Biographies
Joy McGinty
Founder, The Gift of Swimming
In 1992, Joy began teaching children to swim and in the past 29 years, has taught thousands of children to swim. Realizing there was a need to teach all children to swim; in 2003 Joy founded The Gift of Swimming, dedicated to providing scholarships for underprivileged and special needs children.
Joy was honored with the Humanitarian Award for 2007 by the Orange County Board of County Commissioners, Community Action Board & Head Start Policy Council. Her accomplishments were achieved through an exceptional partnership with The Gift of Swimming, SouthWest Aquatics & the Orange County Head Start program. This partnership gave disadvantaged children the opportunity to learn water safety skills through swimming.
In May 2008, Joy was selected by the Chairman of the Board of the International Swimming Hall of Fame, Mark Spitz, to be recipient of the G. Harold Martin Award. This award demonstrates long & exceptional leadership, insight & dedication to the water safety of children & the cause of making “Every Child a Swimmer.” “For that special person who sets a standard for mankind with their commitment to aquatics, who has lived their life with a passion to bring forth in the world a dream of vision, a way of being for mankind that is independent of any personal goals.”
On November 17, 2008, Joy was celebrated by Bank of America as a “Local Hero” in our community for her commitment and leadership to contribute significantly to neighborhood vitality.
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Maureen Minervini
Executive Director, The Gift of Swimming
Maureen received her Masters in Business Administration from Rollins' Crummer School of Business. She attended the University of Florida and attained an undergraduate degree in Marketing. She competed as a National springboard and platform diver for 12 years, her last three years she competed on the University of Florida's Swim and Dive team. She has been active in the Central Florida community. She enjoys her free time in the water, whether it is on the Butler chain of Lakes, at the ocean, or in the pool.
Dr. Eric Schlekeway
Chairperson, The Gift of Swimming
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Kristie Moses
President, The Gift of Swimming
Kristie is the Director of Recreation for Disney's Wilderness Lodge. and is also a board member for the World Waterpark Association. She is originally from Chicago and has had an aquatic safety background throughout her career beginning with her first job as an Aquatics Safety Consultant and Risk Manager for Jeff Ellis and Associates where she supported over 150 pools and water parks in the Midwest. Kristie also opened and operated Six Flag’s Hurricane Harbor Waterpark in Gurnee, IL in 2005 and led the executive team for the CoCo Key Hotel & Water Resort for many years. She has a passion for lifeguard training and swim lessons and joined the board of the Gift of Swimming to use her professional experience to help the community. Kristie lives in Orlando with her fiancé David and their dogs Cherish and Goose.
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Kelly Fitzpatrick
Vice President, The Gift of Swimming
Kelly Fitzpatrick has been with CNL Financial Group since 2014 where she serves as Senior Vice President of Portfolio Management. She is responsible for the ongoing net asset valuation of the company’s real estate investment trusts (REITs) that principally invest in healthcare, multifamily and leisure properties. Kelly also focuses on fund-level monetization strategies with the primary objective of maximizing shareholder value and has been an integral part of real estate dispositions across various asset classes. Prior to joining CNL, Kelly worked at GE Capital as a Senior Asset Manager and she began her commercial real estate career as an Asset Manager with EastGroup Properties, a publicly traded industrial REIT.
Kelly graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science from the University of Florida and received her Master of Science in Real Estate from the Hough Graduate School of Business at the University of Florida. She is married with three young children and resides in Windermere with her family.
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Dr. Mike DiMauro
Secretary, The Gift of Swimming
Dr. DiMauro attended Ohio State University and received his Undergrad degree in B.S. Psych in 1984. He received his Doctor of Dental Surgery in 1988. He completed his Pediatric Residency 1988-1990 at the University Hospitals of Cleveland. Known as “Dr. Mike” in Orlando, he has been a Pediatric dentist. He resides in Sand Lake Point with his wife and their 5 children…all alumni of Joy’s PediaSwim program.
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Tera Kapp
Treasurer, The Gift of Swimming
Tera's background includes working in the hospitality industry for Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando. She has held various roles in finance and operations. She is a native Floridian growing up in Windermere and graduating from Florida State University with a BS in Finance. Tera enjoys volunteering in her spare time with organizations such as The Gift of Swimming, Give Kids the World, Special Olympics, and Junior Achievement.
Lisa Green
Board Member, The Gift of Swimming
Lisa received her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology from the University of Central Florida (Orlando, Florida) with extensive studies in Sociology. She became active in her community as a young child in Vero Beach, Florida soon after re-locating with her family from Bitburg, Germany. She strongly believes in dedicating her skills and passion for others' well-being via advocacy with the knowledge of making an impact as much as possible to the underserved and forgotten segment of our society. She wishes to provide a strong and effective voice for children and adults who cannot speak for themselves. She has and continues to advocate for individuals who are socio-economically disadvantaged, disabled, victims of domestic violence, juveniles, and homeless individuals via empowerment. Her background includes:Licensed Free-Lance Photographer, Licensed Foster Parent/Advocate via the State of Florida-Department of Children & Families for nine (9) years, Homeless Case Management and Domestic Violence Victim Advocate (Women's Residential & Counseling Center), Vocational Planning Counselor (Goodwill Industries of Central Florida).
Julie Boniec
Board Member, The Gift of Swimming
Julie has always been a supporter of water safety in the Central Florida Community! She grew up swimming on the Bay Hill Swim Team in elementary school, and swam with fellow board member, Dr. Jennifer Thielhelm, in junior high school. She is the granddaughter of G. Harold Martin who founded the “Every Child a Swimmer” program and the daughter of Jim and Mary Hayes who founded the idea of “Every Child a Swimmer” program in the Orlando Area. Julie graduated from UCF with a degree in Computer Science and worked for Darden's IT department for 22 years. She has attended and fundraised for The Gift of Swimming before becoming a proud member of the board.
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Nyea Sturman
Board Member, The Gift of Swimming
Nyea Sturman has been with the Orlando Magic since 2005 and was named general counsel in April of 2014. Prior to this role, she spent almost two years as the assistant director of legal services and seven years in the Magic’s corporate partnerships department, most recently as the partnership business manager, focusing on operational efficiency, strategic planning, financial analysis, budgeting, market research, contract negotiation, sweepstakes compliance and inventory management. In her current role as general counsel, Sturman is responsible for providing legal counsel to the organization. She is admitted to practice in Florida, New York and Wisconsin, and is a member of the Sports Lawyers Association (SLA), the Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC) and serves on the Advisory Board for the National Sports Law Institute, the Board of Directors for The Gift of Swimming and the Sports Business and Leadership Association.
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Dr. Gregory Gordon
Board Member, The Gift of Swimming
Dr. Gordon is a member of Pediatric Associates of Orlando. He has been a physician in Orlando for seven years. He graduated from the University of Florida and completed his residency in Birmingham, Alabama. He resides in Windermere with his wife and nine children. http://gregorygordonmd.com/OrlandoPediatrician.html
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Dr. Jennifer Thielhelm
Board Member, The Gift of Swimming
Jennifer Thielhelm, MD, is a board-certified pediatrician with Orlando Health Physician Associates. Dr. Thielhelm specializes in providing comprehensive care — from the assessment of childhood development to the treatment of common and complex illnesses — for newborns, children and adolescents through college.
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Dr. Thielhelm earned her medical degree from the University of Florida College of Medicine in Gainesville. She completed her pediatric residency at Orlando Health Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children and child residency.
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In addition to her practice work with Orlando Health Physician Associates, Dr. Thielhelm is also a clinical assistant professor in the Department of Clinical Sciences at Florida State University College of Medicine.
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Dr. Thielhelm is a fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics and a member of the American Medical Association and on the board of the Central Florida Pediatric Society.
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