Our Board & Staff.

• Interim President

Mike is a graduate of Grand Valley State University.  He has been a Certified Public Accountant since 1992. He has been an entrepreneur as well as the CEO and CFO of various companies in his career.  After being with Lacks Enterprises for 14 years, he was invited to become President of the company in 2021.…

• Treasurer
• Certified Public Accountant, Retired

Paul is a Certified Public Accountant who retired from the Naples Daily News as the Vice President of Finance. Paul has been married to his lovely wife, Francie for over forty-five years. They have two daughters and four grandchildren. His oldest grandson has been involved with the Freedom Waters Foundation’s Weller Day Boat outings and…

• Secretary
• Director of Technology & Intelligence, Northrop & Johnson

Northrop & Johnson Director of Technology & Intelligence, Keith has a Bachelor of Science degree in Information Technology from Broward College. He is extremely passionate and dedicated to his field of study. Keith also boasts an extensive understanding of the yachting industry. In 2007, he joined a local company where he worked on a myriad…

• Board Director

David Goebel has a life-long love of boating, the water and the outdoors. He grew up near the water in Grosse Pointe, MI and later Lake Forest, IL. He spent many happy hours on his family’s boats as well as competing nationally as a junior sailor. David has also grownup vacationing in his family home…

• Founder/Executive Director

Through Freedom Waters Foundation, Debra builds bridges in much of what she believes in: sharing one’s passion; building a greater sense of community by building relationships beyond tolerance and understanding through shared experience; and offering opportunity and new ways of being to those who might not otherwise be exposed to full potential possibilities. Debra was…

• Co-Founder - Freedom Waters Foundation
• Yacht Broker, International Yachting Company

A highly successful yacht broker, John has been awarded the Richard Bertram Yachts top broker award 26 times. His strong experience, excellent communication skills and focus on listening to what his clients are looking for in a yacht have contributed to his success. One of the strongest accomplishments include the construction of the 240′ (73m)…

• Board Director

Doug was fortunate to be able to incorporate his love of boating when he founded T.E.I. I April 1981 with the purchase of a small marina outside of Atlanta, GA. From this start, he has grown T.E.I. into a vertically integrated enterprise encompassing nine divisions: Marinas, Boat Sales, Boat Service, Marine Retail, Boat Rentals, Hospitality,…

• Board Director
• Founder, Cox & Company Maritime and Aviation Law

After a few years working at a highly respected law firm, Jeff founded the law firm now known as Cox & Company Maritime and Aviation Law. Cox & Company, for over a decade, has distinguished itself from other firms by focusing solely on maritime and aviation law, as it pertains to yacht and private airplane…

• Board Member
• Retired

Pam and her husband, Bob moved to Naples in 2005. They are avid boaters and were introduced to Freedom Waters Foundation shortly after moving here and Pam quickly and still often says, “you mean all I have to do is take people for a boat ride? That’s easy.” And, she and Bob have been doing…

• Board Member
• Event Director, Winterfest Inc.

Dawn is happily married to George and has three sons. A Broward County Native, Dawn’s love for Winterfest developed when she watched the parade as a child and continued that tradition into adulthood. Dawn proudly celebrates her 29th parade in 2022. She is committed to creating quality, high profile events for the community that brings…

• Board Member
• Attorney

Miranda grew up in Southwest Florida, graduating from Fort Myers High School where she met her husband, Jacob. She went to school at the University of Florida, graduating with her B.S., J.D. and LL.M. Go Gators! Upon graduation, she returned to Southwest Florida where she began her career as a Trusts & Estates attorney. She…

• Honorary Board Member
• Yacht Broker, Luke Brown Yachts

In 1972, Andrew graduated from college with a degree in Economics and Business Administration. He began his career in marketing for a boat manufacturing company. In 1976, he joined Luke Brown Yachts. A year later the owner of Luke Brown Yachts advised his brokers that he was closing the doors, due to a lack of…

• Honorary Board Member

Loving and supportive friend of Debra Frenkel, Freedom Waters Founder since 2000 and has been a dedicated supporter of Freedom Waters Foundation since its inception.

• Honorary Board Member
• CEO/Founder, Advantage Services

Jim has an entrepreneurial drive that energizes his activities with each new venture. In the 1970s and 80s his intense international salesmanship skills were a factor in propelling Sacks Industries to the top tier of textile manufacturing supply. A shift to South Florida in the early 1980s focused his family’s attention on the pleasures of…

• Honorary Board Member
• Yacht Broker, Luke Brown Yachts

As a youngster, Ron ran everything from a 9’ Johnboat to a 90’ yacht. He ran a thriving live-bait business during his high school years which had him catching bait in the wee hours to sell to local fishermen, and often spending his days aboard those very fishing vessels helping guests catch fish using that…

• Founder/Executive Director

Through Freedom Waters Foundation, Debra builds bridges in much of what she believes in: sharing one’s passion; building a greater sense of community by building relationships beyond tolerance and understanding through shared experience; and offering opportunity and new ways of being to those who might not otherwise be exposed to full potential possibilities. Debra was…

• Program Director

Meredith is so excited to be a part of the Freedom Waters Foundation (FWF) family. She has lived in Naples for 3 years with her husband. They have a daughter, Asha, who keeps them on their toes. Before joining FWF, Meredith worked in the development department of American Cancer Society for several years and worked…

• Director of Program and Development

Most recently, she hails from The Triton yachting magazine for professional yacht captains and crew in charge of Operations as well as Sales and Marketing. A 23-year resident of Florida, Robin ran her own consulting business for marketing, communications and event management, and served as Assistant Executive Director and Communications Director for the Builders Association…

• Administrative Assistant

Marissa is from Panama City, Panama. She met her husband who was in the military while they both worked at the US South Command in Panama City. While in Panama she worked for US Army Service Component Command, Deputy chief of staff resources management, Manpower Division as an Administrative Assistant. Marissa and her husband moved…

• Bookkeeper and HR Specialist

Debbi joined the Freedom Waters Foundation, June 2022, where she will be able to continue her career in Accounting and Human Resources. She has moved to Naples (January 2022) with her husband from the Central Florida area to be closer to family. While living in Central Florida, Debbi worked for an Aquatic Water Management company…