Meet the People Behind Delray Beach Initiative

Carol Eaton, DBI Co-Chair
Carol Eaton, DBI Co-ChairTreasurer Elks Lodge 1770
From my home town of Sharon, MA., I came to Florida on a College Tennis Scholarship. After moving to Delray Beach in 1982, I graduated from Florida Atlantic University with a B.A. in Business.

I first started volunteering with Pineapple Grove when they were developing a plan for a Florida Main Street USA which was designated in 1994. Volunteering got into my blood immediately.
I met so many people and enjoyed the feeling of camaraderie working together toward common goals. I helped Pineapple Grove fundraising through 1999.

While a PTA member at S.D. Spady Elementary in 2006-2009, I spearheaded several programs including their Business Banner, Adopt-A-Class and Matching Gifts to generate much needed funds.

In 2005-2014 I volunteered for the Mark Gerretson Memorial Fishing tournament where I was the Program Advertisement and Sponsor Chair.

I became an officer at the Delray Beach Elks Lodge #1770 as their Treasurer in 2009-Present. While an ELK, I began writing grants from the Elks National Foundation to use for Community Investments. We now receive several grants annually for local nonprofits that have included: Miracle League, Caring Kitchen, Achievement Centers, and Delray Citizens for Delray Police, Caridad Center, Milagro Center, Family Promise, Community Caring Center of Boynton and the Cities Educational Foundation.

The Delray Elks joined the Delray Beach Chamber of Commerce in 2010. I am currently a member of the Non-Profit Council and a Chamber Ambassador.

My future volunteer endeavors continue with the Delray Beach Elks Lodge, The Delray Beach Chamber of Commerce, and Delray Beach Initiative raising much needed money for our community.

My 16 year old daughter, Nikki Dugan, presently sits on the City’s Education Board and attends Atlantic Community High School. I am married and constantly entertained by my husband James Eaton!

Ronnie Dunayer, DBI Co-Chair
Ronnie Dunayer, DBI Co-ChairDirector of Instruction at Boca Greenes
Ronnie is a graduate of Adelphi University, earning a Masters Degree in psychology and specializing in working with athletes. She brings a unique and highly effective teaching style to her students.

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Utilizing a thorough understanding of swing technology combined with application of the mental components, she is able to produce consistent and solid results in her students. This approach combined with an understanding of learning styles produces consistently solid results. She had taught in south Florida for the past 12 years and has been involved with running junior programs, adult leagues, sports psychology seminars, teaching people with
disabilities, and a variety of lesson programs. Most recently Ronnie has been engaged as the Director of Instruction at Boca Greens Country Club. Beginning this summer, Ronnie will be administering the Kids Rule Golf Camp and Academy, hosting adult clinics, and teaching private lessons.
Chuck Halberg
Chuck HalbergFounder/ President of Stuart & Shelby Development
Living in Florida since 1980 and a resident of Delray Beach since 1991, Chuck Halberg is founder of Stuart and Shelby General Contractors. Married to Pam for 32 years, he has two sons, Stuart and Shelby.

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Founder/ President of Stuart & Shelby Development, an award winning Delray Beach Developer/ General Contractor

Current Civic Involvement
• Chair Delray Beach Initiative “Enriching Delray’s Children” 2013- present
• Board Member and Past President The Colony at Delray HOA 2006- present
• Board Member for Family Promise Community Advisory Board 2014- present

Past Civic Involvement
• Operational Board Member Achievement Center for Children and Families
• Board President Creative City Collaborative
• Board Member Delray Citizens for Delray Police
• Member Delray Beach Chamber Men’s Group
• Board Member Prep & Sports
• Vice Chair Delray Beach Planning & Zoning Board
• Member Delray Beach Parking Management Advisory Board
• Chairperson Delray Beach Affordable Housing Advisory Committee
• Chairperson Delray Beach Education Foundation
• Board Member Gold Coast Builders Association
• Executive Board Member Delray Beach Chamber of Commerce
• Vice Chair Delray Beach Chamber of Commerce Government Affairs Committee
• Vice Chair Delray Economic Leaders Political Action Committee

Awards and Acknowledgements
• Delray Beach Business of the Year 2013-2014
• Delray Beach Business Person of the Year 2010-2011
• Ken Ellingsworth Community Service Award 2008, 2011, 2013
• Community Service Commendation Delray Beach Police 2006
• Special Recognition Award City of Delray Beach 2006
• Graduate Leadership Delray 2007
• Nominated for Sun Sentinel Small Business Award 2008
• Principal for the day Banyan Creek Elementary 2007, 2008, 2009

Community Support
2012- Current Assisting with time, financial aid and other resources in helping educate the kids in the
Atlantic High School Construction Academy
2012 Assisted with time, financial aid and other resources to renovate the 4 bathrooms of the Child
Care Center at the Achievement Centers for Children & Families Foundation saving this 44
years old Delray organization over $20,000
2010 Purchased the historic Franklin House from the Delray Beach CRA and my time, financial aid
and other resources to renovate/ rebuild and donate to the Delray Beach Community Land Trust
so it can remain an affordable home in perpetuity in the city
2008 Assisted with time, financial aid and other resources to renovate the new offices of the
Achievement Centers for Children & Families Foundation saving this 44 years old Delray
organization over $35,000
2006- Assisted with time, financial aid and other resources to add two new classrooms to the Delray Beach Youth Vocational School saving this charter school that works with troubled kids over $150,000

Provided personal or corporate volunteer time and/ or contributions to:
• Delray Beach Garlic Fest
• Delray Affair
• Delray Beach Chamber Education Foundation
• Delray Beach Principal and New Teacher Breakfast
• Delray Beach Elks Club
• Delray Beach Chamber of Commerce Capital Campaign
• Delray Beach Sister Cities
• Delray Citizens for Delray Police
• Delray Beach Toys for Tots
• Delray Beach Wine & Seafood Festival
• Delray Beach 4th of July Celebration
• Delray Beach St. Patty’s Day Parade
• Delray Beach Holiday Parade
• Delray Beach Center for the Arts Concert Series
• Delray Beach Library
• Delray Beach Marketing Cooperative
• Boy Scouts of America
• Achievement Centers for Children & Families
• Delray Beach Miracle League
• The Arts Garage
• The Milagro Center
• The Spady Museum
• Prep & Sports
• Bethesda Hospital
• Atlantic High School
• Building Officials of Palm Beach County
• Adopt A Family of the Palm Beaches
• YWCA of the Palm Beaches
• Mark Garretson Fishing Tournament
• Family Promise
• Knights of Pythagoras Mentoring
• Pine Grove Elementary School
• Atlantic High School

Allen Glass
Allen Glass
After practicing law in Michigan for over 30 years, a visit to Delray Beach was all it took for Allen Glass to decide he wanted to live and work here. He found a perfect location downtown in the SoFA disctrict for his law practice, GLASS LAW GROUP, PA and specializes in Personal Injury Law.

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Allen Graduated from Detroit Law School which is now located on the campus of Michigan State University and he is licensed in Florida, Michigan and Illinois. He has a broad background in law in addition to Personal Injury, having been involved with real estate transactions, business formation and dissolution, and civil litigation. He is an AV Preeminent rated attorney by Martindale-Hubell which is a peer rating system based on evaluations by other lawyers and members of the judiciary.
Since moving to Delray Beach Allen has enjoyed becoming active in the community and has held several positions on the board of the Arts Garage, including a year as president. His passion to help children has brought him to the Delray Beach Initiative, a group of individuals with a desire to volunteer to help children in Delray Beach.
Don Schneider
Don Schneider
Don Schneider is a non practicing lawyer and has been a Senior Human Resources executive for several Fortune 500 companies including Citicorp, General Electric, Bertelsmann Entertainment, New York Times, Winstar Communications and Advo.

He has a full range of HR experience including but not limited to negotiating mergers, recruiting top executives, negotiating and implementing labor contracts, overseeing and decreasing employee-related lawsuits, supervising major executive restructuring, creating and restructuring compensation and benefits programs, overseeing complex Chapter 11 and 7 bankruptcies, directing real estate acquisitions/divestitures, closing plants and creating leadership development programs. Now, as head of his own HR consulting company, Straightaway Solutions, his significant experience provides a comprehensive approach to your company’s employee and HR issues.

Education: Wharton School, Finance for Non-Financial Managers, Syracuse University College of Law, JD-Labor & Real Estate, SUNY, Buffalo, NY, B.S. Business Administration.

Stephen Greene
Stephen GreeneReal Estate Associate with ComNet Realty
After 12 years in the financial industry as a CLU and a retirement planning specialist with John Hancock, Stephen decided to change careers and move to Delray Beach with his wife and two children to work with his family in the Industrial Real Estate field. He has also started a Montage Production company, which he does, in his spare time.

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Having been brought up with a charitable family background, he has started his own family Charitable foundation and has become involved in many charities giving much of his time and resources in anyway that is helpful. He looks forward to adding value and support to the Delray Beach Initiative group.

Stephen is a graduate with a degree in Marketing from the University of Denver. His interests include charity work, golf, tennis and photography.

Jim Nolan
Jim NolanFounder of Research Sample Bank
Born and raised in Detroit, Jim Nolan graduated from Michigan State University, with a major in Biochemistry (Go Green, Go White!). Having moved to Florida in 1969, his work over the years has taken him to over 124 countries and he’s worked on every continent except for Antarctica.

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Been a citizen of Delray Beach since 1988 and have been a volunteer in Delray Beach for the past 20 years. Jim founded Research Sample Bank in 1994, which provides the research industry (worldwide) with blood products for research and diagnostic purposes. He specializes in Tropical and Infectious disease state blood.
Ted Hoskinson
Ted Hoskinson
After spending most of his adult life in the Washington DC area, Ted Hoskinson started coming down to visit a friend in Delray Beach in 1997, and he and his wife Anne ultimately bought a little condo for long weekend visits in 1999. We started visiting more often once we had purchased our first place, and realized quickly that the Florida sunshine was a fantastic alternative to Washington cold and snow. We bought our house in 2003, and since then Florida has really been home.

I attended St Albans School For Boys, a school in Washington which is connected with the Washington Cathedral, graduating in 1965. After graduating from Tulane University, I started my teaching career in New Orleans, but only taught there for one year before returning to DC to teach at St Albans. I taught 4th grade there for most of my teaching career, which spanned over 15 years. After teaching, I continued to work at the School, establishing both their Facilities Rental and Summer Programs.While teaching  I had started a college marketing business, and ultimately the retail and wholesale business into which the original marketing business had morphed required my full time attention.
My wife Anne had attended Holton Arms School in DC, followed by Smith College for her undergraduate degree and Georgetown University for her JD. She worked at several law firms in the Washington DC area before becoming General Counsel to a couple of different companies.
I continued to run the business until I sold it in early 2003. I began to spend more time in Florida and focused on enjoying playing tennis much more than a working person in DC could every think of doing. I became interested in local real estate and purchased several properties. In addition, my wife and I began to travel rather extensively abroad. My brother-in-law was appointed by President Obama to serve as our Ambassador to France during his first Administration, and we were lucky enough to travel there often. We also took several trips a year exploring other countries.
Although we never had any children, I always had an interest in elementary education. The smile you see on a young child as they explore and learn things for the first time is fabulous. We agreed that when our lives were over we would gift our money to helping those who had been less fortunate than us, focusing on elementary education. We set up the funding mechanism, but had not put the Charity into motion. Being lucky in one’s life is a humbling experience, and although we both worked hard for our success, giving back is much more rewarding.
In April of this year my wife passed away. As emotional and difficult as this event has been, it has truly helped to give me focus on what is really important in this life. I was able to help both Chuck Halberg and Steven Greene with the Snickers Above and Beyond Program at Pine Grove Elementary this year. Roots and Wings, the Charity that Anne and I were establishing, has now been formally established, and we will be expanding The Snickers Program to all of the seven public elementary schools this fall. With these other two gentlemen leading the way, we have established Impact 100 for Men, the first men’s Impact 100 group in this country. Impact 100 Men focuses on children in need. It allows men the power of giving as one, and makes it possible for a visionary idea to become a reality in a way that impacts the community.
DBI gives me another vehicle where I can lend support to help the community I have grown to love and call my own. I look forward to helpingDBI in any way possible. 
Dan Paulus
Dan Paulus
Dan purchased property for a vacation home in 2004 in Delray Beach after several years of visiting the area during offshore fishing expeditions with friends. He fell in love with the area and moved to Delray full time with his wife Susan in 2007.

Dan has been engaged in community service for ten years and as a board member of an organization that DBI assisted in some highly successful fund raising events, he saw a way to reach out and extend his assistance to the community by joining DBI

Dan and Susan are retired and have three children and 3 grandchildren. They traveled over seas extensively for work during their careers and continue to do so for pleasure as retirees. However, their favorite trips are to see their children and grand children right here in theUSA!

Dan is a retired senior executive and consultant to the retail industry for over 35 years. While he was born and raised in Ohio, his residences for the majority of his business career were in the North East. He has worked with such companies as Federated Department Stores (currently Macy’s), General Mills, Levi Strauss, Limited Brands (Victoria Secret and Express) and other less known brands.

David Freeburn
David FreeburnCo-Owner, Exhilaride Golf Cart Rentals
A long-time resident of Philadelphia, David and his wife Cindi made Delray Beach their permanent residence in 2014, leaving the corporate rat race to found Exhilaride Golf Cart Rentals, an eco-friendly small business in Delray Beach.

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A native of Worcester, Massachusetts, where he earned the rank of Eagle Scout, David spent most of his career in Suburban Philadelphia, working in the Aerospace and Pharmaceutical fields.  In addition to helping raise three children with his wife Cindi, David was also involved as a volunteer in Scouting, singing in the church choir, and playing tennis.  In 2011, the Freeburns purchased a vacation home in Delray Beach and decided to make Delray Beach their permanent residence in 2014, leaving the corporate rat-race to found Exhilaride Golf Cart Rentals, an eco-friendly small business in Delray Beach.

David holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Cornell University and a MBA degree from Temple University.  In addition to being co-owner of Exhilaride, David is active in Impact 100 Men, Kiwanis, and the Delray Elks.  He also volunteers with Scouting in Palm Beach County and spends time playing on and managing tennis teams in the area.  He was motivated to join the Delray Beach Initiative by a desire to contribute to an organization that works to support the needs of children in Delray.

Rich Pollack
Rich PollackPresident, Pollack Communications
Rich Pollack has been a Delray Beach resident since 1975 and has worked as a journalist covering the community for most of the years since. He is a strong believe in community service first being introduced to non-profit organization leadership while serving on the board of the then Delray Beach-based Child Care Resource and Referral in the mid-1990s.

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Rich Pollack has been a Delray Beach resident since 1975 and has worked as a journalist covering the community for most of the years since. He is a strong believe in community service first being introduced to non-profit organization leadership while serving on the board of the then Delray Beach-based Child Care Resource and Referral in the mid 1990.

Education is focus of Rich’s community service. He was on the founding committee of Delray Reads Day and has served several terms as the committee chair. He has been active in the City’s Campaign for Grade Level Reading and has been mentoring a young woman, now a junior in the nursing program and Florida International University.

Other community involvement include:

  • Co-Chair Delray Chamber of Commerce West Leads Group
  • Co- Treasurer, Gold Coast Public Relations Council
  • Member and former Chair Delray Beach Chamber Ambassadors
  • Kitchen Volunteer for Meals on Wheels of the Palm Beaches
  • Celebrity Chef for Real Men Bake, sponsored by the Woman’s Club of Delray Beach

Rich is a graduate of Leadership Delray Beach and a 2000 graduate of Leadership Palm Beach County.

A communications veteran with more than 30 years of journalism and public relations experience, Rich is now president of Pollack Communications, a small writing, editing and content providing firm based in Delray Beach.

For much of his career, Rich worked as a journalist for the Sun-Sentinel where he learned to put a strong focus on the needs of readers when writing, editing or planning a publication’s content. As a reporter, Rich covered a variety of beats and assignments including the Pulitzer divorce trial and the grounding of the Mercedes II in Molly Wilmot’s back yard. As an editor, he supervised a team of reporters responsible for local community coverage.

During his last seven years at the Sun-Sentinel, Rich worked in corporate communications where he edited the company’s weekly employee newsletter, doing everything from writing and photography to planning and designing the 6-page publication. Rich also was the Sun-Sentinel’s spokesman and handled a wide variety of corporate communications functions including press releases and media relations.

Since he and his wife, Carol Csomay, started their business, Rich has handled writing assignments for several South Florida companies and has written for a wide array of publications including magazines and newspapers. He currently writes about a variety of topics for the Coastal Star newspaper based in Ocean Ridge and for Delray Beach Magazine. He has also worked on newsletters for several organizations, including corporations, small businesses and non-profit organizations.

Mitch Katz
Mitch KatzManager of Field Operations, The Learning House
Mitch Katz is a former Delray Beach City Commissioner, Past Chair of the Delray Education Board, National League of Cities Human Development Committee member, and former member of the Treasure Coast Regional Planning Council

Rich Pollack has been a Delray Beach resident since 1975 and has worked as a journalist covering the community for most of the years since. He is a strong believe in community service first being introduced to non-profit organization leadership while serving on the board of the then Delray Beach-based Child Care Resource and Referral in the mid 1990.

Education is focus of Rich’s community service. He was on the founding committee of Delray Reads Day and has served several terms as the committee chair. He has been active in the City’s Campaign for Grade Level Reading and has been mentoring a young woman, now a junior in the nursing program and Florida International University.

Other community involvement include:

  • Co-Chair Delray Chamber of Commerce West Leads Group
  • Co- Treasurer, Gold Coast Public Relations Council
  • Member and former Chair Delray Beach Chamber Ambassadors
  • Kitchen Volunteer for Meals on Wheels of the Palm Beaches
  • Celebrity Chef for Real Men Bake, sponsored by the Woman’s Club of Delray Beach

Rich is a graduate of Leadership Delray Beach and a 2000 graduate of Leadership Palm Beach County.

A communications veteran with more than 30 years of journalism and public relations experience, Rich is now president of Pollack Communications, a small writing, editing and content providing firm based in Delray Beach.

For much of his career, Rich worked as a journalist for the Sun-Sentinel where he learned to put a strong focus on the needs of readers when writing, editing or planning a publication’s content. As a reporter, Rich covered a variety of beats and assignments including the Pulitzer divorce trial and the grounding of the Mercedes II in Molly Wilmot’s back yard. As an editor, he supervised a team of reporters responsible for local community coverage.

During his last seven years at the Sun-Sentinel, Rich worked in corporate communications where he edited the company’s weekly employee newsletter, doing everything from writing and photography to planning and designing the 6-page publication. Rich also was the Sun-Sentinel’s spokesman and handled a wide variety of corporate communications functions including press releases and media relations.

Since he and his wife, Carol Csomay, started their business, Rich has handled writing assignments for several South Florida companies and has written for a wide array of publications including magazines and newspapers. He currently writes about a variety of topics for the Coastal Star newspaper based in Ocean Ridge and for Delray Beach Magazine. He has also worked on newsletters for several organizations, including corporations, small businesses and non-profit organizations.