Phil DiComo, Gail Horvath, Michele Jacobs, Daryn Kirchfeld, Caroline Villanueva, Gil Walsh Join Cultural Council board

The Cultural Council of Palm Beach County has added six new members to its board of directors and has appointed global finance expert Nathan Slack as Chair. William Parmelee has been named Vice Chair, and Jean Sharf is now Secretary. School Board of Palm Beach County member Debra Robinson and Boca Raton Resort & Club President and Managing Director John Tolbert, have joined as ex-officio board members.

Phil DiComo, Gail Horvath, Michele Jacobs, Daryn Kirchfeld, Caroline Villanueva and Gil Walsh join the board of directors, as the Cultural Council continues to enhance the quality of life in Palm Beach County with support for the arts, education initiatives, community enrichment and economic growth through cultural tourism.

"We are delighted to welcome our new directors to the board," said Rena Blades, president and CEO of the Cultural Council. "We are pleased that these accomplished business leaders have chosen to share their time and expertise with the Cultural Council. Their input will be especially valuable as we collaborate with the private sector to create public-private partnerships, boost community access to the arts and build an endowment that will ensure that future generations in Palm Beach County will reap the educational and economic benefits of arts and culture."

DiComo, Horvath, Jacobs, Kirchfeld, Villanueva and Walsh join the Cultural Council board at a time when the organization is pioneering new initiatives to integrate the arts into education, public awareness, cultural tourism and economic growth. The Council has created new educational programs such as Arts in My Backyard, expanded cultural tourism promotion like national public relations and the Cultural Concierge service, added a new musician membership category, and facilitated more services and opportunities for Palm Beach County artists, public arts and cultural organizations.

New board chair Nathan H. Slack is a financial services professional, who began his career at J.P. Morgan nearly 18 years ago and has since served in a variety of roles around the world, most recently as managing director and market manager at J.P. Morgan Private Bank in Palm Beach.

Previously, Nathan served as head of Southeast Asia for J.P. Morgan Private Bank in Singapore. In this role, he led his team in delivering the firm's investing, wealth transfer, credit and philanthropic services to ultra-high-net-worth clients in Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia. He served as head of Southeast Asia Investors of J.P. Morgan Private Bank. Prior to that, he was head of the Mid-Atlantic investment team in the United States where he was responsible for overseeing client assets, and specialized in the management of discretionary and trust assets. He advised clients on portfolio construction, hedging and diversification strategies and alternative asset class implementation.

Nathan holds his Master of Business Administration in Finance from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and a Bachelor of Arts in Finance from Gettysburg College. In addition, he holds the designation of Chartered Financial Analyst.

Nathan serves on the Board of Directors of The Business Development Board of Palm Beach County. He resides in Delray Beach.

About the New Board Members

Philip M. DiComo practices at the law firm Haile Shaw & Pfaffenberger, where he specializes in corporate law, emerging companies, entertainment and licensing, mergers and acquisitions, employment law, and not-for-profit law. Phil is recognized for his knowledge in nonprofit management, policy and practices.

In 2014, Phil earned the Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy® (CAP®) professional designation from the Richard D. Irwin Graduate School of The American College. The designation positions Phil as a leader in the philanthropy sector and qualified him to help charities achieve financial success, and donors to maximize their philanthropic giving. A Florida native, Phil worked in radio and television for more than 15 years before beginning his legal career. His extensive broadcasting, fund development and management background in for-profit and nonprofit organizations includes serving as a vice president for Palm Beach County-based public radio and television stations.

A high honors graduate of the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communication, Phil received his law degree, summa cum laude, from Nova Southeastern University Shepard Broad Law Center. Previously, Phil was with the law firm of Edwards Angell Palmer & Dodge. He is a resident of Loxahatchee.

Gail A. Horvath is senior vice president and managing director of the PNC Wealth Management Florida East region, where she oversees the client team of wealth management professionals providing trust, financial planning and private banking services. Previously Gail was senior vice president and Eastern region banking director for PNC Wealth Management in Philadelphia.

A financial services professional with more than 40 years of experience, Gail joined PNC Wealth Management in 1998 as senior client advisor and specialized as senior credit advisor for several years. She held the position of banking services director for the New Jersey market and team director for the northern New Jersey market before assuming responsibility as managing director for the northeastern Pennsylvania market in January 2010. Her responsibilities were expanded to include the central Pennsylvania market in early 2013.

Prior to joining PNC, Gail was senior relationship manager for CoreStates Financial Services Group in Short Hills, New Jersey. She also worked as a private banking officer for First Fidelity Bank in Newark, where she completed a comprehensive banking and credit training program. Gail is a magna cum laude graduate of Caldwell College in Caldwell, New Jersey and a certified financial planner.

A former member of the Board of Trustees of the Everhart Museum in Scranton, Pennsylvania, Gail has also served on Caldwell College Board of Trustees and on the Board of the Community Theatre at Mayo Center for the Performing Arts in Morristown, New Jersey. Gail has been a volunteer for the American Cancer Society, Habitat for Humanity and the Community Food Bank of New Jersey. She resides in Palm Beach Gardens.

Michele Jacobs is corporate director of marketing and operations over The Forbes Company shopping centers in Florida-The Gardens Mall in Palm Beach Gardens, The Mall at Millenia in Orlando and Waterside Shops in Naples. She oversees facilities management, guest services, advertising and marketing, security and special events, as well as corporate responsibilities supporting leasing and branding.

Prior to joining The Forbes Company in August 2007, Michele was vice president and general manager of Saks Fifth Avenue at The Gardens Mall. A native Floridian, Michele, 48, holds a Bachelor of Science degree in marketing from the University of Florida and resides in Palm Beach Gardens with her husband and son.

Michele actively supports Maltz Jupiter Theatre, Easter Seals, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and the Honda Classic, as well as many other local charities and nonprofits. She resides in Palm Beach Gardens.

Daryn M. Kirchfeld is senior vice president and managing director of Northern Trust's North Palm Beach office. She leads a team of investment advisors, trust advisors and private banking lenders.

Daryn joined Northern Trust in 2004 as a commercial private banker. She started her banking career with SunTrust Bank in Miami. She completed the commercial management training program and moved into the commercial real estate lending department. In 1993, she left SunTrust to work for Arthur Anderson's Real Estate Consulting Group in Washington, DC and later Osprey Investment Company in Annapolis, Maryland.

Daryn has served on the Board of Directors of Palm Beach Dramaworks for the past six years. She chaired its Facilities Oversight Committee responsible for renovating the Don and Ann Brown Theatre. She then served as treasurer for two years and for the past three years as chairman of the Board of Directors. She is a founding member of Impact 100 of the Palm Beaches. She is also a member of the Jupiter Medical Center Business Advisory Council.

Daryn earned a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Miami. She lives in Palm Beach Gardens.

Caroline Villanueva is South Florida external affairs manager for Florida Crystals Corporation where she is responsible for projects pertaining to policy, economic development and community relations in Palm Beach County. Ms. Villanueva has worked closely with agricultural property owners and local governments for over a decade.

Prior to joining Florida Crystals Corporation, Caroline was a senior land planner at Urban Design Kilday Studios where she prepared comprehensive plan amendments including for the Florida Crystals South Florida Intermodal Logistics Center in western Palm Beach County. Before that she was an asset manager for Lennar Homes' joint venture projects in St. Lucie County where she was responsible for managing corporate partnerships and entitlements of large, master-planned property holdings.

Caroline began her career at the U.S. Government Accountability Office in Atlanta, where she was responsible for policy analysis of certain federal programs. She received her Master of Science in Public Policy and Management from the Heinz School at Carnegie Mellon University and an undergraduate business degree from the University of Miami.

Caroline is the company's board member to the Central Palm Beach County Chamber of Commerce. She is a board member of the Lake Okeechobee Regional Economic Alliance of Palm Beach County and a board member of Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies Coalition of Palm Beach County. Caroline also represents the company at the Glades Career Readiness Roundtable. She is a graduate of Leadership Palm Beach County and a member of the Palm Beach County Planning Congress. She is a mentor in HMHB's Cribs to Caps Program and volunteers with Junior Achievement. Caroline lives in North Palm Beach.

Marigil (Gil) Walsh is principal and owner of Gil Walsh Interiors, LLC of West Palm Beach, New York and Martha's Vineyard. Gil has led over $200 million in design work over 40 years.

Gil is on the advisory board of Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater for the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, and has served on the Board of the Pittsburgh Symphony, the Board of the Phipps Conservatory, the Board of the Pittsburgh Center for The Arts and the Board of the Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art. Gil is a patron-level sponsor of the Preservation Foundation of the Palm Beaches, a member of the Circle of Friends and Art Speaks at the Norton Museum of Art in West Palm Beach, was Gala Chairman at the Maltz Jupiter Theatre and was on the Cultural Trust Committee for the 2016 Muse Awards. She is a Gracie Member of the Executive Women of the Palm Beaches, a sustaining member of the National Junior League and a member of the Garden Club of America.

Most recently, Gil was invited to become a Member of the National Committee for the Performing Arts at the Kennedy Center and was inducted as a Senior Member of the Decorator's Club, Inc. in New York City. She has also published her first book, "A Case for Color,' which was released in October 2016. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Chatham University and a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree at the Art Institute in Pittsburgh. Gil resides in Jupiter.

Cultural Council of Palm Beach County Board of Directors

Nathan H. Slack, Chair

Irene J. Karp, Vice Chair

William Parmelee, Vice Chair

Jean Sharf, Secretary

Christopher D. Caneles, Treasurer

Bert E. Korman, Immediate Past Chair

Peg Anderson

Bruce A. Beal

Philip M. DiComo

Donald M. Ephraim

Roe Green

Gail A. Horvath

Michele Jacobs

Daryn M. Kirchfeld

Robin B. Martin

Jo Anne Moeller

Suzanne Niedland

Kelly W. Rooney

Christine Stiller

Caroline Villanueva

Marigil Walsh

Ethel Issacs Williams

Ex-Officio:

Mary Lou Berger

Glenn P. Jergensen

Andrew Kato

Debra L. Robinson

John C. Tolbert

To post a comment, you must register and login.