2023-2034 Board of Directors

Please click on any board member to expand their bio.

Alex Miller, President

Alex joined the Gargiulo Education Center’s Board of Directors in 2016 and was elected president in 2018. He is the retired Chief Executive Officer of a national sales and marketing services corporation, currently living in Naples. Due to his executive positions, he has previously resided in the Detroit, Michigan, Chicago, Illinois, Stamford, and Connecticut areas. He graduated from Western Michigan University.  He is married and has two adult sons and eight grandchildren.

“The Gargiulo Education Center is a wonderful after-school program offering migrant children from the north Naples area the supportive educational opportunities needed to supplement the public schools.” Alex notes that he joined the board“to help strengthen, develop, and expand the educational enhancements for these great children. The children of all ages, from kindergarten to high school, are so anxious to learn and succeed.”

Mary Asta, Board Member & Executive Director

Mary has served on the board of the Gargiulo Education Center since 2017 and was named its Executive Director in January 2018.  She has an extensive history in philanthropy.  As Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of the Fisher Center for Alzheimer’s Research Foundation at Rockefeller University in New York City, she developed the foundation’s structure from the ground up, raising millions of research dollars as well as pro bono media dollars.  She has sat on the board of and/or advised several foundations, including The Intrepid Museum, Fisher House Foundation, Michael Stern Parkinson’s Foundation, Fallen Heroes Funds, and Hanover Charities.  Mary currently serves on the board of the Montessori Academy of Naples.  As a successful entrepreneur, she owns a patent-holding company, Master Poe Innovations, and has an extensive history in the entertainment and fashion worlds.  In her spare time, she works with Alzheimer’s patients.

William Kelley, Board Member

William Kelley is the Ford Foundation’s director of talent acquisition, leading the recruitment function for the foundation worldwide. He is responsible for developing and implementing effective sourcing, assessment, and selection strategies to attract and retain the most qualified talent to carry out the mission of the foundation.

Prior to joining the foundation in 2011, William was director of talent acquisition at Scholastic Inc., where he developed and delivered recruitment solutions to drive key business initiatives and advance the company’s growth. In that role, William created and implemented a diversity recruiting strategy, redesigned the onboarding process, oversaw process improvement and implementation of best practices, and defined metrics to evaluate the effectiveness and success of the group’s recruiting efforts. In a previous role at the New York Times Media Group, he developed its college relations program and a recruitment branding strategy to position the NYT as an employer of choice. William began his career in the healthcare industry at NYU Langone Medical Center and has also led the talent acquisition function at Montefiore Medical Center.

Meg Milano, Board Member

I went to Western Michigan University on an academic scholarship and earned a BBA. Majored in Advertising and Minored in Communication. Worked for Xerox Corp in Marketing after college. After raising two sons, I held a four-year term as an elected official of Bedford Township, Michigan as a Trustee.
Following this, I ran my own business as a Physical Fitness Specialist and taught Pilates and Yoga. This led to the opening in 2009 of a Wellness Spa called It’s My Turn, having women attend and gifting them with a day of wellness that were in cancer treatment. I retired in 2014 and enjoy life in Naples Florida, Michigan, and being with my family. I believe in the work being done at Garguilo Education Center and look forward to serving on the board.

Robert Opatrny, Board Member

Bob holds both a BA in Literature and a BA in Music from Yale University. He holds a JD from New York University School of Law.
After working at two Wall Street law firms, he set up his own practice, specializing in intellectual property, licensing, and contracts in the entertainment industry. He became involved in the founding and serving as legal counsel to three startup companies, each of which was successfully sold. He serves on the Board of the Jazz Foundation of America headquartered in New York City, which provides assistance to senior Jazz and Blues musicians with life emergencies, and the Gulf Coast Symphony in Ft Meyers. He plays several instruments. He and his wife live in the Mediterra community just up the road from GEC during the winter, and in New York during the summer. After volunteering at the Center for a season, he found himself highly engaged and invested in the growth and success of the students and families. He soon became a dedicated board member implementing his expertise to become a pivotal and integral support in the center’s legal, compliance, and contractual negotiations.

Olegario Ramirez, Board Member

Olegario Ramirez migrated to the  United States from Mexico in 1984 at the age of 16. He worked as a carpenter laborer and spent half of his salary to pay for night time English classes, where he received his  GED.  He enrolled into a community college in Maryland only to leave after 6 months deciding school was not for him. He then developed his own business specializing in wood framing for multifamily apartments.  He started with himself and 2 employees. Over time the company has grown to upwards of 30 million in revenue per year and a staff of over 100.  He is still involved in the day to day operations working with national REITS such as Avalon Bay, Camden Developers and Lennar LMC.   Parallel to his career he was married and has 2 amazing boys, Carlos, a college graduate with a Major in Physics from Mary Washington University and Antonio with a Masters Degree in Economics from Georgetown University. Ole also volunteers his time and donates to various other charitable organizations including Habitat for Humanity, The Cancer Society and Children NIH.

Heather Tice, Board Member

Ms. Tice, Vice President of Marketing, First Florida Integrity Bank, has over 12 years of experience in the banking industry. She began with First Florida Integrity Bank as an Assistant Vice President – Director of Marketing in June 2008. Prior to joining First Florida Integrity Bank, Tice spent 6 years working in the Marketing field in Los Angeles, CA. Tice is also on the Board of the Ricky King Children’s Fund and is the President of the FNBGC Charitable Foundation.