”The Friends“ advocate for and promote an appreciation of the natural history, environment, and wildlife habitat of the Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge, as well as the singular Everglades ecosystem as a whole.
The Board’s Mission
Meet the BoardFriends of Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge
Michelle Hendricks was born and raised in Sioux City, Iowa. She and her husband Jim have been married for 44 years, have three grown children, and two granddaughters.
Michelle retired in 2016 after serving almost 20 years as the director of student health services for three universities. She served for 30 years in the Air Force Reserve, retiring in 2010 at the rank of Colonel.
Michelle's hobbies include gardening (a Florida Master Gardener), sewing, and choral singing. She and Jim travel extensively and enjoy sports and theater. They have lived in South Florida since 2014 and love it.
Michelle contributes to the Friends in her crucial role as Chair of the Membership Committee, in addition to serving as President.
Daniel DeLisi works as a private sector land use planner and environmental policy consultant/lobbyist. His environmental policy clients include local governments throughout south and southwest Florida, primarily engaged in water quality improvement projects and Everglades restoration. In 2011 he was appointed by Governor Rick Scott to serve on the South Florida Water Management District Governing Board and was later appointed Chief of Staff, where he oversaw all internal agency functions, State policy, external affairs, and real estate matters.
Dan has taught as an adjunct faculty member in urban planning at Florida Gulf Coast and Nova Southeastern Universities and has been an invited presenter on land use, development and water policy issues at numerous conferences throughout the United States. Dan received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Brandeis University and a Master in City Planning from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
Dan is an avid beer brewer, scuba diver and runs an occasional half marathon. He enjoys hosting events for friends and colleagues in his National Historic Registry home in West Palm Beach that he shares with his wife of 25 years, and two children, when they are home on vacation.
Allyse Carter, CPA, born and raised in West Palm Beach, is a Certified Public Accountant with PWC. She is a graduate of Florida State University and holds a Master’s in Accounting from Florida Atlantic University. A CPA since 2013, she was Chairperson of the Palm Beach Chapter of the Florida Institute of Certified Public Accountants (FICPA) in 2020.
Allyse enjoys helping people, and is happy to have been able to help individuals, small businesses, and non-profits reach their financial goals through her tax and accounting advice, which she also contributes to the Friends board of directors.
A few of her hobbies include going to the beach and pursuing standup comedy (that's right, the rare breed of CPA comic).
Steve Kaufman is a Florida native. He grew up in Miami and moved to Palm Beach County in 2003. Steve is currently the Secretary of the Board and also serves on the Finance Committee.
Since 2012, Steve has served as Executive Director of Temple Beth El of Boca Raton. Temple Beth El was the first temple in the area and is now the largest in the state of Florida. Steve has enjoyed a diverse career including working as General Counsel for a commercial construction company, Vice President of Planning for one the nation’s largest homebuilders and as a Project Manager for a multi-national energy development company.
Steve is passionate about environmental conservation and loves being in nature. He is a frequent visitor to the Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge on his mountain bike and his kayak.
Steve has an undergraduate degree from the University of Florida and holds two graduate degrees from Boston University. Steve enjoys hiking, cycling, kayaking, playing soccer and spending time in the western North Carolina mountains. Steve and his wife Ivy live in West Boca Raton. They have two fabulous adult children and two rescue dogs.
Cathy Patterson was born and raised in Western New York State and spent her youth hiking through the woods with her siblings and dogs. It was there that she learned the importance of appreciating and protecting the beauty of the natural Earth.
Being part of a military family, she relocated to Vicenza, Italy for two years, then on to Lawton, OK, Boynton Beach, Colorado Springs and then back to Boynton where she and her husband raised two daughters. Although not born in Florida, her mother's roots in South Florida extend back three generations. During her youth and throughout adulthood, she and her family enjoyed camping, hiking and boating. Cathy's love of the Refuge developed during the early 70's and she has watched it develop into the gem it is today.
Cathy and her husband Jim owned Natural Forest Patio in Boynton for 38 years where they sold new outdoor furniture in addition to doing repairs and refinishing prior to retiring. She has recently taught typing and Rosetta Stone to speakers of other languages at the Women's Circle in Boynton for several years.
Cathy is a wealth of knowledge about the Friends and the Refuge and is the primary facilitator for Friends volunteers. She is past president of the Friends, chair of the Everglades Days Committee, and manager of the Nature Store in the Visitor Center.
Brad Bousquet currently serves as Chair of the Board’s Grants and Advocacy Committees. In recent years, he has worked with a number of international NGO’s on issues at the intersection of land governance and climate change policy, with a focus on deforestation abatement initiatives and sustainable finance. Prior to this, he had spent more than twenty-years working in the global finance sector.
A Yale College graduate, Brad is currently completing a thesis for a UNITAR/Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC) M.A. degree in Conflict, Peace & Security. His thesis is focused on Indigenous land rights and collective titling initiatives in the context of IP tenure security and the attendant intra-state conflict risks within the tropics. He is also part of the University of Edinburgh’s M.Sc. Programme in Carbon Management, as well as the Yale School of the Environment’s Tropical Forest Landscapes (TFL) Program.
Brad has spent over a decade splitting his time between NYC and Delray Beach, where he enjoys shore fishing and frequent camping trips to the Middle Keys. He is committed to Florida conservation, with a particular focus on carbon sequestration, biodiversity, and ecosystem services.
Paul Walansky is a Florida native who resides in Boynton Beach. A graduate of Florida Atlantic University, Paul is a professional engineer at Arcadis, an international engineering company. He is a Senior Project Manager with experience in the design and construction management of various coastal and water resource design projects.
Paul’s engineering background includes inspection and condition assessment of marinas and water control structures, cost estimating, flood studies, pump station design, bridge scour analysis, economic analysis, port feasibility studies, port reconstruction, fishing pier design, retaining wall design, wetland restoration, reservoirs, stormwater treatment areas, flow equalization basins, public recreation area design and specifications.
An avid fisherman, Paul is the Tournament Director for the Everglades Bassmasters of South Florida. He is responsible for proposing tournament locations, obtaining permits, enforcing rules, coordinating weigh-ins, and club statistics. He is also an active volunteer with Reel Fishing Charities, an organization that inspires disadvantaged youth, children with special needs, and elementary aged students through the sport of fishing and environmental education.
Susan Rowe is a retired registered nurse who enjoyed a career in health care and education while being an employee organizer and labor advocate in Massachusetts and Maine for 30 years.
Sue earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Maine and Master's in Labor Relations from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
She is a long-time environmental advocate and member of Audubon Society and the Lakes Environmental Association in Maine.
Sue's hobbies include trail walking, genealogy, and knitting for non-profits. She and her husband of more than 20 years, Carl Guignard, are volunteers at The Refuge. She previously served as Secretary on the Friends board and is currently a key member of the Refuge Speaker's Bureau.
Paul Ryan is a management consultant focused on customer experience, process improvement, and market development. He is also a corporate trainer, small business owner, and author working on his next book about humor in the workplace.
Paul has previously served as fundraising chair, publicity chair, and board member for two Habitat for Humanity affiliates, and as classroom volunteer for three Junior Achievement chapters. He currently serves on the graduate advisory board at Keiser University, and is a mentor of business students at his alma mater. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree, is a Certified Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, and a Project Management Professional.
Originally from the Washington, DC area, Paul resides in Delray Beach. He and his daughter, Isabella, enjoy exploring nature together, including hiking. His other pursuits are water and racquet sports, DIY home projects, photography, and being a car enthusiast.
Suzanne Mechler has more than 22 years of experience as an environmental and civil engineer for CDM Smith, focusing on water and wastewater treatment, water distribution as well as water resources. CDM Smith is an engineering and construction firm delivering smart solutions for the environment and infrastructure. Since joining CDM Smith in January 2002, Ms. Mechler has served as project manager, engineer, and client manager, overseeing projects in the South Florida area. She has most recently overseen the design and construction of the Palm Beach County Green Cay Phase 2 Project which will provide indirect potable reuse to replenish the aquifer while also providing an education center and a park.
Suzanne holds a Master of Engineering degree in environmental engineering from the University of Florida (Go Gators!). She was born and raised in Palm Beach County. She enjoys nature photography and generally being outdoors mountain biking, kayaking, boating, and paddleboarding.
Suzanne joined the Friends Board in January 2023 and serves as the Chair of the Education Committee.
Paul Jenner was raised in Miami, Florida and discovered his love of the ocean as a young boy both in Biscayne Bay and at his grandparents’ house in Key Largo. Paul has lived his entire live in South Florida, he currently lives in Pompano Beach, Fl with Mari, his wife of 23 years and their two children. Paul runs an IT consulting business that provides support for businesses in Broward, The Palm Beaches, and The Bahamas. He has also volunteered for the North Broward Indian Princesses and Indian Guides programs for the last 14 years. He is passionate about nature, keeping our wild spaces pristine and untouched and introducing others to these wild spaces. For the Friends, Paul is on the membership committee and helping with the Friends’ technology. Paul's hobbies include fishing, hunting, Scuba Diving, and traveling.
Tim Graf is originally from South Bend, Indiana and has lived in Boca Raton since 2004 with his wife Ronni, who is the Director of the Temple Beth El Early Learning Center. His son Liam is serving in the Peace Corps in Ecuador and Sam is pursuing a doctorate in Organic Chemistry at the Colorado State University. Tim has worked in high technology for 28 years and currently works as a Technical Account Manager at VMWare, a cloud infrastructure company. He began his career in politics working on Capitol Hill as a Legislative Assistant before he wised up and got a real job. Graf holds a master’s degree in international relations with a concentration in Technology Management from the Global Policy School at the University of California, San Diego, and a Bachelor of Arts from Wabash College. He is an avid kayaker, fisherman, hiker & biker.
Louise Murtaugh joined the Friends of Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee Wildlife Refuge in February 2024 as the first Executive Director. She brings a wealth of knowledge and thirty years of experience to the position from financial and business acumen to leadership, planning, marketing, development, and enthusiasm for nature. Louise is the CEO of the LMGroup, serving non-profits with grant writing and research, marketing and public relations. Louise has served the non-profit community for 16 years as Executive Director for Celebrities Fore Kids, Inc. and Molly’s House, Inc. and Annual Fund & Grants Manager for The Council on Aging of Martin County, all located on the Treasure Coast of Florida. She also served at President/CEO of the Jupiter Tequesta Juno Beach Chamber of Commerce from 1994-2007, serving six communities within Northern Palm Beach County. Her community and public service included positions with the Florida Association of Chamber Professionals, Florida Chamber of Commerce Federation, Council of Chambers- Martin County, American Chamber of Commerce Executives, Discover Board of Palm Beach County, Economic Council of Palm Beach, Forum Club of the Palm Beaches, Northern Palm Beach County Cultural Alliance and Roger Dean Stadium Advisory Board. Louise is a graduate of Leadership Palm Beach, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Institute for Organizational Management, the Business Institute of Finance, and The Grantsmanship Center. Graduate Florida Southern College. She is the recipient of the Soroptimist International Women of Distinction Civic Professional in 2010 and received the Virginia Moulton Award for public relations excellence in 2009-2010. Louise resides in Jupiter with her husband Walter Franklin. Both love the outdoors, biking, walking, traveling and entertaining family and friends.