits.

Seeing how coaches guided him and helped him stay out of trouble, “I always had this idea of wanting to impact kids, like someone helped me,” he said. Right after he graduated from PBA in 2013 he began having that impact as head boys basketball coach at Forest Hill High School in West Palm Beach.

Later Vera started Perseverance Basketball as a summer sideline to his coaching job. But in the last year and a half, “it really exploded,” he said. Now it’s his full-time job, and he leads a staff of 25 parttime and four full-time members. His wife, Annie, a 2014 PBA grad, handles the business side of the organization.

Offering a youth league three times a year, plus summer camps and now even Little Hoopsters for ages 3-5, Vera estimates the program impacts more than 4,000 kids over a year’s time.

Perseverance Basketball emphasizes the fundamentals of basketball and also the life skills that one learns from such things as diligent practice,

discipline and being coachable: looking your coach in the eye, listening, getting better.

“We try to tie basketball lessons with good character building,” said Vera. “We really stress the building of a teammate and not the individual.” The coaches teach kids, “If you make a bucket, you’ve got to point to the guy who gave you the pass and say ‘Thank you.’”

Growing up in Boynton Beach, Florida, Vera played basketball at the Jewish Community Center, and he now operates Perseverance Basketball at several Palm Beach County JCC locations and also at Lake Worth Christian School and Jupiter Christian School. Palm Beach Atlantic University is the location of one of his summer camps.

“Sometimes if you sign your kid up for a rec league, a dad might coach them and sometimes the dad’s great, but sometimes not so much,” Vera said. “We’re taking parents out of it and we’re using an experienced Perseverance coach.” Several Perseverance coaches played varsity basketball at PBA, as did Vera.

PBA grad Ronald Kotouch ’08/’09 MBA is director of athletics at Forest Hill High School, and has observed Vera’s work with young people for years.

“It’s amazing what Nate’s done with Perseverance,” said Kotouch. “The kids relate to him really well. And there’s nothing he wouldn’t do for kids, helping them get better at basketball and helping them become better people in the community.”

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'I couldn't just know about slavery and do nothing about it.'

PR grad follows what God put in her heart, working with International Justice Mission

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alentina Ferreira ’17 left PBA as the Outstanding Graduate in Public Relations and she landed a good job with a PR firm, but she began to wonder if she’d made a mistake. This just doesn’t feel right, she thought. And then she sensed God whisper, “What about that thing I put in your heart?”

“That thing” was a passion to help the lonely and the oppressed. It had hit Ferreira hard when as a Wellington, Florida, high school student she first learned about modern-day slavery, through a presentation at her church, Christ Fellowship.

“I couldn’t just know about slavery and do nothing about it,” Ferreira said. So while still in high school she Valentina Ferreira organized volunteers and put together a community yard sale that in two years raised $10,000 to support Christ Fellowship’s antislavery ministry. And at PBA, while just a freshman, she became president of the Justice Club.

So when she heard “God’s whisper” as a young PBA public relations grad, and she learned of a temporary position at International Justice Mission (IJM), she jumped at the chance. “It sounds crazy that I moved my life, from my stable PR job to go live in Washington, D.C., and be a temp,” she said. “But I did, and it was the most beautiful thing I could ever have imagined.”

That temp job led to a full-time position at IJM, which is the world’s largest international anti-slavery organization. After two years with IJM, Ferreira is now the North American Partner Program lead, serving as a bridge to a variety of IJM partners, including NFL athletes, recording artists and conferences such as Passion. She creates opportunities and manages projects allowing those partners to use their platforms creating awareness of slavery and violence around the world.

“I absolutely love it,” she said. “It’s my joy when I can share with someone that even though they didn’t choose to work in the anti-slavery world or the

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nonprofit world, they actually have a part in the story.”

IJM.org reports there are more than 40 million people in slavery today. One in four is a child, like Foli, whose story is told in the video The Deep Place (vimeo. com/243189898). He was rescued from Lake Volta in Ghana, where many children are trapped doing dangerous work within the fishing industry.

Working with governments, churches, businesses, police and local shelters, said Ferreira, “at IJM we believe we’re going to end slavery in our lifetime.”

In that abolitionist mission, Ferreira joins a mentor of hers who also is a PBA alumna. Working with Christ Fellowship’s anti-slavery ministry, Bonnie Joe Daniels ’17 M.S. took Ferreira under her wing when Ferreira was just 16, and she has observed Ferreira’s work ever since.

“She’s just a beautiful soul,” said Daniels. She sees in Ferreira key ingredients for their work: empathy for the hurting, and knowing where in the mission you can use your greatest strengths. “There are many places to serve in this movement,” said Daniels. “So for Valentina to discover that so early on and use her gifts is really special.”

The English translation of International Justice Mission slogan above is “seek justice, rescue the oppressed.”

Next Door Photos editors in the Philippines, before the COVID-19 threat moved their work into homes.

Next Door Photos

A

Former pastor finds leadership role in a business providing jobs for those rescued from abuse and exploitation

them and train them in a life skill,” said Flint. “That’s fter serving as a pastor for more than 10 what drew me to the job in the first place.” years, Rob Flint ’05 became a consultant Real estate agents know well the power of creative for churches and nonprofit organizations. photos and videos to advertise their listings, but That new job “was great,” he said, but they often lack the skill and time to create those after a while the travel it required became a strain, promotional tools. And while the agents are in a hurry and tough on his family. He decided to look for other opportunities, and he wanted to stay in a role where he for finished photos and videos, the digital editing part of the process is especially time consuming. But Next had a deep sense of advancing God’s Kingdom.

Door Photos can promise one-day delivery of the “When I first came to PBA,” said Flint, “I really finished product, said Flint. felt like the only way I could make a difference was He works from his home in Fort Myers, Florida, to work in a local church.” So he majored in biblical supporting 11 locations in the company’s southeast studies, but he also enjoyed political science classes region. He doesn’t lead in the technical details under Dr. John Calhoun. “He was the first person to of photography, but rather, as an help me see that I can have impact for the administrator, he serves and encourages Kingdom outside the church,” Flint said. local operators. “I troubleshoot, help them He wound up with a double major in develop their business strategies, ensure biblical studies and political science, and that our supply chain is in place and make he came away powerfully influenced by sure our facilities are up and running,” he Calhoun’s style of leadership: “teaching said. and leading not in an arrogant way, but in Next Door Photos has 44 locations a way that’s challenging, motivating and in 16 states, and is growing rapidly, empowering.”

Flint said. It is a for-profit company, Following Calhoun’s example, in 2019 “unashamedly” so, “because we want Flint moved to a new leadership position: long-term restoration through the dignity regional director with Next Door Photos, Rob Flint of work” for survivors of abuse and human a booming real estate photography trafficking. business that has a sustainable, poverty-fighting twist.

Flint was to speak during Justice Week at PBA, until Each month the company supplies real estate agents the program was canceled because of the coronavirus with more than 100,000 photos and videos, which are threat. Valentina Ferreira ’17 (see story on opposite taken by local photographers but edited by people in page) also was to speak. She works with International impoverished countries.

Justice Mission, and she applauds efforts like that of Those overseas photo and video editors, trained Next Door Photos.

by Next Door Photos, come from underserved In the fight against modern-day slavery, “progress is populations, and many of them have been rescued fueled by partnerships,” said Ferreira. “So I am really from lives of abuse and exploitation. Using digital grateful for businesswomen and businessmen who see technology “we can employ these people, empower what their part is in making a difference.” these people, give them jobs at a living wage, protect Current Summer 2020

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Spring break missions:

The first week of March, 98 students served in El Salvador, Panama, Guatemala, Brazil, Portugal, Chile, Trinidad and the Bahamas. On the pages that follow, three of the trips are featured.

El Salvador Nursing student Jorden Hendrickson shows a youngster how a stethoscope works.

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n El Salvador a team from the School of Nursing made morning visits to village schools, where they made presentations and involved the children in learning games on topics such as washing hands, brushing teeth and dehydration. They would end the hand-washing game sharing, “Just as soap washes your hands, Jesus is the soap for our heart,” said Alex Geesey, one of the trip leaders.

Geesey, a 2014 PBA grad, is a registered nurse and the simulation lab coordinator for the School of Nursing. Her co-leader was Assistant Professor Bri Andrassy.

In the afternoons the team of 28 split into four groups and spread out to visit homes and do health assessments. Junior Ariana Cortez, who grew up in a Spanish-speaking home in Okeechobee, was translator for her group.

“It was awesome to be part of a team, trying to plan out the patient care in the home,” said Cortez. The

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teams visited many people who normally don’t get much medical care, so they checked blood pressure and blood sugar, provided wound care and made clinic referrals as needed.

“It helped me be not so textbook-minded, but be more reality-based,” said Cortez. Constantly translating as she worked was a challenge, she said, “but even in that strain it was so nice to see that you were part of something bigger than yourself.”

Cortez hopes to become a nurse anesthetist, and one of her goals is to serve someday with Doctors Without Borders. Through the El Salvador experience, her first medical mission trip, “I learned a lot about being a good steward and having that servant heart,” she said.

The hardest aspect of the trip, Cortez said, was witnessing the poverty level. “But the people were so kind to us, and so humble.”

Panama The team helped dig trenches for a project bringing clean water to village homes.

"

W

e woke to adorable school kiddos peering through our mosquito nets, giggling and tickling us,” said Gabi Dimotrova. “They were so excited to start their day with their new school supplies and couldn’t wait to go back to play in the river later.”

John Gordon '04

Dimotrova was one two student leaders on the trip to Panama. Along with her co-leader, Luke Brendle, she and four other students joined in the work of 2004 PBA alumni John and Aimee Gordon, who were already in the area serving as missionaries.

The team did lessons and crafts with local children and also dug trenches as part of a project to bring clean water to the village where the Gordons have built relationships.

“We’re so grateful for the Lord’s timing in allowing this team to come,” said John Gordon, because the visit happened before restrictions caused by the COVID-19 threat.

Danika Mays, an elementary education major, said she “had no clue” what to expect when she arrived in Panama, “but when we got there and saw the smiles on these people’s faces, the nerves went away.”

After she got home, Mays compiled a list of 13 things she had learned on the trip, including these lessons: ◆ You don’t need a lot of things or the most expensive things in life to be happy. People here don’t have a lot and are some of the sweetest and most welcoming people ever. They are so happy and are just living life with what they have. ◆ Not being on my phone a lot or on social media has really made me think. Sometimes we just need a break from social media. ◆ Take risks for God and just risks in general. So many people are hungry for the Gospel but are waiting for someone to tell them about it.

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Guatemala Visiting students pray for their new-found friends in Guatemala and wash their feet.

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or many of the 15 students on the Guatemala mission trip, a highlight came in a footwashing ceremony, reminiscent of the Welcome Week footwashing

Luis Machado

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that promotes servant leadership to PBA newcomers.

The PBA students washed the feet of the Guatemalans they had come to serve and prayed with them, said Kara Buffa, one of the trip leaders. “And they were so sweet; they turned around and washed our feet as well. It was just such a humbling experience for all the team.”

Shortly before the team came, a local family lost their home, said sophomore Luis Machado. “It was a perfect place for us to come and help speed up the building process so they could move into their new home as soon as possible.” Helping with construction and cleaning up the new home site was hard work, he said, “but very rewarding to see the difference between when we got

there and when we left.”

Machado, a native of Venezuela, made good use of his bilingual skills as he served people so less affluent than most Americans.

He called the trip a life-changing experience.

“At times you can get like you think you deserve what you have, but really you just have it thanks to God,” said Machado. “Remember that you’re blessed to have what you have.”

A pre-med student, Machado wants to become a surgeon. He hopes one day to use his medical training “going to places like Guatemala and being able to help in ways that I can’t help right now.”

The trip was sponsored by the Rinker Center for Experiential Learning.

It’s affected all of us.

Now, more than ever, our students need your generous help.

You know the value of a Christ-first education at Palm Beach Atlantic University better than anyone. Please consider donating today to the COVID-19 Student Fund to help deserving students continue their studies at PBA. Your gifts will be used intentionally to help with unmet tuition costs, travel expenses, family emergencies, as well as health and counseling needs. Will you support a PBA student by making a gift to the COVID-19 Student Fund?

Gratefully,

Dr. Debra A. Schwinn President

GIVE TODAY AT: GO.PBA.EDU/COVID-19

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Class Notes Kenny Hibbard ’92 completed his Doctor of Ministry degree and graduated from Truett Seminary at Baylor University. He is the founder and lead pastor of Team Church in Matthews, North Carolina.

Yolanda Jones Snipes ’94 is an educator with Fulton County Schools and is CEO of Godlock Magazine in Atlanta. In November 2019, she received a proclamation from the City of Atlanta during the Leaders to Legacy event in recognition of her leadership and services to the community.

Thomas Hudnall ’95 and Kelly Brink Hudnall ’97 have four children: TJ, 22; Joshua, 21; Bri, 19; and Micah, 16. Thomas and Kelly are teachers in the WinstonSalem Forsyth County School system and live in Clemmons, North Carolina.

Manda Hamilton Grant ’99 and her husband launched LivingOurCovenant.com, a company helping individuals, families, non-profits, churches

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and Christian business leaders to discover, develop and drive God’s purpose for them. They also welcomed their third child, Hosanna-Hope in 2019. She joins siblings Glory-Selah, 3; and Nehemiah, 5. They live in Jeannette, Pennsylvania.

Scott Johnson ’02 was named 2019 Officer of the Year by the Port St. Lucie Police Department.

Johnson, training coordinator for the department, also had won the 2013 award. He is a graduate of the MacArthur School of Leadership.

Matt Harper ’03 is executive director of Camp Canaan in Rock Hill, South Carolina, serving the community through specialized programs including summer camps, corporate retreats and adventures. He moved to South Carolina in 2005 to help start Camp Canaan, along with the camp’s founders and fellow PBA alumni Nick and Tiffany Wimmer.

Matt and his wife, Melissa, married in 2009, have two sons, Miles, 6; and Liam, 4.

Trulea Gann Craig ’04 and her husband, James, welcomed their first daughter, Elliot Craig, on June 16, 2019. Trulea is a reservist with the U.S. Navy. Married in 2011, they live in Ellicott City, Maryland.

Jessica Amanda “Mandy” Pearce ’04 married Justin Michael DeJesus in Morganton, Georgia, Dec. 23, 2019. She is a first grade teacher at the International School in Manila, Philippines, and he is a licensed insurance agent and works for ADP. Ashley Poleck McIlwain ’05 is celebrating the 10th year of her nonprofit organization, Foundation Restoration, which works to restore marriages using a biblical perspective and clinical expertise.

The organization operates in Raleigh, North Carolina, where she lives, as well as online at foundationarestoration.org

Julie Apple Walker ’05 and her husband, Jason, welcomed their first child, Lily Marie Walker,

Tell the PBA community about that

What's your news?new job, spouse or baby. www.pba.edu/alumniservices May 29, 2020. Julie owns Japple Fitness & Nutrition and Jason is an engineer. They were married June 8, 2019, in Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina, and now live in High Point, North Carolina.

Charles Browning ’07 and his wife, Cainna, and sons Charlie and Ford, have moved to Honolulu, Hawaii, where he is priest-incharge of Saint Mary’s Episcopal Church. They are expecting a third child in June 2020. Previously Charles was rector of The Chapel of Saint Andrew and head chaplain of Saint Andrew’s School in Boca Raton, Florida.

Jessica Henry Redman ’07/’10 M.S. has published her second middlegrade book with FSG/ Macmillan, to be released on July 28, 2020.

Quintessence tells of an anxious girl who goes on a magic and STEM-filled quest to save a fallen star. She released her first book, The Miraculous, last year.

Hannah Giboney ’10 married Matthew Rosenthal Dec. 28, 2019.

They live in Posen, Illinois.

She is a nurse, and has served with Mercy Ships.

Erin Maxwell ’10 married Andrew Anderson at Central Vineyard Church in Columbus, Ohio, June 22, 2019. Erin is the inventory control manager at Kimball Midwest, and will complete a master’s degree in business analytics from Ohio State University in August 2020.

Andrew is a French instructor at Capital University.

affairs project manager for Abbott Pharmaceuticals. They live in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin.

Courtney Allison Quinn ’10 received recognition for Best Website Marketing from PR News in 2019. She is a manager at the Computer and Technology Industry Association, which helps those looking to change careers to identify an interest in the technology industry. She lives in Palm City, Florida.

Dr. Jacob Richards ’10 and his wife, Anastasha, welcomed their first child, Luke Randolph, Feb. 1, 2020. Luke weighed 8 pounds, 5 ounces. Jacob is a regulatory

P B A A L U M N I A S S O C I AT I O N

33rd Annual

Golf Tournament P R O C E E DS TO S UP P O RT P BA ST UD E N T SC H O LA R S H I P S

Join us!

October 31, 2020 | PGA National Resort & Spa To register, visit:

GO.PBA.E DU/ALUMNI-GOLF

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Tell the PBA community about that

What's your news?new job, spouse or baby. www.pba.edu/alumniservices Josué Léon ’11 MBA was appointed managing director for Northwestern Mutual Palm Beach Gardens Group in February 2020. He and his wife, Erika Leon ’10, have three children and live in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.

Taylor Smythe ’12 has released The Fountain of Youth, the fourth book in his seven-part Kingdom of Florida series. Readers have described the middle-grade fantasy series as capturing the spirit of The Chronicles of Narnia. The series is available in paperback and Kindle ebook. www.kingdomofflorida.com.

Jeffrey Ard ’13 and Katie Hanlon Ard ’15 live in Tallahassee, Florida, where Jeffrey owns an insurance agency with Allstate. In 2019 he received Allstate’s Honor Ring achievement award and earned the designation as a “Premier Agency.”

Angie Moreau ’15 married Adam Ortega in August 2019. She is hedge fund Middle Office associate at Angelo Gordon. They live in New York City.

Marielle Hayden Khuen ’16 married in 2018. Marielle is a clinical nurse at Yale New Haven Hospital and is in graduate school to be a family nurse practitioner. She and her husband live in Norwalk, Connecticut.

Alli Gerking Morris ’17 Pharm.D. and her husband, Jared Morris ’13, welcomed daughter Ada Moraine Morris May 24, 2020. Alli is a clinical pharmacist at Good Samaritan Medical

Center, and Jared is operations director at Truth Point Church.

They live in West Palm Beach, Florida.

Judith Buckland ’18 received the Research, Innovation, Education and Service (RISE) Scholarship for the spring term at Life University for her research on physician burnout.

She is pursuing her master’s degree in positive psychology. Judith is founder and CEO of CardioServ in Wellington, Florida, where she lives.

Destined St. Surin ’19 was promoted from assistant program director to program director at First Serve Palm Beach. First Serve hires, equips and trains outstanding high school students to mentor children in their own community. Destined lives in West Palm Beach, Florida.

Palm Beach Atlantic thanks Chris Markgraf, owner of Froggy’s Fog, for his generous donation of 4,000+ gallons of hand sanitizer.

To learn more about this gift go to www.saniclauschallenge.com Pictured with Chris are a mask-wearing Sailfish Jack and PBA junior Adriana Willmutz.

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Eight stories tall, the new student residence is at the corner of Dixie Highway and Pembroke Place.

Ready in August

'Great partners' are key in building student residence, says new executive vice president for advancement

Construction speeds along, on schedule, for the University’s new eight-story residence to open with the fall semester in August. As students enjoy apartmentstyle living, on each floor they’ll find pleasant community rooms and study areas, thanks to PBA partners like Hyatt Place West Palm Beach/Downtown.

Hyatt Place, a close neighbor at 295 Lakeview Ave., has sponsored one of the study areas, reflecting a long-time relationship with PBA. Hyatt and the University share “core principles” such as community involvement, integrity and ethics, said James Hansen, vice president for sales and marketing with Hyatt’s parent company Kolter Hospitality.

“We like to do business with people in our markets that reflect those kinds of values,” he said. “We feel really blessed that we’ve had Palm Beach Atlantic by our side.”

“A university simply cannot thrive without a broad network of faithful partners,” said Laura Bishop, PBA’s newly appointed executive vice president for advancement. “I was thrilled to learn about all that Hyatt has done for Palm Beach Atlantic over the years.”

Once when a pipe burst in one of the residence halls, the Hyatt crew moved quickly to provide the displaced students with a home away from home. And for more than 10 years the hotel company has been a generous sponsor for a great variety of activities at the University, Bishop said.

Bishop comes to Palm Beach Atlantic from Oral Roberts University (ORU) in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where she was instrumental in raising money to build several new buildings and helped launch ORU’s newest capital campaign. She’s no stranger to South Florida, having previously served as executive director of the National Christian Foundation and Lifework Leadership in Fort Lauderdale and director of development and communications for Habitat for Humanity of Broward County and Westminster Academy.

In her new role at Palm Beach Atlantic, Bishop will be responsible for planning, organizing and implementing the University’s fundraising, Marketing, Community Service, Planned Giving and Alumni Relations efforts.

“I’m eager to get to know all the community partners that PBA has enjoyed,” she said, “including great companies like Hyatt and Hedrick Brothers Construction,” the company building the residence hall at the corner of South Dixie Highway and Pembroke Place.

Hedrick Brothers has provided a virtual tour of the building, viewable online at pba.edu/new-reshall-2020. “There are still naming opportunities available with this wonderful new home for our students,” Bishop said. Interested companies and individuals may reach her at laura_bishop@ pba.edu.

Read more about Laura Bishop at go.pba.edu/bishop.

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NONPROFIT ORG U.S. POSTAGE PAID WEST PALM BEACH FL PERMIT #1356

P. O. Box 24708 West Palm Beach, FL 33416-4708

Save the Date October 1 - 4, 2020

Once a ’fish.

Always a ’fish.

You’re invited to a weekend of fun and connection with the rest of the Sailfish family in West Palm Beach!

LEARN MORE:

go.pba.edu/hfw

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