Gordon “Flash” Sprague, Chair, was born and raised on a family farm in Vermont. He earned his Associate in Arts degree from St. Petersburg College, a Bachelor of Science degree from Florida State University, and a Master’s Degree in Allied Health Science from the University of North Florida. In 2001, he received a Florida State University Outstanding Alumni Award, and in 2013, he received an Honorary Doctoral Degree from Vermont Technical College.

Mr. Sprague’s career centered on Parks and Recreation administration, culminating as Executive Director of the Memphis, Tennessee Parks Commission. Years later, he left public service to work as the Assistant to the President at Fogelman Properties in Memphis and then as the Senior Vice President and Regional Wholesaler for one of the Top Investment Firms in Houston, Texas.

Mr. Sprague has served as President of the Florida Recreation and Parks Association; Board member and Past Chair of the WSRE Public Television Board of Directors; Past Chair of the UWF Foundation Board; President Emeritus of the Gulf Breeze Area Historical Society; member of the Institute for Human and Machine Cognition Board; and appointed by Governor Rick Scott to serve on the Northwest Florida Transportation Corridor Authority.

Troy Tippett, M.D., Trustee Member, is a retired neurosurgeon and Medical Director of the Neurosurgical Group of Pensacola.  His undergraduate degree is from the University of Missouri and he completed medical school and neurosurgery residency at the University of Tennessee in Memphis and is board certified by the American Board of Neurological Surgery. He served in the Army Reserve and the Tennessee Air National Guard. 

Troy served as president of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, the Florida Medical Association, the Neurosurgical Society of America, the Florida Neurosurgical Society, the Escambia County Medical Society, and the Neurosurgical Research and Education Foundation. His academic appointments included the University of Florida and Florida State University. 

Troy received the Distinguished Service Award, the Cushing Medal from the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, and the Exceptional and Distinguished Service Award from the Congress of Neurological Surgeons.  Locally, he received the PACE Award for Professional Leadership from the Pensacola Chamber of Commerce; the Hollinger Award for Physician of the Year, Baptist Healthcare Foundation; and the Fiesta of Five Flags Bobby DePew Award for Volunteer of the Year. 

In addition to numerous medical-related volunteer positions for the State of Florida, Dr. Tippet’s volunteer activities have included Fiesta of Five Flags, Loaves and Fishes volunteer with Five Flags Rotary, Paint Your Heart Out Pensacola, First Night Pensacola, Just Look in the Mirror Program to help stop domestic violence, and the WSRE Foundation Board of Directors.