Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife

Paul Ben-Susan is a graduate of Bentley College in Waltham MA, with a BS in Accounting, Paul taught accounting at Newbury Junior College and spoke frequently at the American Management Association and Bentley College on the subject of cash management and treasury services. Paul Ben-Susan retired from Citibank in 1998, moved full time from New York City to Shelter Island, New York, then subsequently to Florida. Paul was with Citibank for 18 years, and for the last 9 he was a Vice President in Global Cash Management Services responsible for the Automotive Industry. In 2015, Paul was elected to the Board of The Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife, Sanibel, Florida. He served as Treasurer and then President from 2019-2021. He is an active rescuer and cares deeply about our wildlife in Southwest Florida.

Dan Murphy was born in New Jersey, but has been a Florida Resident for 40 years. He received his Bachelor’s of Business Administration, Marketing and Purchasing from Florida State University and an MBA in Marketing from Virginia Tech. He has worked at Maas Brothers and Eckerd Drug Stores as a buyer, Category Manager and Private Label Director. Dan and his wife have been Sanibel residents for 11 years, and they purchased Huxter’s and Sanibel Spirits in 2014.

Lynne Birdt spent her accounting career in the motion picture industry, continuing after her move to Fort Myers in 1991. She has served on the boards of Habitat for Humanity and Lee County Women’s Tennis League. Lynne and her husband were volunteers for the mounted patrol at Malibu Creek State Park where they encountered an abundance of wildlife. She is a graduate of Northwestern University.

Cindy M. Hawkins is a shareholder, president and member of the board of directors of Wiltshire, Whitley, Richardson & English, P.A., a full-service accounting firm. Cindy joined her CPA firm in 1989, and provides a range of services with a focus in tax planning, preparation, trusts and estates, employee benefit plans and exempt organizations. A University of South Florida graduate with a summa cum laude bachelor’s degree in business administration and a master of accountancy in taxation, Cindy is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and Florida Institute of Certified Public Accountants. A resident of Florida since 1972, she is an active member of the board of United Way Lee, Hendry, Glades and Okeechobee and is past president and treasurer of Pilot Club of Fort Myers. Cindy has two children; Jason, a recent graduate Florida State University and Jessica, a Junior at Bishop Verot High School.

Christine D. Attardo received her Master of Science in Microbiology from Yale University following an undergraduate degree in biology from Vassar College. Her career includes teaching biology at the high school and college levels as well as working at Brookhaven National Laboratory in the Medical Research Department. Chris volunteers in the Health Park Medical Center emergency room and at CROW greeting guests in the Visitor Education Center and helping in the hospital’s baby room.

Karen Buck, originally from the Chicago area, has resided at least part time on Captiva since 1997 with her husband, Stuart, and two daughters. Now a retired medical assistant/lab tech/ medical office manager, Karen grew up in rural Indiana surrounded by wildlife. She has been involved with many fundraisers and is also currently serving on the entertainment committee at the Sanctuary Golf Club.

Edgar Burton is a native of Mississippi, but has called Sanibel home since 1991. A graduate of the Mississippi State University School of Architecture, Edgar has been a professional Architect on Sanibel and Captiva since 1995. He is a former Deacon at The Sanibel Congregational Church of Christ, and currently serves on the City of Sanibel’s Contractor Review Board.

Ronald Clayton, born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland, moved to Southwest Florida in 2004 with his wife, Kelli, and twins, Brooke and Brice. In 2008, Ron began working for Veolia Environmental Service which was later acquired by Advanced Disposal and is now a Franchised Account Manager for Waste Management. He currently also sits on the board for Keep Lee County Beautiful and has been involved with many projects and programs to keep our environment clean.

Anthony Farhat is the President of PGI Homes, LLC, one of Southwest Florida’s most awarded custom home builders. His strong business and work ethics have earned him recognition as one of the “Top 40 under 40” and “Young Entrepreneur of the Year” by Gulfcoast Business Review. His dedication to Florida’s environmental health has influenced the overall direction of his company.

Darrin Grotrian is originally from Goshen, Indiana but has called Sanibel home since 2010. A 2009 graduate of Manchester University with a degree in Business Management and a Certificate of Entrepreneurial Thinking. Darrin has worked in the banking/finance industry for over 10 years. He currently works for the Sanibel Captiva Trust Company where he is an Assistant Vice President in the client services and trust operations department. He currently serves as the Treasurer for the Sanibel Community Association and is a member of the Sanibel Captiva Rotary Club.

Cathie Lewis, originally from Middlebury, Vermont, has spent over 30 years working in the public sector, primarily with public utilities divisions. During her time with the City of Sanibel, Lewis helped develop the Utility Department and assisted in establishing an island-wide sanitary sewer collection and treatment system. Lewis also developed a storm-water management system known as PRISM (Personal Responsibility for Island Storm-water Management) for the city of Fort Myers Beach, Florida.

Phaidra McDermott, a true “Florida girl”, has lived on Sanibel Island since she was three, and she loves the local wildlife – hence the name of her company – Kingfisher Realty. For over 20 years, Phaidra has been one of the most successful Realtors in the State of Florida. In 2016 she achieved a landmark, selling both the highest priced home on Sanibel and the highest on Captiva. Her portfolio continually offers real estate representing the unique diversity of our islands.

Holly Boldrin is Priority Marketing’s Senior Director of Public Relations. She holds a bachelor’s degree in mass communications from the University of South Florida. Outside the office, Ms. Boldrin volunteers on the board of directors for Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife (CROW) as well as for the Pine Manor Improvement Association. She serves as a credentialing chair for the Florida Public Relations Association SWFL Chapter and is an adult leader for Boy Scout Troop 119.

Fred J. Weinman holds a B.S. degree in monetary and fiscal economics from the University of North Carolina- Asheville and a M.B.A. from Western Carolina University. Fred joined Northern Trust in 1999 and now leads a team of seasoned investment, banking, and advisory professionals as the Senior Managing Director of Lee County. Fred has always been civically minded and his interests are centered around community and philanthropic pursuits. He is an avid outdoorsman and enjoys traveling with his wife Susan.

Dave Nichols, DVM recently retired from Coral Veterinary Clinic in Fort Myers and on Sanibel where he has practiced veterinary medicine since receiving his DVM from Colorado State University in 1984. He was a partner at Coral Veterinary Clinic since 1990 and majority owner and President since 2008. He has served as veterinarian on the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee at Florida Gulf Coast University since 2000. He is a member of the Caloosa Veterinary Society, the FVMA, the AVMA and the American Animal Hospital Association. Dr. Nichols has been a CROW volunteer since 1984, and has previously served as a CROW board member for more than 25 years, including three years as board president.