Florida Arts Council
2008

Term: 11/1/07 – 12/31/08
Appointing Authority:
Governor Charlie Crist

Mrs. Benson is a graduate of Emory University in the field of Interior Design. She is a former councilwoman for the City of Pensacola, as well as a former state representative from 1992-1994.  She currently serves on the board of the Emerald Coast Utilities Authority, but was also a board member of the North Florida Water Management District.  Mrs. Benson is very involved in her local community, serving on the boards of the Five Flags Rotary, The Zoo of Northwest Florida, and the Northwest Florida Historic Preservation Board.

Mailing Address:
Woodlet - Box 91103
Woodfield Springs Plantation
Miccosukee, FL 32309

Term: 06/23/08– 12/31/10 
Appointing Authority:
Governor Charlie Crist

Mrs. Bindhardt has been extensively involved with the arts, both in Canada and the United States. A former Chairman of the Florida Arts Council, she has also served as President of the Art Gallery of Ontario, President and Chairman of the Canadian Opera Company and President of the Toronto Arts Council. She has served as Great Lakes Regional Chairman of the Metropolitan Opera in New York and is presently a member of the Met Association. Mrs. Bindhardt has also served on the board and been Chairman of the Thomasville Cultural Center in Georgia. She currently serves on the board of Leon County's Council on Culture and Arts, and is Chairman of Citizens for Florida Arts, Tallahassee's Seven Days of Opening Nights, and the Plantation Wildlife Arts Festival in Thomasville, GA.  A great lover and trainer of Labrador retreivers, this is Margo's third term on the Arts Council.

Mrs. Bradley is a graduate of Yale and Columbia Universities, holding an MBA in Finance and Marketing. She and her husband are avid collectors of African-American Art, focusing on works that date from the 1950s to the present. Mrs. Bradley currently serves as Vice-Chair of the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority and serves on the boards of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Florida and the Cornell Museum of Fine Arts.  Mrs. Bradley was reappointed in 2005 for a second term.

Mr. Browning resides in Weirsdale, Florida.  He is an accomplished photographer whose work has been shown in numerous exhibitions and included in corporate, public, and private collections, as well as the Florida Department of State Art Collection.  Mr. Browning served in the United States Navy and received his degree from Central Missouri State University.  In addition to a design and graphics career in central Florida, he was also a councilman for the City of Winter Springs.  Mr. Browning currently serves on the Department of Juvenile Justice Foundation Board, Brick City Center of the Arts Board, and is a member of Department of Corrections' 2007 Arts in Prisons Committee.

Miami artist Xavier Cortada has exhibited his work in museums, galleries and cultural venues not only in Florida, but across the Americas, Europe, Africa and Antarctica. Mr. Cortada has created art for the White House, the World Bank, the Florida Supreme Court, and the Museum of Florida History. He holds three degrees from the University of Miami – a Bachelor of Arts, Master of Public Administration and Juris Doctor. He has been honored in the Congressional Record and with Xavier Cortada Day Proclamations by the City of Miami, Miami Beach, and Miami-Dade County. Cortada has received numerous awards for his volunteer work, including the prestigious Millennium International Volunteer Award from the U.S. Department of State/USA Today and the Florida International Volunteer Corps 1999 Outstanding Achievement Award. In 2006, the artist received the National Champion for Children Award from the Child Welfare League of America.

Mailing Address:
107 South Riverside Place
Indialantic, FL 32903

Term: 10/25/05 - 12/31/09
Appointing Authority:
Former Governor Jeb Bush

Senator Deratany, a former Florida State Senator and Representative, is president of Deratany Consulting, a Governmental and Public Affairs firm. Prior to lobbying, Mr. Deratany served as Mayor of Indialantic and Director of University Relations at the Florida Institute of Technology. At some point during each day, you can find Mr. Deratany painting in his riverside art studio. An avid artist for the past ten years, Mr. Deratany is a board member of the Brevard Museum of Art and Science and previously served as Chairman of the Florida Seaside Art Show. He belongs to the Brevard Watercolor Society and the Brevard Artists Guild. For Mr. Deratany, art offers a welcome respite from the hectic world of politics.

Term: 06/23/08 - 12/31/11
Appointing Authority:
Governor Charlie Crist

Mrs. Dickenson is a graduate of the University of Miami with a Masters in Education. She has been actively involved in her community by serving on such boards as the Children’s Museum at Singing Pines, Historic Palm Beach County Preservation Board, as well as the Boca Raton Historical Society. Mrs. Dickenson has also served on the boards of the Dorset Theater Festival and Manchester Music Festival in Vermont, the Florida Historic Preservation Advisory Council, Florida Trust for Historic Preservation, and the National Trust for Historic Preservation. She has been awarded the 1989 Florida Trust Distinguished Service Award, Palm Beach County’s Judge Knott Award in 1996, the 1995 Boca Raton’s Myrtle Butts Fleming Award and was recently inducted into Who's Who of American Women, 2006-07, the 25th anniversary issue. 

Mr. Hogge, an attorney, currently serves as the Staff Director for the Judiciary Committee of the Florida House of Representatives. Mr. Hogge has been involved in the legislative process, both as legislative staff and as a lobbyist. In his legislative capacity, he has served in a number of capacities, including Policy Coordinator in the Office of the Speaker and Staff Director for the House committee responsible for policies relating to state cultural affairs, including arts and historic preservation funding. A member of the Board of Directors for LeMoyne Art Foundation in Tallahassee, a self-taught student of art history, and subscriber to the Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra, Stephen has a deep appreciation of the arts in all forms. This is Mr. Hogge's second full term on the Council.

Mr. Judd, an attorney with Gunster, Yoakley & Stewart, P.A., is a graduate of American University and Catholic University where he earned his Juris Doctor (J.D.) in 1985.  Mr. Judd serves on the boards of the Community Foundation of Broward County and the Broward Performing Arts Center Foundation.  He also serves as President of the Josephine S. Leiser Charitable Foundation and on the Donor Committee of the Fort Lauderdale Historical Society.  Mr. Judd is a member of the Broward County Estate Planning and Planned Giving Councils, and has offered estate planning-related seminars to several local cultural organizations.

Mrs. Mason is a fine artist, as well as an author and illustrator of children's literature. In 2000, she received the National Award for Excellence in Communities, and in 2001 her book was voted in the top 100 by children nationwide through the Children's Choice Awards. Mrs. Mason also serves as chairman of the Public Arts Advisory Board in Martin County, Illustrator Coordinator for Florida's Chapter of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, is a member of the Children's Book Council, and is a past board member of the Arts Council of Stuart and Martin County.

Mrs. Roth has been named several times to Art & Antiques Magazine’s “Top 100 Collectors in America.” She is a major lender of works from her private collection to major American museums. Mrs. Roth received an art history degree from Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida. She currently serves on the boards of the Polk Museum of Art, USF Graphicstudio/Institute for Research in Art, USF Contemporary Art Museum, and on the Exhibitions & Education Committee at the Orlando Museum of Art.  Mrs. Roth was reappointed in 2007 for a second term.

Mr. Shaw, originally from Indiana, retired from corporate life to Amelia Island in 2000. Jim received his BA in Education from Indiana University and an Executive MBA from Stanford University. An active member of numerous boards and committees, Jim and his wife Sandy are sponsoring seven young students through one-year scholarships at the Amelia Arts Academy. Currently Jim is engaged in an effort to form a Community Arts Council that would lead to an Art Centre, striving to bring affordable art and music educationally and recreationally to all the citizens of Nassau County for generations to come.

Mr. Tucker is chief executive officer of Tucker/Hall and is an accredited crisis communications specialist serving clients in the areas of business planning, corporate reputation management and media relations. He also spent nine years with the magazine division of the Times Publishing Co. and Florida Trend magazine as Managing Editor and later as Deputy Publisher. During his years as Managing Editor, Florida Trend won 60 state, regional, and national awards for reporting and graphic design. In 2002, Tucker was appointed by Governor Jeb Bush to the corporate advisory board of the Florida Turnpike Enterprise.

Term: 01/08/08 - 12/31/08
Appointing Authority:
Senate President Ken Pruitt

Mr. Ward is the director of the Fort Pierce Redevelopment Agency and Administrator of the 1200-seat Sunrise Theatre. He is the former director of the Division of Cultural Affairs for St. Lucie County, also serving as chairman of St. Lucie County’s Cultural Affairs Council. An award winning illustrator and publisher, Jon currently serves as treasurer of the Florida Humanities Council. His organizational memberships include the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, Florida Association of Public Art Administrators, and the League of Historic American Theatres.

Term: 10/25/05 - 12/31/09
Appointing Authority:
Former Governor Jeb Bush

Mrs. Wise is a cultural and civic activist in the Sarasota area who has received numerous awards for her public service, including the Sarasota Herald-Tribune’s Golden Gavel Award in 1996, the National Philanthropy Award in 1996, the Bradenton Opera Guild Honor in 2000, and the Hall of Fame Video Archives in 2001. As part of her continuing contribution to the Sarasota area, Mrs. Wise has served as a member of the Executive Committee of The Sarasota Opera from 1990 to 2000 and as the Opera’s President from 1991 to 1993. She has also served on the Asolo Theatre’s Executive Committee and on the Wine Fest Executive Committee. Mrs. Wise currently serves on the board of the Asolo Theatre. Mrs. Wise was reappointed in 2005 for a second term.