Our Esteemed Board of Directors
Lendel Bright
Chairman of the Board
Dr. Nora Lee Cothran
Jackie Evans
Stephanie Herbert
Dan Katsiyiannis
Dr. Thomas Lambert
Don Mandeville
Jamie Neilson
Brent Schneider, Esq.
Ryan Serra
Paula Swain
Dr. Ron Tucker
Senior Management Team
President & CEO
Linda Kay O’Reilly
Linda Kay grew up in Tennessee and graduated from the University of Tennessee (Knoxville) with a degree in Public Relations/Mass Communications. She began her career in media and marketing roles and soon discovered a passion for the work of nonprofit organizations. She has served several national organizations in various capacities throughout her 25+ years career including the American Cancer Society, The Alzheimer’s Association, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and The Salvation Army. Throughout her career, Linda Kay and the teams she has led have raised more than $50 million to support the missions of the organizations she has served. She joined the Lighthouse of Pinellas Team as President and CEO in July of 2024.
Director of Finance
Kimberly Church
Kim grew up in New Hampshire and graduated from the University of New Hampshire with a Master’s Degree in Business Administration. She started her career as a Certified Public Accountant with KPMG in Portland, Maine and worked in public accounting for 20 years. She became interested in transitioning to a nonprofit management while working as an auditor here in the Tampa Bay area. She joined HEP, Homeless Emergency Project, as the Finance Director and then moved to the Lighthouse of Pinellas where she became Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. In June of 2017, Kim was selected by the LHP Board of Directors to succeed Dan Mann as President & CEO following his retirement. After serving for 6 years as the President & CEO at Lighthouse of Pinellas, Kim took on the role of Director of Finance, making way for a new President & CEO.
Director of Programs
Meri Taylor
Meri Taylor, an Alabama native, graduated from Florida State University with Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in Visual Disabilities. After interning at Hines VA Hospital’s Blind Rehabilitation Center in Chicago, Illinois, she moved back to Florida and began working as a Vision Rehabilitation Therapist. She has worked in the field of visual impairment for 17 years and at Lighthouse of Pinellas, in particular, for 15 years. In January 2022, Meri became Director of Programs at LHP. She is certified through ACVREP as a Vision Rehabilitation Therapist (CVRT).