Board of Directors

Sherrill M. Tomasino, Chairman of Board and member of USF Board of Trustees

Sherrill Tomasino is retired from IBI Group, Inc. (formerly Tomasino & Associates, Inc.). Mrs. Tomasino is President of Sherwood Forest of Temple Terrace, Inc. She is also a member of the Board of Directors and Treasurer of the Johnnie B. Byrd, Sr. Alzheimer's Center & Research Institute. Mrs. Tomasino is a member of the Greater Temple Terrace Chamber of Commerce and the National Federation of Independent Business, serving on the Florida Leadership Trust and the Tampa Action Council. She is a Founding Member of the University Area Community Center Complex, a member of the USF Area Community Civic Association, and past President of the Pleasant Terrace Civic Association, Inc. Her USF assignments are the Finance and Audit Workgroup and Chair of the USF Lakeland Campus Board. Mrs. Tomasino resides in Temple Terrace.

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Eric Pfeiffer, M.D., Vice Chairman of Board and founding Director of Suncoast Alzheimer's and Gerontology Center

Dr. Pfeiffer is Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry and founding Director of the Suncoast Alzheimer's and Gerontology Center at the University of South Florida Medical Center. He is nationally and internationally recognized authority on health and aging.  Dr. Pfeiffer is the author of several major books on the psychiatry of old age and long-term care. In 1977 Dr. Pfeiffer was awarded the Allen Gold Medal for outstanding achievement in the area of Geriatric Psychiatry by the American Geriatric Society.  In 1985 Dr. Pfeiffer was honored for his work in the area of Alzheimer's disease through the establishment of the Eric Pfeiffer Chair in Alzheimer's Disease Rearch at USF. He is listed in Who's Who in America and in The Best Doctors in America. In 1999 Dr. Pfeiffer was given the Jack Weinberg Award of the American Psychiatric Association for "outstanding work in the field of geriatric Psychiatry." Dr. Pfeiffer has conducted numerous studies on new medications for use with Alzheimer's patients and individuals with minor cognitive impairment.  These studies include work with each of the cholinesterase inhibitors, Aricept, Exelon and Razadyne, as well as with the only approved  NMDA-inhibitor, Namenda.

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 Mary M. Barnes, Executive Director, Alzheimer's Community Care

Mary M. Barnes is one of the original founding members of Alzheimer's Community Care, Inc., a Florida-based, 501 (c) (3), not-for-profit organization founded in 1996 to provide specialized care to Alzheimer's disease and related disorders for patients and caregivers in three Florida counties. She has been the organization's leader since its inception and continues to serve as the President and Chief Executive Officer. Mrs. Barnes has been working in the field of gerontology for her entire career but emerged as a leading advocate for her home state of Connecticut, where she was the Senior Citizen Program Director at Asnuntuck Community College in Enfield.  She is an accredited Fulbright Scholar and has and continues to serve on several committees, including the State of Florida Alzheimer's Disease Initiative Committee, State Special Needs Shelter Interagency Committee, and Silver Alert Committee for Florida.  Mrs. Barnes' life continues to be dedicated to being an advocate for Alzheimer's patients and caregivers residing in the community.

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Johnnie B. Byrd, Jr., J.D., former Chairman of the Board, former Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives

Johnnie B. Byrd, Jr. has been a longtime advocate in the fight against Alzheimer's disease. His father died of the disease in 1998. Mr. Byrd sponsored legislation in 2002 creating the Alzheimer's Center at the University of South Florida with $25 million in state funding. He enjoys speaking to and encouraging Alzheimer's support groups and continues to champion efforts to support family caregivers. Mr. Byrd served as State Representative from District 62 (R-Plant City) from 1996 until 2004, and served as Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives from 2002 to 2004. Mr. Byrd is an attorney with the Plant City law firm of Byrd & Stitzel, P.A. He earned a B.S. in Business Administration from Auburn University and received his Juris Doctor from the University of Alabama. Active in civic affairs. Mr. Byrd has served as a board member of a number of local charities and civic organizations. Mr. and Mrs. Byrd have celebrated 30 years of marriage and they have four children. Mr. Byrd is an active member of the First Baptist Church of Plant City where he has served as a deacon and a Sunday School teacher.

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 John M. Hehn, Jr., Executive Director, Florida Presbyterian Homes., Inc.

John M. Hehn, Jr. is a respected professional in the healthcare industry, with more than  12 years of experience in medical executive administration. Mr. Hehn is the Executive Director of Florida Presbyterian Homes, Inc., a 300 resident continuing care retirement community with residents in single family houses, apartments, assisted living and a forty bed skilled nursing center.  From 1992 to 2003, Mr. Hehn was an executive with BayCare Health System.  His previous positions included, director of support services and director of ambulatory services for St. Anthony's Hospital, real estate manager for BayCare, and assistant administrator of planning and development for South Florida Baptist Hospital. Before venturing into the healthcare field, Mr. Hehn was a commercial real estate appraiser with McGrath Appraisal Consultants and national sales manager for Elkhart Products Corporation.  A committed civic advocate, he has served as trustee and active elder for First Presbyterian Church, member of the church and society committee for Tampa Bay Presbyterian and member of Cedar Kirk Committee.  Mr. Hehn earned his Bachelor of Arts in Marketing at the University of South Carolina and his Masters degree in Finance at New York University.

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 Karen Holbrook, Ph.D., Vice President for Research and Innovation at USF

Karen A. Holbrook, PhD, is Vice President for Research and Innovation at the University of South Florida and a member of the Washington Advisory Group (WAG). Before joining USF, she was president of The Ohio State University for five years. Prior to that, Dr. Holbrook was senior vice president for academic affairs and provost at the University of Georgia, vice president for research and dean of the Graduate School at the University of Florida, and associate dean for research and professor of biological structure and medicine at the University of Washington, School of Medicine. Dr. Holbrook participates on numerous advisory panels and councils for the National Institutes of Health, including the NIH Blue Ribbon Panel for the National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratory, Boston, and is presently a member of the Advisory Committee to the Director of the NIH. She serves on several boards, including the Accrediting Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), the Institute for International Education (IIE), Research America, Southeastern Universities Research Association (SURA), Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU), ACT, and Techne, Inc. Dr. Holbrook has had a productive research career in the biomedical sciences and was a MERIT Award recipient from the NIH.

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Frank L. Morsani, Trustee of the Frank and Carol Morsani Foundation, Inc., and member of USF Foundation Board of Trustees
           
Frank L. Morsani has been described as a consummate philanthropist, businessman and community leader who is constantly enriching the Tampa Bay community. Mr. Morsani is the retired chairman of Automotive Investments Inc. and a trustee of the Frank and Carol Morsani Foundation, Inc. His work as a businessman and developer includes service on national, state and local committees and boards. National recognition came to Mr. Morsani when he was appointed by President Bush and President Reagan to two Small Business Councils. In 1986, he chaired the board of the United States Chamber of Commerce. Mr. Morsani has served on the USF Foundation Board of Trustees since 1995 and is a past vice chairman of the board. Mr. Morsani served as chair of the USF Endowment Fund for USF Football and on the executive committee of the Great Achievements – Great Expectations Campaign from 1996-2001 – a campaign that raised more than $255 million in support of USF's academic priorities. In 1981, he was presented the USF President's Distinguished Citizen Award and he received the Alumni Association's Class of '56 Award in 1986. In 2005, Mr. Morsani received an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from USF.

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