Board of Directors

Executive Board

Kevin Clark—Board President

A Tallahassee local since the age of 16, Kevin Clark has woven his vibrant personality and diverse talents into the fabric of the city. His educational journey led him through Leon High School, Tallahassee Community College, and Florida State University, fostering strong connections within the community. Clark’s dynamic career path began as a flight attendant with Delta Air Lines, honing his people skills and passion for service. Since 1998, he’s been a skilled graphic designer, infusing creativity into every project. As a licensed Realtor since 2012, currently working at Coldwell Banker Hartung, he excels in merging his design finesse with real estate prowess. His excitement extends to his role on the Board of Directors at The Tallahassee Ballet, reflecting his dedication to arts and community. His journey is a testament to his multifaceted talents, unwavering dedication, and genuine love for Tallahassee.

Sarah Villella—President-Elect

Native to Tallahassee, Villella has always had a love for the arts. Dancing from the age of three, Villella found a passion for ballet and went on to dance with The Tallahassee Ballet from elementary through high school. After high school, she continued to fulfill her passion by teaching dance to children. She is thrilled to have been asked back to the Ballet as a Board Member so she can continue to give back with her talents in marketing, relationship development, and innovative ideas. With an entrepreneurship gene, Villella started a small online retail store in high school that would set the stage for her to learn, grow professionally, and allow her the opportunity to develop relationships with many people from varying-sized businesses and non-profits. During college she began working at Pink Narcissus before becoming the leader of Narcissus, a multi-million-dollar local business, as Store Manager and Buyer. One of her favorite aspects of her job is connecting with customers and helping them feel their best for life events, casual or formal. Villella is a graduate of Flagler College and has a rescue dog named Zina.

Trina Searcy—Immediate Past President

Trina Searcy is a graduate of Leon High School and a Broker Associate with Keller Williams Town and Country Realty. She has sold residential real estate and protected private property rights for more than 20 years. Searcy is the Past President of the Tallahassee Board of Realtors and Past District 8 Vice President of Florida Realtors. She has served on and chaired numerous committees for Tallahassee Board of Realtors and Florida Realtors, including Florida Realtor Leadership Academy. Much of her business and personal interest focuses on Florida land, water quality, public policy issues, and marketing all that Tallahassee has to offer and why it is the best place to live. Searcy has also served on In the Carpenters Footsteps, Junior League of Tallahassee, and Killearn Lakes Home-Owners Association (President for eight years). She has lived in Tallahassee for more than 36 years. Searcy is married to Fain, and they have two adult sons, Taylor and Tanner. Kaili is her granddaughter, who very much enjoys The Tallahassee Ballet. Searcy likes to travel, work out, and spend time with friends and family for fun.

Ana Melendez—Treasurer

Hispanic Woman CEO; 2018 Golden Ace Award Winner; Leadership Tallahassee Class 39—Ana Melendez is the CEO and owner of A&E Wholesale, a distribution company that provides over 3,000 items in the categories of beverages, candy, chocolate, medicine, cigars, automotive supplies, and paper products to over 1,200 convenience stores in North Florida and South Georgia. Under A&E’s new leadership, Melendez has been able to reinvent the company within the last 9 years. They now operate with an Oracle ERP system that empowers the company to streamline operations, enables them to improve order accuracy, manages inventory turn targets, and ensures the highest standards of government compliance. This provides higher service levels to locally owned convenience stores, as well as large chains such as Wawa, Family Dollar, and Dollar General. During her time in Tallahassee, Melendez has won awards for her lobbying contributions in the Florida Senate and House of Representatives. In 2017 and 2023, she was invited by the DBPR Secretary to be a panel leader for their annual “Celebrating Women in Business” event. In 2018, she won the Golden Ace Award in recognition of her leadership and commitment to Authentic Community Engagement. She has made contributions to the Red Cross, United Way, AMI Kids, Second Harvest of the Big Bend, Legal Aid Foundation, Seminole Boosters, and The Kearney Center/CESC. Additionally, she currently serves as the President of the Florida Association of Wholesale Distributors Board of Directors. She is a Board member of the Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce, the Community Foundation of North Florida, the Capital Area Red Cross, the Tallahassee Museum, the Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra, and the Governors Club. Prior to purchasing A&E, Melendez was the Director of E-Commerce at Essendant, a $6B Fortune 500 distributor of office products, furniture, and cleaning supplies. As one of their youngest Directors, Melendez led the launch of Innovera, a private label brand of technology products available in Walgreens and Costco and grew the brand to $60M in annual sales. This included traveling to countries such as China and Taiwan with her global sourcing and quality teams. She also managed the $300M OEM technology accessories business for Essendant that included brands such as Logitech, Kensington, and Sony.

Gayle Grimes Sklar—Secretary

Gayle Grimes Sklar’s career spans curriculum, instruction, and educational leadership, with a focus on strategic planning, program creation, and improving student success and teacher performance. Most of her career was in educational publishing—at companies such as Pearson, McGraw-Hill, and Cengage Learning—where she led teams, launched new products, and developed business models that transformed how K–12 materials are brought to market. Her vision and leadership drove organizational change, strengthened human capital, and supported state-level education goals nationwide. Now retired from the industry, Sklar enjoys time with her husband Bill, her family (including two young grandchildren), traveling, and supporting the performing arts and nonprofits serving children and youth.

Directors

Shelby Kennerly Augustyniak

Shelby Kennerly Augustyniak is a Tallahassee native, an alumna of The Tallahassee Ballet, and a Florida State University graduate. She greatly values the discipline and lifelong friendships made through her ballet experience. In addition to her full-time employment at the Department of Children and Families as Director of Strategic Initiatives in the Office of Child and Family Well-Being, Augustyniak is Past-President of The Tallahassee Ballet, Past-President of Big Bend Habitat for Humanity, and an active member of St. John’s Episcopal Church. She and her husband Dan have two daughters, Ella B. and Audrey. In her free time, Augustyniak enjoys running, baking, reading, and FSU football.

Dustin Baker
Dustin Baker came to Tallahassee from his hometown of Live Oak, Florida, soon graduating from Florida State University (FSU) with a degree in Political Science and Finance. While at FSU, he was a cheerleader for four years, serving as captain his senior year. He is now the proud owner of Cheer Nation Athletics, the most successful all-star cheer program in Tallahassee. Additionally, Baker coaches for FSU, where he played a pivotal role in leading the cheerleaders to their first National Championship in 25 years.

Betsy Caire Couch
Betsy Caire Couch, APR, serves as Executive Director for the Knight Creative Communities Institute (KCCI). In addition to her enthusiasm for the Arts, she is an avid proponent for improving the lives of children and families and enhancing the Tallahassee community. She received 850 Magazine’s Pinnacle Award in 2014, and she was featured on the cover of Tallahassee Woman Magazine as a “Generation X Community Leader” in August 2013. Couch also serves on the boards of the Foundation for Leon County Schools, Children’s Home Society, and the Gilchrist Elementary PTO. She was also a member of the Cultural Plan Review Committee. Couch was the 2010-2011 President of the Junior League of Tallahassee, and she served as President of the Florida Public Relation’s Association-Capital Chapter. She is also a former President of the Advent Parish Day School PTO. An avid Florida Gator, she is married to her college sweetheart, dentist Cory Couch, and they are the proud parents of a young dancer, Caroline, and sweet little gentleman, Tucker.

Katherine Del Signore

Katherine Del Signore is Chief Financial Officer of Refuge House and a proud Alumnus of The Tallahassee Ballet. She is a strategic, solution-oriented leader with a strong commitment to organizational success and financial integrity, bringing over 10 years of experience in fiscal management, business operations, and leadership. Del Signore specializes in transforming organizations through data-driven financial strategies, improving operational efficiencies, and leading cross-function teams to exceed organizational goals. She has focused her career on optimizing the financial performance in both nonprofit and higher education sectors. Del Signore excels in dynamic environments where transformation is necessary, demonstrating the ability to adapt quickly to new challenges and navigate complex situations. She is collaborative, methodical, and focused on long-term organizational impact. She has experience in areas beyond financial management, including human resources, operations, fundraising, stewardship, and board governance, demonstrating her versatility and commitment to holistic organizational growth.

Tonya McNabb

Tonya McNabb resides in Alligator Point and is actively involved in the Alligator Point Fire Department, ECCC, and Philaco. She moved here recently and has missed volunteering in the community. Ballet is in her blood—she began dancing at age three. She is looking forward to enriching her community through volunteerism. McNabb was previously the chair of Fund Development for the Junior League of Cobb Marietta. She also loves entertaining, cheering on the Bulldawgs, tennis, and her dog, Salty.

Felicia Leborgne Nowels
Felicia Leborgne Nowels is board certified by the Florida Bar in International Law and is a Partner at Akerman, LLP, where she practices international trade law and federal regulatory administrative law. Nowels grew up in Miami and danced under the tutelage of Thomas Armour, Robert Pike, and Ruth Weisen. She also danced with the Miami Ballet. Nowels graduated from Davidson College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in French and a concentration in International Relations. She moved to Tallahassee in 2000, where she graduated from Florida State University Law School. She and her husband, Matthew Nowels, have three children, one of whom is a student at The Tallahassee Ballet. Having danced most of her life and interned as a student at the Louvre in Paris, Nowels is passionate about ballet, the arts, and her local community.

Meredith Strange

Meredith Strange is a Tallahassee native and Leon High School graduate. She earned degrees in history and classical studies from Furman University and a law degree from the University of Virginia School of Law. After graduating from law school, Strange held a judicial clerkship at the Fifth District Court of Appeal in Daytona Beach before returning to Tallahassee to go into private practice. She is currently a shareholder at Williams Gautier law firm, where her practice focuses on providing regulatory and legal compliance assistance to the firm’s financial institution clients. Strange is a member of the Tallahassee Bar Association and a Sustaining member of the Junior League of Tallahassee. She and her husband, David, and daughter, Darsey, attend Faith Presbyterian Church. Strange is also an alumna of The Tallahassee Ballet company and Board of Directors.