Moorings Park CEO/President Dan Lavender announced the Moorings Park Institute, Incorporated Board of Directors has added two new members to The Moorings Incorporated Board of Directors and five new members to the Moorings Park Foundation, Incorporated Board of Directors for three-year terms. Moorings Park, a nationally accredited, nonprofit, Medicare certified community and the only A+ S&P and Fitch rated Continuing Care Retirement Community in the country, operates under the aegis of The Moorings Park Institute, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation and the parent board that has overseen the development of Moorings Park since it was founded more than 35 years ago. Moorings Park has been repeatedly acknowledged as Southwest Florida's premier retirement community and is the only Continuing Care Retirement Community located in the City of Naples. Moorings Park's holistic approach to living well and continuum of care are provided at a predictable and affordable cost with no increase in monthly fees if a change in the level of care is required.
The Moorings Incorporated Board of Directors is responsible for overseeing the operations of Moorings Park and all of its entities, including the 83-acre Moorings Park Campus at 120 Moorings Park Drive in Naples and the Moorings Park at Grey Oaks Campus that will be opening four Phase I residential buildings this fall at the intersection of Golden Gate Parkway and Airport-Pulling Road in Naples. The Moorings Park at Grey Oaks Campus will be completed over four phases. With the addition of its two new members, The Moorings Incorporated is now overseen by ten volunteer Board members who serve on a pro bono basis.
The Moorings Park Foundation, Incorporated Board of Directors oversees charitable contributions and allocates donations made to Moorings Park for the benefit of its residents and employees, including capital improvements, new program and service initiatives, and scholarships. The Foundation Board now includes thirteen members who serve on a pro bono basis.
“For over 35 years, our organization’s strategic direction has been set by a strong Board of Directors comprised of volunteer community leaders,” said Lavender. “Our initial Board’s vision to create a community with diverse and distinguished design for thoughtful achievers within the City of Naples is carried on today by our Board members. We are pleased and honored to announce the addition of the outstanding new members to the Moorings Incorporated and the Moorings Park Foundation boards. They bring an exceptional level of talent and experience to Moorings Park and we are deeply thankful for their willingness to serve. They are each deeply devoted to the key values of Moorings Park, particularly the Social Accountability Program that is the foundation of our not-for-profit model. We define Social Accountability by our commitment to our mission, stakeholders, and the greater community. Each of our Board members shares and supports that commitment.”
The two additions to The Moorings Incorporated Board of Directors include Moorings Park resident and community volunteer Lorraine Graham Morss; and Collier Campus President of Florida Southwestern Dr. Robert R. Jones. Additions to The Moorings Park Foundation, Incorporated Board of Directors include former Proctor & Gamble Senior Vice President Wally Abbott; former Ford Motor Company Vice President, Personnel and Labor Relations Jack Hall; former head of The E. W. Scripps Company’s Newspaper Division and former editor of the Naples Daily News Alan Horton; President/CEO of the Community Foundation of Collier County Eileen Connolly-Keesler; and Vice President for University Advancement at Florida Gulf Coast University, and Executive Director of the FGCU Foundation Christopher Simoneau.
Biographical Backgrounds of New Board Members of The Moorings Incorporated
Lorraine (Laurie) Graham Morss
A native of Belmont, Massachusetts, Lorraine (Laurie) Graham Morss’ experience profile includes more than forty years in the travel industry, serving as an advisor to Music at Eden’s Edge, and serving on the boards of the Boston Museum of Science and Beverly Hospital. Laurie and her husband Charlie have been residents of Moorings Park since 2010. She is currently the Chair of Moorings Park’s Residents Council Welcome Committee and serves on the Transitions Committee. Laurie volunteers at both Orchid Terrace and The Chateau on the Moorings Park campus and at The Conservancy of Southwest Florida and Collier Harvest.
Dr. Robert R. Jones
Dr. Robert R. Jones has served as the Collier Campus President of Florida Southwestern since 2011. He joined Florida Southwestern 1991 as Vice President of Administration and Finance and served as the college’s CFO for 15 years. He has also held leadership positions as Dean of Business and Vice President of Development at colleges in Texas and Oklahoma, and worked for theDallas Chamber of Commerce and several other organizations and businesses. Jones has a BA degree in economics and an MBA from the University of Texas and earned a doctorate degree in Higher Education Leadership from Nova Southeastern University. He was selected for and completed the Harvard Education Management Institute for College Presidents. Jones was appointed to the Southwest Florida Workforce Development Board, the Greater Naples Chamber Leadership Foundation, and the Partnership for Collier’s Future Economy. He is a founding member of the Lee County Economic Development/Horizon Council, the Canterbury School Board.
Biographical Backgrounds of New Board Members of The Moorings Park Foundation, Incorporated
Wally Abbott
A native of Dallas, Texas, Wally Abbott graduated from Davidson College and the Harvard Business School. He spent 34 years with Procter & Gamble in marketing and general management, retiring as Senior Vice President with global responsibility for Advertising, Sales, Public Affairs, Government Relations, Purchasing and all institutional businesses. He then served for six years as Senior Advisor to the United Nations Development Programme. His work there included the development of a team of senior global executives to assist in the reform of 25 of the largest Chinese State Owned Enterprises. His career has included volunteer work with United Way, the American Enterprise Institute, Habitat for Humanity, the Boy Scouts of America, the Duke University Cancer Center, the Forum Club of Southwest Florida, the Joint Council on Economic Education, and Just Say No International. He has had extensive involvement with Business Schools, including Deans Advisory Boards at Columbia University Business School, the University of North Carolina, Appalachian State University, and Florida Gulf Coast University. Wally and his wife Jan have been residents of Moorings Park since 2012. He serves on the Residents Council Finance Committee and the Moorings Park Foundation’s fundraising committee.
Jack Hall
Jack Hall completed a BS Degree in Engineering at the Illinois Institute of Technology as well as an MBA at Wayne State University. After serving as an officer in the U.S. Air Force, he was recruited by Ford Motor Company. At Ford, he played a key role in the development of the Company’s Participative Management and Employee Involvement initiatives that have contributed to major improvements in employee relations, operating practices and product quality. He served on three Ford-UAW National Negotiations, the last two as Chairman of the Company’s National Negotiating Committee. While at Ford, he received the Company’s Outstanding Community Service Award. He retired from Ford as Vice President, Personnel and Labor Relations in 1996, with direct responsibility for ord’s personnel and labor relations matters in North America and functional responsibility for them worldwide. After retirement, he served as a consultant to Flint Ink Corporation and Arvin-Meritor. He chaired the first negotiations with the UAW for a private company that purchased Guide Lamp from Delphi (GM). He also served two years on the Human Resources and the Executive Compensation Committees of the NCH Healthcare System. Jack and his wife Marcia have been married for 56 years and have lived in Moorings Park since May, 2013.
Alan Horton
Alan Horton is a native of Milford, Delaware who attended one room schools while living on a farm in rural Pennsylvania and went on to graduate from Yale University. He served as head of The E. W. Scripps Company’s Newspaper Division in Cincinnati from May, 1994 until he retired in December, 2004 and moved to Naples. After retiring, he chaired Scripps’ charitable arm, the Scripps Howard Foundation. Prior to leading the Newspaper Division, he served as Scripps’ vice president, newspaper operations from 1991-1994 and editor of the Naples Daily News from 1987-1991. During his 38-year newspaper career, he was a prize-winning investigative reporter, Washington correspondent, editor and publisher. While editor of the Naples Daily News, Alan was a founding member of the Collier County Education Foundation and later its chairman. He has served on numerous local boards, including those of the YMCA of the Palms, the Forum Club of Southwest Florida, the Naples Depot, and the David Lawrence Center. Since retiring nine years ago, he has chaired or been president of the Community Foundation of Collier County, the Yale Club of Southwest Florida, the Forum Club, and the ConnectNow three-year initiative of the Education Foundation/Champions for Learning. He is a member of the Opportunity Naples Implementation Committee established as part of the private arm of the partnership of county government and Greater Naples Chamber of Commerce to attract new jobs. In 2013 he received the Naples Daily News Outstanding Citizen Award, and, in 2015, Hodges University’s Humanitarian of the Year honor. He and his wife, Beverley, reside in Moorings Park.
Eileen Connolly-Keesler
Eileen Connolly-Keesler earned her Bachelor of Social Work Degree from the University of Wisconsin Green Bay and her Master’s Degree in Public Administration from the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh. In her current role as the President/CEO of the Community Foundation of Collier County, she oversees the Community Foundation’s mission to improve the quality of life in Collier County by connecting donors to community needs and providing leadership on critical community issues. Connolly-Keesler joined the Community Foundation in January 2013. Under her leadership, the assets of the Community Foundation have grown from $64 million to $95 million and the Foundation now serves more than 500 different charitable funds. Connolly-Keesler has been a Rotarian for over 27 years and joined The Rotary Club of Naples in 2013. Connolly-Keesler has also been instrumental in launching and raising funds for numerous community projects, including the rebuilding of The Greater Naples YMCA, the Turtles on the Town community arts project, and the Artificial Reef project. She serves on the Policy Committee for the Florida Philanthropic Network, the Policy Committee for the Council on Foundations, the Board of Directors of the local AFP Chapter, the Greater Naples Planned Giving Council, and the Naples Chamber of Commerce. Previously, she was the President of the Oshkosh Area Community Foundation from 2003 to 2013. She and her husband, Pat, reside in Naples.
Christopher Simoneau
Christopher Simoneau is the Vice President for University Advancement at Florida Gulf Coast University, and Executive Director of the FGCU Foundation. He oversees all aspects of advancement, including fundraising, alumni relations, special events, donor relations and stewardship, as well as university marketing and communications. Chris was previously with Tufts University, where he served as Senior Director of University Advancement, and earlier as Director of Central Development Programs for Tufts’ highly successful $1.2 billion fundraising campaign that concluded in June 2011. His previous higher education experience includes stints as Associate Vice President for Strategic Planning and University Relations at Case Western Reserve University; at Columbia University as Director of Contract Services in Student Services, and Associate Director for Administration for the Earth Institute; and Business Manager for the Princeton University Materials Institute. Mr. Simoneau has additional experience in the private sector, including in the areas of strategic management, finance and administration. Chris is married with three children and lives in Estero.
