Chairman of the Board
Dr. Dennis Ray is Chair of the Florida Chautauqua Center, Inc.  He is a retired professor of management from Mississippi State University where he served as Head of the Management Department.  His teaching career also included the University of Florida and the University of Alabama.  Dennis attended public schools in DeFuniak Springs from the first grade through the twelth.  He received his BSBA, MBA and PhD in economics and industrial management from the University of Florida and honorably served four years in the US Navy.  His practical experience includes extensive consulting work with several major American companies and the US Federal Government.  In recognition of his contribution to management theory and the management discipline, Dennis was voted a Fellow by the prestigious Fellows group of the Academy of Management.  He is the founding editor of the internationally recognized Journal of Management.  Since retiring and moving back to his hometown, Dennis has been active in numerous community service organizations, city government, preservation efforts, and local businesses. 

Secretary
Lane is President of Human Resource Solutions Inc. and has over 35 years of human resource experience serving as Human Resource Director at Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, the largest oilfield in North America, as well as Human Resource Manager with SONARCO in the Sahara Desert in Algeria.  Additionally, he has worked with progressive firms and non-profit organizations sharing his broad human resource experience.  Lane graduated from Texas A&M University with a Bachelor in Business Management and a Master in Educational Administration.  Lane serves on the Texas A&M University International Board, the University of West Florida Business Council and is a member of the Society of Human Resource Management.  He also served as Chair of the Republican Party of Alaska and as a county commissioner (Chair, 2001/2002) in Walton County, Florida.

Director, Florida Chautauqua Center Historian
Mr. Robert Daniel is a lifelong resident of DeFuniak Springs, Florida and is a Battalion Captain for Walton County Fire Rescue.  He attended Gulf Coast Community College for EMT, Paramedic, and Firefigher certification and attended classes at the Florida State Fire College.  Robert holds certifications as a Fire Officer 1, Fire Instructor 1, and Live Fire Instructor 1. He is a avid Mustang and old Ford enthusist and enjoys restoring old Fords.  He lives in DeFuniak Springs with his wife Linda.

Director, Camp Conservation Exhibit
Jamie was born and raised in Northwest Florida growing up on a small farm right outside of DeFuniak Springs. She attended Northwest Florida State College where she earned her B.A.S. degree in Project Management and also studied Industrial Management Technology earning an A.A.S. degree. During college Jamie worked at the Walton County Attorney’s Office and then started her own business working independently as a Group Benefits Specialist for Prepaid Legal Services, Inc.  Since graduating, Jamie quickly became the Director of Art and Photography for a creative marketing group based out of Destin, FL called Think, L.L.C., best known for its popular magazine TheMenuMag. She has a special place in her heart for the Emerald Coast and loves to be involved in the community.

Director, Resource Development
Mr. R. Mike Hill is Executive Director of the Northwest Florida and Big Bend Health Councils, which serve 18 counties in northwest Florida. He is also president of PanCare of Florida, a non-profit organization which opens Federally Qualified Health Centers in Northwest Florida for people on Medicaid, Medicare and Medipass.  In addition to his Health Council work, Mr. Hill is Executive Director of Hill and Company, Inc., a consulting firm specializing in education, health care, social services, and government relations. Before working with the Health Councils, Mr. Hill held several positions in Florida’s educational community, including chief lobbyist for federal and state legislative and regulatory policy activities at the Florida Association of School Administrators. Earlier in his career, he worked for Bay District Public Schools and the Bay Correctional Facility. Over the years, Mr. Hill has received many awards for his work for a broad range of civic and professional organizations.  Mr. Hill completed undergraduate studies in social and political science and graduate studies in Public Administration at the University of West Florida. He earned an Ed.S. in educational leadership from Florida State University. He and his wife Janice live in Panama City, Florida and are new residents to DeFuniak Springs, Florida.

Director, Liaison with Walton County School District
Denise Mack is a recently retired high school teacher of History.  She taught in District 211 schools in the northwest suburbs of Chicago, the largest high school district outside the city of Chicago.  For the past three years she served as a curriculum specialist master teacher for the U.S. Department of Education’s Teaching American History Grant.  She currently serves on Florida’s Race to the Top Committee for Teacher Accreditation.  During her tenure as a teacher she was employed as a consultant and exam reader for the College Board. Accolades include recognition from the National Society of High School Scholars Educator of Distinction, University of Chicago Best Teacher, Coca Cola Educator of the Month, Most Memorable Teacher and Golden Apple Semi-Finalist along with numerous Principals’ Awards.  Denise received her Bachelor’s Degree from Western Illinois University, Masters from Northeastern Illinois University and completed post-graduate work at Northwestern University in Evanston, IL.  She currently resides with her husband in Miramar Beach, Florida.

Director, Registration
Dan Owens is the Director of the Walton County Public Library System.  He has served on the Advisory Council for NEBASE which was Nebraska’s regional service provider for the Online Computer Library Center services, and he has served two terms on the Board of Directors of the Panhandle Library Access Network.  Dan has a Bachelor of Arts in Library Science from North Texas State University, a Master of Business Administration from Golden Gate University, and a Master of Library Science degree from Emporia State University.  He retired from the United States Air Force after 22 years of service and considered himself a wandering Texan before he settled in DeFuniak Springs in 1999.