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. 

Marjorie T. “Margie” Moore, is a Senior Vice President, Financial Advisor with Merrill Lynch in Pensacola, Florida. Margie has been in the Financial Services Industry and with Merrill Lynch since 1983. She is a cum laude graduate with a Business Degree from the University of Georgia.

She is active in the community by serving on the Executive Board of Baptist Health Care and the board of directors for Manna Food Pantry. She is past president of the Pensacola State College Foundation and a Board of Governors Emeritus. She also served on the Council on Aging of West Florida Board from 2002-2006 and the Favor House of Northwest Florida Board from 1997-2007.

Margie received the Merrill Lynch Lifetime Community Achievement Award and was the recipient of the “David Brady Award”, a Merrill Lynch award recognizing her commitment to clients. 

Patrick Dawson, is the General Manager for G4S Secure Solution (USA) Inc. which is a private security services firm. He manages physical security operations and systems for Northwest Florida. He joined G4S Secure Solutions (USA) Inc. in 2009 and in 2010 he was selected into the G4S “Gold Club” for outstanding performance and exceeding financial goals. 

A native of Harlem, New York, he enlisted into the United States Army in 1984, as a Military Policeman. During his twenty-four years of service, he has held every leadership position and was appointed to the rank of Command Sergeant Major in 2005 and retired in 2009. He is a highly decorated combat veteran who received the Bronze Star during Operation Iraqi Freedom. 

Mr. Dawson currently serves on the Board of Directors, for the Santa Rosa Kids House. He is a supporting member of the Florida Health and Engineering Association; President of the Los Colinas Home Owners Association; and a Life Member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars. 

Mr. Dawson holds a Bachelor of Business Administration/Human Resources, from Baker College, Flint, MI., and is a graduate of the United States Army Sergeant’s Major Academy, Class # 54. 

He and his wife Nina have been married for 22 years and reside in Milton Florida.