Improving the health and wellness of
our community.
The Emerald Coast Community Wellness Foundation is guided by a dedicated Board of Directors who bring diverse expertise, community insight, and a shared commitment to improving health and wellness across our region. Their leadership ensures that every investment supports impactful programs, fosters collaboration, and strengthens the well-being of individuals and families in Okaloosa, Santa Rosa, and Walton counties.
Meet our Board of Directors
Mark Dutram - Chair & Treasurer
President, Bayview Private Wealth
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Mark Dutram, CPWA®, CFP®, has over twenty years of experience in helping to meet the financial, retirement and investment planning needs of families, business owners, and professionals. Mark serves as Vice President at LPL Financial and is an active member in the local community. He is involved with the Fort Walton Beach Chamber, board member of the Emerald Coast Estate Planning Council, Past President for Fresh Start Children and Families, Inc. Mark teaches classes at Northwest Florida State College on various life and financial planning concepts such as investments, asset management, risk management and estate planning. Mark has two boys and has been married to wife Sondra for over 30 years.
Alan Gieseman - Vice Chair
Retired
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Mr. Gieseman is the retired Chief Executive Officer of White-Wilson Medical Center and is well recognized within the healthcare industry. He remains active in the community and has held leadership roles including Chairman of the Greater Fort Walton Beach Chamber of Commerce and Vice President of the Mental Health Association of Okaloosa and Walton Counties.
He currently serves as a Director of the University of West Florida Foundation, Vice President of the Fort Walton Beach Chamber of Commerce Foundation, and Board Member Emeritus for United Way Emerald Coast.
Teresa Halverson - Past Chair
Director of Business Development & Community Relations, The Manor at Bluewater Bay
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Teresa Halverson is the Director of Business Development and Community Relations where she has been employed for the past 18 years. She is a graduate of UNLV-Las Vegas with a degree in Social Work. Teresa is actively involved in the community and has served as an Honorary Commander for EAFB, Hurlburt Field, and 7th Special Forces. Teresa is the current Chair of the White Wilson Community Foundation where she has been a board member for the past 4 Years. She is a past Chair of the Board for the Niceville-Valparaiso Chamber of Commerce, Current Chairman of the Military Affairs Committee, Current Board Member for the Greater Fort Walton Beach Chamber of Commerce, and a member of Destin Chamber of Commerce. Teresa was recently nominated and elected to the Board of Directors for the NWFSC Foundation. Other civic involvement includes Chair of the Mattie Kelly Arts Foundation (term ending June 2022), and past President of the Fisher House of the Emerald Coast. With over 30 years in leadership in the healthcare field, Teresa spends her spare time creating custom jewelry.
Her spouse is a retired Air Force F-15 WSO and their son, Garret, is an F-8 pilot in the Marines. She and her husband Bob, remain actively involved in the community and supporting the military and other community programs.
Michele Shelton - Secretary
HRO Executive Leader Coach, Cognosante, LLC
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Michele is a retired U.S. Air Force Colonel with experience as a leader in executive medicine and in guiding military organizations toward high reliability. She now supports the Veterans Health Administration’s High Reliability Support Team as a High Reliability Organization Executive Leader Coach in Change Management. Michele is a transformational leader with over 10 years of C-suite leadership and healthcare administration experience.​ As the Special Assistant to the Air Force Surgeon General for High Reliability, she specialized in high reliability and change management policy. Michele led the Air Force Medical Service’s enterprise-wide high reliability efforts and implemented healthcare improvement policies impacting 44,000 healthcare personnel in 76 medical treatment facilities serving 2.6 million beneficiaries.
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As the AFMS liaison to the Defense Health Agency, she led the DHA in expanding its high reliability initiatives and helped establish the Military Health System’s first-ever HRO governance structure. She has consistently provided leadership development and executive coaching to individuals and multidisciplinary teams. Michele’s extensive military healthcare experience includes roles as Chief Operations Officer, Chief Nurse Executive, Aeromedical Evacuation Officer, Master Instructor, and leadership in both inpatient and outpatient clinical operations.​ Michele is a board-certified ambulatory care nurse with training in Patient Safety Executive Development from the Institute for Healthcare Improvement as well as Executive Leader Patient-Centered Medical Home.
Neko Stubblefield - Director
VP, Membership & Community Development, Eglin Federal Credit Union
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Ms. Stubblefield is a graduate of Faulkner University’s Harris College of Business and holds a Bachelor of Business Administration Degree with an emphasis in Corporate Finance. Neko moved to the Emerald Coast 24 years ago and has called it home ever since. Ms. Stubblefield is active in the local community and serves on the Board of Directors and Executive Board of the Crestview Area Chamber of Commerce as Vice Chair of the Membership Committee. Her extensive career within the financial services industry, serving in various management and leadership roles, has afforded her the opportunity to partner with area non-profit organizations and schools conducting financial literacy seminars to help prepare and position young adults to achieve financial success. Neko has been honored with various career achievement awards and is actively involved in serving her community through volunteer efforts with the Crestview Mentor Program, Habitat for Humanity, American Cancer Society, the American Heart Association, and Okaloosa Saves. Ms. Stubblefield also serves our community through membership in the Fort Walton Beach, Niceville/Valparaiso, Destin, Navarre, and Crestview Chambers of Commerce.
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Neko credits her role as “Mother in Chief” as her most valued role to date and it is her love and devotion to her children, Joshua and Madison, that sustains her.
Ray McGovern - Director
Managing Director / Wealth Management Advisor, Merrill Lynch
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Ray McGovern, CPWA ® is a Managing Director and Wealth Management Advisor with McGovern, O’Dell & Associates at Merrill Lynch. He is also the Senior Resident Director of the Fort Walton Beach office. Ray joined Merrill Lynch in 1981 in New York City and has been at the Fort Walton Beach office since 1983. He was named in Barron’s annual ranking of the Top 1000 Financial Advisors in the U.S. from 2010 through 2013 and in Barron’s Top 1200 Financial Advisors in the U.S. from 2014 through 2019. From 2018 through 2022 Ray has been included in Forbes “Best-In-State Wealth Advisors” list.
 
He has served on the Fort Walton Beach Medical Center Advisory Board, the Emerald Coast Children’s Advocacy Center Board of Directors, the Northwest Florida State College Foundation Board of Directors and is involved with many charitable organizations throughout the community.  Ray and his wife Judy reside in Fort Walton Beach.
Bethe Manning - Director
President, Junior League of the Emerald Coast
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Born and raised near Ann Arbor, Michigan, Bethe spent two decades in the San Francisco Bay Area before moving to Destin, Florida, by way of Mississippi. She currently serves as President of the Junior League of the Emerald Coast (JLEC), whose mission is to advance women’s leadership for meaningful community impact through volunteer action, collaboration, and training. A dedicated member since 2018, Bethe has held numerous leadership roles, including Provisional Training Chair, Child Clothing Closets Chair, Vice President of Community Impact, and most recently, Child Clothing Project Chair and President-Elect. Her service reflects a deep commitment to JLEC’s mission and a passion for creating lasting, positive change in the community.
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Each fall, JLEC hosts its signature charity event, the Child Clothing Project, which provides hundreds of underserved children in Okaloosa and Walton counties with a day of enrichment, empowerment, and care. Held at the HSU Educational Foundation in Fort Walton Beach, the event offers students opportunities to engage with community partners such as the Emerald Coast Science Center and Fort Walton Beach Police Department, as well as hands-on STEM activities like drone demonstrations and Ozobots. The children then “shop” in the League’s Lucky Threads Pop-Up for a complete new wardrobe—including a jacket, shoes, underwear, socks, pants, and shirts—free of charge before returning to school.
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Bethe brings more than 20 years of professional experience as an Executive Assistant to senior leaders in the aerospace, engineering, and venture capital sectors. An entrepreneur at heart, she founded the environmentally conscious surf wear brand Toxic Surf in her early twenties, growing it into a 30-member sales team with distribution in 16 countries. She later co-owned and operated a furniture store with her sister before retiring from professional work to focus on community involvement and family.
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Bethe and her husband, Randy, a cardiac anesthesiologist, have lived in Destin for ten years and proudly consider themselves locals. She embraces her role as a devoted “dog mom” to three beloved pups—Piper, Luna, and Sophie—and values the opportunity to collaborate with the inspiring women of the League, making a lasting community impact and building meaningful connections through their shared dedication to service.
Jim Wells - Director
Owner, PAPA’s Smokehouse
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Jim is a seasoned healthcare executive, entrepreneur, and proud owner of PAPA’s Smokehouse in Niceville. With over three decades in the healthcare industry, Jim began his career as a registered nurse, serving in both for-profit and not-for-profit healthcare systems. Driven by a belief that healthcare is a calling, Jim continues to dedicate his time and expertise to supporting numerous local nonprofit organizations. He also shares our vision that meaningful service can positively impact lives and strengthen communities. Jim enjoys spending time with his family and cheering on his beautiful granddaughters. Jim is going to be another great addition to the foundation's board.
Thanks to all of our board members for what you do, and continue to do, to make a difference in the lives of others.
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Have an awesome weekend my friends. Remember that our next board meeting is scheduled for September 30th at 12pm.
Sean Devlin - Director
Founder, Sean Devlin Home + Design
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Sean Devlin is the founder of Sean Devlin Home + Design, a luxury interior design firm based in Florida. Originally from Memphis and now a longtime resident of the Emerald Coast, Sean studied International Business before earning his MBA from Lynn University in Boca Raton. His design values are rooted in creating customized, soulful spaces that tell the unique story of those who inhabit them.
An engaged community leader, Sean currently serves as Programming Chair for the Walton County Chamber of Commerce Young Professionals Council. He was recently awarded Young Professional of the Year, recognized as a United Way Emerald Coast 40 Under 40 honoree, and is a proud graduate of United Way’s Project Lead. His passion for connection and community involvement aligns closely with the mission of the Emerald Coast Community Wellness Foundation.
Mariah Reynolds - Director
Coordinated Entry Specialist, Continuum of Care in Okaloosa & Walton Counties (Homelessness & Housing Alliance)
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Mariah Reynolds is a native to Fort Walton Beach & has a background in marketing & education. She works as a coordinator at the lead agency for the Continuum of Care in Okaloosa & Walton counties, the Homelessness & Housing Alliance. Mariah & her husband have one daughter & three dogs. In her free time, Mariah enjoys volunteering & staying active with local causes, hiking, reading, & cooking.
Marta (Ewa) Ruyan - Director
Bio coming Soon.
Delford Greggs - Director
CEO, Orthopaedic Associates
​Bio coming soon.