Board of Trustees

Debra A. Jenks is a Floridian and lawyer in Palm Beach County. She practices in the areas of securities arbitration, litigation, registration, and regulation. She graduated from New College of Florida in 1980 with a degree in Economics, and earned her juris doctor from Lewis & Clark Law School in Portland, Oregon in 1983.

Ron Christaldi is a partner in the law firm of Shumaker, Loop and Kendrick, LLP where he has a broad practice, comprised of both transactions and complex litigation. Ron also serves as the President/CEO of Shumaker Advisors Florida LLC, a government relations and public affairs firm. He has been recognized as one of the Top 50 Lawyers in Florida and one of the 100 most influential lawyers in America by the Tampa Bay Business Journal. Ron served as the past Chair of the Tampa Bay Chamber. He also has served a variety of organizations including the Tampa Bay Economic Development Council, Friends of the Riverwalk, Inc., City of Tampa Charter Review Commission, Tampa Bay Businesses for Culture and the Arts, Creative Tampa Bay, Inc., City of Tampa Creative Industries Council and the Tampa Theatre Facility Master Plan Task Force among other groups. Trustee Christaldi received his bachelor’s degree from New College of Florida, his master’s degree from Florida State University, and his law degree from Florida State University College of Law. His term began on January 6, 2020 and ends on January 6, 2025.

Mark Bauerlein is Professor Emeritus of English at Emory University and an editor at First Things magazine.  In 2003–‘05, he served as the Director, Office of Research and Analysis, at the National Endowment for the Arts. He is the author or editor of 11 books, including Negrophobia: A Race Riot in Atlanta, 1906 (2001) and The Dumbest Generation: How the Digital Age Stupefies Young Americans and Jeopardizes Our Future (2008). His essays have appeared in Yale Review, Partisan Review, Wilson Quarterly, PMLA, and Philosophy and Literature. Apart from his scholarly work, Dr. Bauerlein publishes in popular periodicals such as New York Times, Wall Street Journal, The Weekly Standard, The Washington Post, TLS, and Chronicle of Higher Education. He has been interviewed by media outlets more than 500 times, including spots on CNN, Fox News, NPR, BBC World Today, CBS News, Nightline, PBS Frontline, and 20/20.  Bauerlein earned his doctorate in English from UCLA.

Ryan T. Anderson, Ph.D., is the President of the Ethics and Public Policy Center. He is the author or co-author of five books, and his research has been cited by two U.S. Supreme Court justices, Justice Samuel Alito and Justice Clarence Thomas, in two Supreme Court cases. Anderson received his bachelor of arts degree from Princeton University, graduating Phi Beta Kappa and magna cum laude, and he received his doctoral degree in political philosophy from the University of Notre Dame. His dissertation was titled: “Neither Liberal Nor Libertarian: A Natural Law Approach to Social Justice and Economic Rights.” In addition to leading the Ethics and Public Policy Center, Anderson serves as the John Paul II Teaching Fellow in Social Thought at the University of Dallas, and the Founding Editor of Public Discourse, the online journal of the Witherspoon Institute of Princeton, New Jersey. 

Jacquot, of Jacksonville, is a Shareholder of Gunster Law Firm. He is a veteran of the United States Navy and previously served as the General Counsel for the Executive Office of the Governor. He is a member of the Jacksonville Bar Association and Leadership Florida. Jacquot earned his bachelor’s degree in political and social thought from the University of Virginia and his juris doctor from the University of Florida.

Dr. Karp attended the University of Florida where he obtained a Bachelor of Science, Doctor of Dental Medicine, and General Dentistry Residency. He currently serves on the National University of Florida Alumni Association Board of Directors, the Manatee Technical College Dental Assisting Advisory Board, and the Florida Blue Key Alumni Advisory Board. Since March 2010, he has served as President of the Sarasota Sheriff’s Activities League, a not-for-profit board associated with the Sheriff’s Office of Sarasota County. The board works with the Sheriff, local law enforcement, local businesses, and community members to coordinate and raise funding for programs that provide local youth with safe, experiential educational opportunities. He is the owner and President of Sarasota Dental Group. Dr. Karp was appointed by the Board of Governors for a term beginning on January 7, 2021 and ending on January 6, 2026.

Dr. Kesler is the is the Dengler-Dykema Distinguished Professor of Government at Claremont-McKenna College and Editor of the Claremont Review of Books. Dr. Kesler is the author of many books, including most recently The Crisis of the Two Constitutions. Kesler earned his bachelor’s degree, master’s degree, and doctorate degree in government from Harvard University.

Dr. Sarah Mackie is an Optometrist and Co-owner and Vice President of Eye Center, Inc. She founded the Eye Center Vision Foundation in 2013 to provide free eye exams and a full set of glasses to underprivileged students in Manatee County. She is an active member of the PTO at Palmetto Charter School and is an active member (and former member of the Executive Board) of the Junior League of Manatee County. She is currently a member at large of 100 Women Who Care – Manatee, a group of women interested in supporting the local community by combining donations to impact local charities. Dr. Mackie was appointed by the Board of Governors for a term that began on November 5, 2020 and ends on January 6, 2025.

Dr. Patrick McDonald is a Professor of Mathematics at New College of Florida and Co-Chair of the
New College Faculty. Currently in his 30 th year with the College, Professor McDonald was the
Founding Director of New College’s first graduate program, the Master of Science in Data
Science program, as well as a past Chair of the Faculty and Trustee of the College. An author of
numerous journal articles over a broad range of topics, Professor McDonald graduated from
The Ohio State University with a joint bachelor’s and master’s degree in mathematics and
completed his PhD in mathematics at MIT.

Olivia Mikkelsen is the 2024 President of the New College Student Alliance (NCSA), New College’s Student Government.

Don Patterson has a long history of both business success and notable philanthropy, and recently co-chaired the New College Foundation’s Annual Clambake. Patterson spent 40 years in the communications industry, culminating in his role as co-founder and CEO of Ascend Wireless Networks, taking the business from startup to acquisition by a private equity firm in less than 10 years.

Patterson has a long track record of supporting the underserved in the Sarasota community, holding numerous high-level roles with Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Suncoast. He led the creation of “Stay Safe” in partnership with the Salvation Army, an initiative that serves as an emergency alternative for women victims of abuse as a result of being homeless. He attended the first conference by the Department of Justice to address the emerging Human Trafficking crisis, and “Stay Safe” continues to work in Sarasota to this day.

As a community leader in Sarasota, he funded the creation of the “Thursday Night Market” in the Rosemary District, reviving traffic flow to businesses in the area post-pandemic. He is also an accomplished marathoner and Ironman.

Rufo is a Senior Fellow for the Manhattan Institute. He is also a writer and  filmmaker. As a filmmaker, Rufo has directed four documentaries for PBS, Netflix, and international television, including America Lost, which tells the  story of three “forgotten American cities.” In recent years, Rufo has led the fight against critical race theory in American institutions. Rufo’s research and activism inspired a presidential order and legislation in fifteen states, where he has worked closely with conservative governors and lawmakers to craft  successful public policy. Rufo has been featured in the Wall Street Journal,  New York Times, Washington Post, NPR, CNN, MSNBC, and Fox News. Rufo holds a BSFS from Georgetown and ALM from Harvard.

Dr. Spalding is the Kirby Professor in Constitutional Government at Hillsdale College and the Dean of the Van Andel Graduate School of Government at Hillsdale College’s Washington, D.C., campus. As Vice President for  Washington Operations, he also oversees the Allan P. Kirby Jr. Center for Constitutional Studies and Citizenship and the academic and educational programs of Hillsdale in the nation’s capital. Dr. Spalding earned his bachelor’s degree from Claremont- McKenna College and earned his master’s and doctorate degrees from Claremont Graduate School.