Our Esteemed Board of Directors
Lendel Bright, Board Chair
ADA and Diversity Coordinator for City of St. Petersburg
Retired
Stephanie Herbert
Office & Operations Manager
Truck Refrigeration Service & Rental Inc.
Don Mandeville
Senior Wealth Advisor
Regions Private Wealth
Ryan Serra
Captain
Allegiant Air
Dr. Nora Lee Cothran, OD, FAAO
Consultative Optometrist
Eye Institute of West Florida
Dan C. Katsiyiannis, CPA
OMB Administrator
City of Pinellas Park
Jamie Neilson
Certified Financial Planner & Certified Trust and Fiduciary Advisor
Paula Swain, MSN, APRN, CPHQ
Retired
Jackie Evans
Director of Missions and Outreach
Anona United Methodist Church
Dr. Thomas Lambert
Associate Optometrist
VIP Eye Care and Boutique
Brent Schneider, Esq.
Owner
Valor Law PLLC
Dr. Ron Tucker
Doctor of Optometry
Retired
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).
Director of Development
Sherry Yagovane
Sherry was born and raised in CT and graduated with a degree in Marketing/Management from Post College. Sherry’s first interests were in Education, and she enjoyed helping students meet their academic goals. Now her passion is helping others in a nonprofit setting and has worked in this industry for over 25 years. Most of Sherry’s experience has been in Volunteer Health Agencies such as Muscular Dystrophy Association, March of Dimes, and Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. In December of 2024 she became the Director of Development for the Lighthouse of Pinellas. Sherry has lived in Largo, FL for over 36 years.