Our Board of Directors
Our Board of Directors
Michael Cowan
Chair of the Board
Michael Cowan is the founder of Gardens Wealth Management, a private wealth management business serving mainly families with assets under management of almost $1 billion. His primary role in practice is serving as Portfolio Manager of their Rising Dividend Investment Strategy. Michael has been a Financial Advisor in Palm Beach Gardens for over 22 years serving retirees or those soon to retire.
Michael Cowan
Chair of the Board
Michael Cowan is the founder of Gardens Wealth Management, a private wealth management business serving mainly families with assets under management of almost $1 billion. His primary role in practice is serving as Portfolio Manager of their Rising Dividend Investment Strategy. Michael has been a Financial Advisor in Palm Beach Gardens for over 22 years serving retirees or those soon to retire.
Michael Cowan
Chair of the Board
Michael Cowan is the founder of Gardens Wealth Management, a private wealth management business serving mainly families with assets under management of almost $1 billion. His primary role in practice is serving as Portfolio Manager of their Rising Dividend Investment Strategy. Michael has been a Financial Advisor in Palm Beach Gardens for over 22 years serving retirees or those soon to retire.
Dorothy Trefts
Board Vice Chair
Dede’s last role was Vice President in Corporate Development at Aon, a global insurance broking firm, leading their corporate Merger & Acquisition Operations and Integration unit. Her career included executive responsibilities in M&A Integration, Strategy, Operations, and Sales as well as consulting for IBM’s Global Services organization. Early on, Dede held positions at JPMC and McKinsey & Company, and she launched two tech start-ups.
Dede graduated from Wellesley College in Economics and English and holds an MBA from the Harvard Business School. She is married with three sons and is active in community and philanthropic activities, including two terms on the Chautauqua Institution Board of Trustees, where she served as Vice Chair and member of the Executive, Nominating and Governance, Finance and Budgeting, HR and Marketing committees. She also served as Chair of Arts for Healing in New Canaan, CT and on the Board of Trustees of Laurel School in Cleveland, Ohio.
Katie Colon
Treasurer
Katie Colon specializes in Qualified Retirement Plans. She has over 9 years of experience in the insurance and financial services industry. She is committed to educating clients to operate their retirement plans more efficiently while achieving the best outcomes. Drawing from her own experiences, she’s passionate about improving financial literacy and empowering others so they can retire comfortably. She is very involved in the local community of South Florida, where she’s a Board Member for PBC SHRM, Gulfstream Goodwill Industries, Pace Center for Girls, and United Way of Palm Beach’s MISSION UNITED. She received a bachelor’s degree from Towson University, where she was also a member of their Division 1 Tennis Team. In her free time, she enjoys spending quality time with her family and playing tennis.
Tim Reever
Secretary
Tim has over forty years of experience in the Radio Broadcasting and Advertising Industry. He is originally from New England, where he managed radio stations in both Providence and Boston, MA.
Tim was a top competitor in track and cross country for the University of New Hampshire and he has a BA in English/Journalism from UNH. Tim moved to Palm Beach County in 1996. He has managed several radio stations in Fort Lauderdale and Palm Beach. He’s currently the General manager of Legends Radio 100.3 FM in Palm Beach County.
Tim serves as a board member and officer for The Executives Association of the Palm Beaches. He is also a member of the 2025 class for Leadership Palm Beach.
Tim and his wife Heidi have three grown sons and live in Juno Beach, Florida.
Tim Reever
Secretary
Tim has over forty years of experience in the Radio Broadcasting and Advertising Industry. He is originally from New England, where he managed radio stations in both Providence and Boston, MA.
Tim was a top competitor in track and cross country for the University of New Hampshire and he has a BA in English/Journalism from UNH. Tim moved to Palm Beach County in 1996. He has managed several radio stations in Fort Lauderdale and Palm Beach. He’s currently the General manager of Legends Radio 100.3 FM in Palm Beach County.
Tim serves as a board member and officer for The Executives Association of the Palm Beaches. He is also a member of the 2025 class for Leadership Palm Beach.
Tim and his wife Heidi have three grown sons and live in Juno Beach, Florida.
John Banister
John has been practicing law since 1980, specializing in civil, commercial, and probate litigation and commercial real estate transactions. He has been Florida Bar certified in Real Estate since 1991. John has been a member of the Executive Council for the Florida Bar Property Probate & Trust Law section, holding leadership positions over the years. He is a Florida-licensed realtor as well as the past Chairperson of the Gulfstream Goodwill Board of Directors from 2002-2003 and from 2009-2010.
Joan McCabe
Joan has more than 40 years of experience in Finance, both on Wall Street as an Investment Banker and as a Managing Partner in private equity at Brynwood Partners. Joan owned a vitamin business, which she recently sold. She currently sits on several for-profit and not-for-profit boards, including the Goodwill oversite board, and Goodwill International Inc. She has a BA from Yale University and an MBA from Harvard Business School. She has extensive expertise in finance, audit, and board governance. Joan is married with three adult children and lives in Palm Beach Gardens, FL.
John Banister
John has been practicing law since 1980, specializing in civil, commercial, and probate litigation and commercial real estate transactions. He has been Florida Bar certified in Real Estate since 1991. John has been a member of the Executive Council for the Florida Bar Property Probate & Trust Law section, holding leadership positions over the years. He is a Florida-licensed realtor as well as the past Chairperson of the Gulfstream Goodwill Board of Directors from 2002-2003 and from 2009-2010.
Daniel Barsky
Daniel is an intellectual property attorney in Holland & Knight’s Miami office. Daniel regularly represents clients in intellectual property (IP) licensing and transactional matters, including mergers and acquisitions (M&A), joint ventures, and multinational licensing agreements, as well as information technology, data privacy, cyber fraud, and data breach matters. In addition to his transactional and counseling work, Daniel maintains an active, nationwide IP litigation practice and has represented clients in patent infringement, trademark infringement, copyright infringement, and trade secret theft matters. Daniel is a registered patent attorney with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and regularly prosecutes patents, trademarks, and copyrights for clients. In addition to his work as a lawyer, Daniel is an adjunct professor at the University of Miami School of Law, where he teaches patent litigation and is the university’s faculty supervisor for the USPTO’s Law School Clinic Program.
Orlando Chiang
Orlando was born in Chile to Chinese parents and moved to the U.S. in 1991. He is a physical therapist, a member of the American Physical Therapy Association, and owns OC Physical Therapy in Palm Beach Gardens, FL. He is on the Board of Directors for the Armory Art Center and NMSA, a local artist organization. He is the Director of Palm Beach Shambhala, a Buddhist Meditation Group. He is also an accomplished sculptor.
Peter Krones
Carl Nicola
Carl started his career on Wall Street in municipal finance. He has over 40 years of management positions and experience, focused on investment banking, M&A, and consulting for early-stage companies. He has held management positions in both the public and private sectors in telecommunications, healthcare, technology, and payment processing. Besides Gulfstream Goodwill, Carl is on the executive boards of CARP and Gratitude House which both serve the indigent in the Palm Beach County community.
Cedrick Thomas
Cedrick is a native of Riviera Beach and a successful owner of multiple businesses, who is an active community leader in Palm Beach County. He brings significant experience to the Board of Gulfstream Goodwill, through his time as a former City Councilman and Police Officer for Riviera Beach. Throughout his years of public service, Cedrick has also provided the community with guidance as a member of many planning councils, focused on Transportation, Land Protection and Child Crisis Intervention.
Joan McCabe
Joan has more than 40 years of experience in Finance, both on Wall Street as an Investment Banker and as a Managing Partner in private equity at Brynwood Partners. Joan owned a vitamin business, which she recently sold. She currently sits on several for-profit and not-for-profit boards, including the Goodwill oversite board, and Goodwill International Inc. She has a BA from Yale University and an MBA from Harvard Business School. She has extensive expertise in finance, audit, and board governance. Joan is married with three adult children and lives in Palm Beach Gardens, FL.
Carl Nicola
Carl started his career on Wall Street in municipal finance. He has over 40 years of management positions and experience, focused on investment banking, M&A, and consulting for early-stage companies. He has held management positions in both the public and private sectors in telecommunications, healthcare, technology, and payment processing. Besides Gulfstream Goodwill, Carl is on the executive boards of CARP and Gratitude House which both serve the indigent in the Palm Beach County community.
Martin Zipern
After starting a general law practice, Martin became President of Circle Communications Corporation. He then served as Executive Vice President and General Counsel for a multi-million real estate and construction company. Martin began his own general law practice specializing in commercial law and construction litigation. He served as a consultant to corporate boards and companies throughout his career. During the past 30 years, Martin has served extensively for the American Arbitration Association as a real estate, construction, and commercial arbitrator and mediator. He sits on the Board of Directors for Gulfstream Goodwill, Lighthouse for the Blind, Food Bank, HabCore, and Lunch Break.
Raymond Zucaro
Raymond Zucaro has nearly 30 years of experience in the investment management industry and is the Chief Investment Officer at RVX Asset Management, an Emerging Market-focused boutique investment firm. He is responsible for the firm’s overall macro views and investment strategy. Before joining RVX, he co-founded SW Asset Management LLC in 2009, where he was a Managing Partner and Portfolio Manager. In 2015, SW sold its investment management contracts to Salient Partners. Zucaro received his Master of Business Administration and Bachelor of Arts degrees in Spanish and Psychology from Temple University. He also earned the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Designation. Zucaro is fluent in Spanish and has a working knowledge of Portuguese and Russian. He currently resides in Miramar, Florida.
Cedrick Thomas
Cedrick is a native of Riviera Beach and a successful owner of multiple businesses, who is an active community leader in Palm Beach County. He brings significant experience to the Board of Gulfstream Goodwill, through his time as a former City Councilman and Police Officer for Riviera Beach. Throughout his years of public service, Cedrick has also provided the community with guidance as a member of many planning councils, focused on Transportation, Land Protection and Child Crisis Intervention.
Martin Zipern
After starting a general law practice, Martin became President of Circle Communications Corporation. He then served as Executive Vice President and General Counsel for a multi-million real estate and construction company. Martin began his own general law practice specializing in commercial law and construction litigation. He served as a consultant to corporate boards and companies throughout his career. During the past 30 years, Martin has served extensively for the American Arbitration Association as a real estate, construction, and commercial arbitrator and mediator. He sits on the Board of Directors for Gulfstream Goodwill, Lighthouse for the Blind, Food Bank, HabCore, and Lunch Break.
Raymond Zucaro
Raymond Zucaro has nearly 30 years of experience in the investment management industry and is the Chief Investment Officer at RVX Asset Management, an Emerging Market-focused boutique investment firm. He is responsible for the firm’s overall macro views and investment strategy. Before joining RVX, he co-founded SW Asset Management LLC in 2009, where he was a Managing Partner and Portfolio Manager. In 2015, SW sold its investment management contracts to Salient Partners. Zucaro received his Master of Business Administration and Bachelor of Arts degrees in Spanish and Psychology from Temple University. He also earned the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Designation. Zucaro is fluent in Spanish and has a working knowledge of Portuguese and Russian. He currently resides in Miramar, Florida.
