The Wellington Community Foundation’s Board of Directors recently voted to expand the current 11-member board to 13 members. Board members then had an opportunity to make nominations. Presented with several names, the board agreed to add three new members.
On Monday, March 7, the final of the three new members, Terri Kane, joined the board to occupy the seat once held by attorney Mickey Smith.
Smith, the foundation’s former secretary, resigned from the board in December but will remain on as registered agent for the foundation. He will also be heading up a new initiative on behalf the foundation called “Friends of the Foundation.”
“This project is underway, and we look forward to sharing more about it in the coming months,” WCF Chair Tom Wenham said.
Joining the board is Michael Gauger, MSW, a longtime Wellington resident and former chief deputy at the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office until he retired with more than 50 years of tenure at the agency. In his role as chief deputy, he was the senior executive staff officer for the Department of Law Enforcement Operations and Corrections. Among many other achievements, Gauger has launched his own venture, Michael Gauger Consulting, to offer a variety of professional consulting services utilizing his decades of expertise in law enforcement, investigative services, mental health issues and community improvement.
Also joining the board is Donald Gross, who has lived in Wellington for more than 25 years, since moving to the western communities of Palm Beach County from Greenwich, Connecticut. He has been a member of the Rotary Club of Wellington since 1997 and has been a member of the Central Palm Beach County Chamber of Commerce and the Wellington Chamber of Commerce. Along with his wife Maureen, Gross is also a Realtor, and together they work at the Keller Williams Realty office in Wellington.
Kane, who purchased her equestrian facility in Wellington in 2002 and opened Diamante Farms, of which she is president. In 2012, she moved to full-time residency in Wellington. Since making Wellington her home, Kane has been involved with the Vinceremos Therapeutic Riding Center, serving for a time on that nonprofit’s board and continuing to support them. She has supported many local initiatives and is extremely proud of her adopted hometown of Wellington.
The board of directors welcomed all three new members with open arms as the foundation continues to grow by leaps and bounds for such a short period of time operating as a private foundation. Once managed by the Village of Wellington, this now-private nonprofit organization has helped hundreds of Wellington’s seniors, children and veterans.
With growth of any organization comes additional work and responsibilities. At the March 7 meeting, a motion was made to appoint longtime supporter Dawn Rivera as the executive director of the foundation. Working with the board since its inception, Rivera was honored to have been named as the executive director.
“This is such a wonderful organization. This board does amazing things for the most vulnerable in our community, and I am incredibly happy to be a part of it,” Rivera said.
For more information about the Wellington Community Foundation, including how to become involved or donate to the many projects slated for 2022, visit www.wellingtoncommunityfoundation.org.
