Officer and Director Election Results

By Jim Hengelbrok, Nominating Committee

At the annual meeting on May 7, we held elections for TAS Officers and Directors. There were no nominations from the floor. We had 26 members who voted in person, and another 19 who voted by Zoom. The vote was unanimous in favor of the Board-endorsed slate of candidates.

Below are the profiles of the newly elected Officers and Directors, who will serve for the next two years. Statements provided before the election have been edited for length.

In additional news about the TAS Board, when Mic McCarty was elected as Vice President, that left his current Director position on the Board vacant for the next year. Pursuant to our Bylaws, on May 12, the Board appointed former TAS President Mary Keith to fill the vacant Director position, until the next election in May 2027. Mary’s profile also appears below.

PRESIDENT: Jessica Parrish

Jessica joined the Board of Directors in June 2021 and became Vice President in 2023. Currently serving as Chair of both our Membership & Tabling Committees, coordinating speakers outside of TAS, and volunteering as a docent at the Lettuce Lake Park Joel Jackson Nature Center. Before getting involved with TAS, Jessica obtained a B.S. in Biology at Grand Valley State University in Allendale, MI, and worked on conservation programs with piping plovers in Cape Cod, and golden‐cheeked warblers in Texas.

Statement (edited for length): I believe deeply in the community we are creating together. A community of people who care about the world around us and who want to protect the places where we live and explore. We know that when a place is healthy for birds, it is healthy for us too. I will be honored to serve as President of Tampa Audubon Society. I want to continue the work we have started, strengthen the community we are building, and I would love for you to join me on that journey.

VICE PRESIDENT: Mic McCarty

Mic’s lifelong interest in birds, nature and the environment led him to pursue birding as a personal passion. He is a retired Army pilot and middle school teacher, bringing discipline and a spirit of exploration to his educational work. Mic teaches aviation to youngsters at the Destiny Aviation summer camps at the Sun-n-Fun. Mic is the Field Trip Coordinator for Tampa Audubon and regularly leads bird walks where he shares his enthusiasm for nature. He participates in bird surveys and leads the Fred and Ida Schultz Preserve survey. Mic participates in Christmas Bird Counts, Nestwatch, and Bluebird Trails, contributing valuable data to conservation efforts and helping protect native bird populations for future generations.

Statement (edited for length): My 13 years as a TAS member have given me a deep appreciation for our organization’s impact and a strong desire to contribute more substantially to its continued growth and success. I am excited about the opportunity to work alongside dedicated individuals who share my enthusiasm for protecting native bird populations and inspiring the next generation of environmental stewards. Together, I know we can achieve even greater things for Tampa Audubon and the communities we serve.

SECRETARY: Will Laurie

Will was appointed to the Board in January, 2024, to fill a vacant position. Will became interested in birds in 2022 after getting into wildlife photography while focusing on alligators. Since learning what the common birds in their area were, they wanted to become as involved as they could with helping birds. They began with simple birding, moving to helping with Christmas Bird Counts, Eagle Watch, and Colony Watch volunteering.

Statement (edited for length): It’s been an incredible pleasure serving as a Director for the last two years and I feel like I am ready for a jump up as it were. I have served as the Chair of the Nominating Committee and also as the Coordinator for the Colony Watch program, along with Project Burr-O in the past. I love working with this team and am really looking forward to continuing to do so in a new role!

TREASURER: Michelle Hoffman Wrobel

Michelle has been our Treasurer since 2017 and Webmaster since 2018. A Hillsborough County native, she is the Operations Manager for her husband's thriving CPA practice in Brandon. Prior to that, she was an environmental scientist and wetland biologist for many years, and holds graduate degrees from the University of Guam, where she studied island karst, and the University of South Florida, where she studied waterbird diversity in urban freshwater ponds. She enjoys watching birds using the feeders outside her office window in Brandon as she works.

DIRECTOR: Sherry Keller

Sherry served as Secretary for the Board of Directors from 2010 to 2020. A Florida native, she grew up in Hillsborough County, and graduated from USF as a Geography major. For the last several years, her main focus with Tampa Audubon has been helping to monitor and maintain the Bluebird Trail at Flatwoods Park. She also helps with tabling events. bird counts, and leads the occasional field trip.

DIRECTOR: Lucy Polak

Lucy joined TAS in 2016 and the Board of Directors in July 2018. She has served on the TAS Membership and Nominating Committees. Lucy also owns and manages Wild Birds Unlimited in Tampa. She began feeding backyard birds with her parents as a child.

DIRECTOR: Logan Lane

Logan has been a member of Tampa Audubon since 2015. He was born and raised in Tampa, where he currently resides. He attended Furman University and Stetson University College of Law. Logan works as in-house counsel for a financial services firm. Logan has served on the TAS Board since May 2023, and has volunteered as a field trip leader. In addition to watching the birds in his backyard, he enjoys exploring the region’s nature preserves.

DIRECTOR: Sandy Townsend

Sandy joined TAS in 2005 and has been on the Board of Directors since May 2019. She has served as Secretary since June 2020. She also serves as our Communications Committee Chair. She decided not to run for another term as Secretary, but wants to continue serving on the Board, as well as continuing with the newsletter. Sandy became interested in birds when she started hanging feeders outside her window to brighten her view, and soon discovered a love of bird photography.

DIRECTOR (APPOINTED BY TAS BOARD TO FILL MIC MCCARTY’S VACANT DIRECTOR POSITION UNTIL MAY, 2027): Mary Keith

A member of TAS since 1995, Mary proudly served as the Chapter's President from 2015 to 2021. She currently serves as our Conservation Committee Chair. Mary's childhood was a real-life bird-watching adventure with her botanist parents in rural Pennsylvania, where her weekends were spent frolicking in state parks and forests. Mary has flown high and low, far and wide, birding in neatly every nook and cranny of the world. After retiring from the University of Florida Extension Service, she dedicated her days to leading bird walks, keeping a watchful eye on nests and colonies, and participating in the historic Christmas Bird Counts. Her favorite bird is the Swallow-tailed Kite; she loves to watch them eat on the fly amid a rainfall of glittering dragonfly wings.