Board of Directors
Presently Serving this Public Service endeavor without compensation since 2013.
Dr. Patel is one of 375+ Board Certified Nuclear Pharmacists of the over 300,000 licensed pharmacists in the United States and has a passion for Public Service. He is a results-driven leader and organizational change agent with a proven track record of contributing to the advanced performance, growth and profitability of diverse organizations. He has extensive training in the sciences and engineering coupled with a significant capacity to analyze and solve problems while encouraging participation.
Presently Serving this Public Service endeavor without compensation since 2020.
Ms. Fernandes has served as the Director of Social Services and Admissions in the nursing industry for over a decade and is an indispensable member of the leadership team. She has been instrumental, in helping achieve an impeccable regulatory compliance record and, more importantly, in creating an atmosphere which has consistently placed her team near the top in nationwide customer satisfaction rankings. She commits numerous hours monthly to community activities. Natasha devotes the majority of her spare time to the raising of her two teenage sons. She was welcomed to the PELA Board in preparation for our Emotion Play Center debut.
Presently Serving this Public Service endeavor without compensation since 2022.
Dr. Apryl C. Lynn is an accomplished financial professional, community leader, and government public sector executive. Dr. Lynn owns and operates Apryl C. Lynn & Associates; her work through her firm and her commitment to her clients and the community has developed a career that is rewarding to her and proven necessary for her clients. With over 20 years of professional experience she works to ensure her clients have the best opportunity for financial security and wellness.
Apryl is a proud mother of two wonderful children. Her educational background includes a Bachelor of Science in Mathematical Science, and Master of Business Administration, both from Florida A&M University and a PhD in Mathematics Education from Florida State University.
Presently serving this public service endeavor without compensation since 2022.
Dr. Wiggins is an accomplished, and talented Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner-BC with solid educational and professional experience with a distinguished history within the mental health field. Diversified in social work and nursing with a trained eye for assessment and critical thinking. Impeccable communication skills to advocate and promote the needs and concerns of the patient.
Board Advisors
Serves as an unpaid non-voting Consultant since 2013.
Ms. Lewis has served in the child care industry for nearly forty (40) years as an owner/operator of several commercial daycare and preschool facilities in Tampa Bay Florida. In addition to being an educator, inventor and creator of the only patented Emotional Literacy program for preschool age children she has offered affordable childcare in underserved communities for over three decades. As an author, music composer, singer and still a credentialed Childcare Director, it was with her encouragement that Dr. Patel first decided to create PELA. She knows virtually every facet of the childcare industry and has first-hand knowledge of the need for tuition subsidies, emotional literacy education and the efforts required to present a viable subsidy option to the U.S. government.
An original Board member since 2013, now serving as an unpaid, non-voting Consultant to the Board.
Mr. Quamina is a disabled Veteran who has had a stellar sales career in the corporate sector for decades and has a passion for public service in many areas. His business background experience, as an employee and owner, provides extensive day to day fundamentals from which any well-grounded nonprofit would benefit.
An original Board member since 2013, now serving as an unpaid non-voting Consultant to the Board.
Mrs. Granger is a Financial Advisor and has been a dedicated and professional public servant with 35 years of government service, reaching the heights of responsibility directly overseen by the Florida governor’s office. In addition, having also owned and operated her own preschool childcare facility, she has had a life-long passion for the education and advancement of preschool children.
Serves as unpaid, non-voting Consultant to the Board.
His keen knowledge of various aspects of employee and labor relations management enables him to be an exemplary advisor to the BOARD. He has extensive managerial experience in the areas of employee relations in both union and non-union environments; has more than 20 years experience in private and public sector supervision and employee relations/labor relations management as a team builder; has over 16 years experience as an Evaluator and Instructor in topics ranging from human resource management, employee engagement, recruitment, compensation to succession planning; has over 20 years’ experience in collective bargaining negotiations and labor law on State and local levels; and extensive knowledge of training, management development, and preparing employees to meet the organization’s costs, schedules, quality, revenue parameters, and efficiency/productivity objectives.