The Board of the New College Foundation welcomed three new members and appointed new officers at its Feb. 3 meeting. Joining the board are Karin E. Gustafson, Charles H. Hamilton ‘64 and William R. Johnston.
Gustafson is a retired non-profit executive who has worked with many charities across the region and is a resident of Bradenton. She was the first executive director of the Women’s Resource Center of Sarasota and was president of the Y Foundation of Sarasota. After retiring from the Y Foundation in 2013, she worked as a consultant and has volunteered with organizations including the Animal Rescue Coalition, where she serves on the board. Gustafson has been a longtime supporter of New College, working with the late Gen. Rolland V. Heiser, former President and CEO of New College Foundation, and the late Sen. Bob Johnson, former chair of the New College Board of Trustees and former chair of the New College Foundation Board of Directors.
Hamilton is a former philanthropy executive whose career has focused on the importance of civil society and a resident of Sarasota. He has served in leadership positions at several organizations based in New York City, most recently as director of philanthropic advisory services at the Bessemer Trust. Previous positions include executive director of the Clark Foundation, chief operating officer of the J.M. Kaplan Fund, and executive director of the Albert Einstein Institution. His extensive community service includes serving on the boards of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and the Council on Foundations. He has edited several books, in the fields of philanthropy and American intellectual and political history. He is a graduate of New College of Florida.
Johnston is retired from the financial sector after a long and distinguished career on Wall Street and a resident of Bradenton. He served as president and chief operating officer of the New York Stock Exchange from 1996 to 2001, and previously worked for firms including Johnston and Lunger, Mitchum Jones and Templeton, Agora Securities, and LaBranche and Co. He is a graduate of Washington and Lee University, where he has remained active and is an emeritus trustee. Currently he is vice-chair of the New College of Florida Board of Trustees, past chair of the New College of Florida Board of Trustees, past chair of the Plymouth Harbor Foundation and board chair of Visible Men Academy. He has previously served on the boards of DeSoto National Park and Boys and Girls Club of Manatee Foundation. His past advisory board service included the Lubin School of Business at Pace University in New York, Goizueta School of Business at Emory University and the Jepson School of Leadership Studies of the University of Richmond.
Michael R. Pender Jr. was named chair of the Foundation’s board. Pender has been a partner at Cavanaugh and Co., LLP, for more than 35 years, and is experienced in all phases of public accounting including auditing, tax, financial planning, business advisory services and fraud and forensic accounting and is a resident of Bradenton. He has also been an organizing director of two community banks: Sarasota Bank, which was sold to Colonial Bank, and Insignia Bank, where is still a director. Pender serves as a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants Council, representing the State of Florida, and is president of the Florida Institute of Certified Public Accountants. He also earned the designations of Personal Financial Specialist and Certified in Financial Forensics by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and is a Certified Fraud Examiner for the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners.
The Foundation Board also named as officers: Sue Jacobson, first vice chair;
Renée Hamad, second vice chair; Robert Lincoln ’77, treasurer; and John Bean, secretary. Board members serve three-year terms and may be reappointed.