Friends of the Spoil Islands
Board of Directors.
John Bacon
President
Originally from Vermont, John Bacon studied Recreation Impact Management. Helped to build both ski and hiking trails without displacing wildlife. This included endangered species maintaining animal corridor and feeding areas. Developed other areas for recreation allowing human and animal coexistence.
Spent 41 years in skiing as a pro racer, ski school director, racing director, and US coach.
Looks forward to working with FOSI to develop spoil islands making them suitable for recreational needs leaving minimal footprints.
S. Lee Bowden
Vice President
Over 30 years of executive hotel and resort operations and sales and marketing experience in destination resorts and hotels throughout the United States and the Caribbean. Beginning his career in convention service at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City, Mr. Bowden progressed rapidly into sales and marketing and operations.
Mr. Bowden has a wide background in sales and marketing, golf, spa, and the development of unique amenities such as falconry, shooting, and off-road driving. His strength is in repositioning properties into the luxury markets, team building, and overall creativity. Additionally, Mr. Bowden has led many construction and design teams in building, rebuilding, and rebranding resorts while improving profitability.
Mr. Bowden has consistently exceeded guest expectations measures, improved overall guest satisfaction while maintaining and cultivating relationships with owners, management companies, and the communities in which he was located.
Peter Saxon
Secretary
Earned a BS in Chemistry, studied graduate level Advanced Chemistry, and received a JD in law. He became a senior partner at a nationally known Intellectual Property (IP) firm in NYC, helping it grow from 15 to 180 attorneys. He represented Fortune 500 corporations and appeared in major IP litigations. He became President of the largest regional IP association in the US, appeared before the Supreme Court and was very active in national bar associations.
After retiring from the firm, Peter moved to Block Island where he helped found the Block Island Yacht Club and presided over local charitable associations involved with affordable housing and business development.
Peter and his wife Kathleen moved to Vero Beach in 2017 where he became Secretary and Board member of his HOA, leading its efforts to oppose a large chain from developing a site on Orchid Island and persuading the county to provide a proper barrier to protect bikers and pedestrians on the Michaels Bridge over the IR Lagoon.
He joined the Vero Bech Yacht Club where he became a Board Member, a chair of the Planning and Human Resources Committee, and a member of the Membership Committee and various card clubs. He helped plan and supervise the installation of automatic entry doors and the patio pergola and expansion, including permitting mangrove removal, and seawall expansion.
Jeff Brasse
Treasurer
Spent over 30 years in wealth management as a Senior Investment Advisor.
In the past, he spent time with Childcare Resources in Vero Beach and helped build homes for Habitat for Humanity.
He has 13 years of law enforcement experience where he served as a Florida State Auxiliary Trooper and an Indian River County Reserve Deputy, assigned primarily to the K-9 units with both agencies.
He holds a BS in Economics and a Masters In Finance.
He is dedicated to supporting our waterways to facilitate enjoyment, recreation and learning in our beautiful Indian River Lagoon. He routinely volunteers to clean the Spoil Islands and support projects on the Islands.
Joe Taglione
Board Member
A proud US Army Veteran who moved down from upstate NY over six years ago with his family.
He is an avid outdoorsman who enjoys hunting, fishing, boating, and golfing. He is employed by the Department of Veterans Affairs as the Director, Enterprise Cyber Security Team, and is President of his own company, T6 Solution Delivery, Inc.
Respected as a fearless leader who brings strong attributes such as: effective decision making, project management, strategic planning and contracting expertise for more than 35 years. Holds degrees in Electrical Engineering Technology and a Masters Certificate in Information Technology Project Management from George Washington University.
Committed to working with FOSI and its mission to the preservation, restoration, and enhancement of the Indian River Lagoon Aquatic Preserve spoil islands and educating others about the importance of the spoil islands as valuable educational, recreational, and conservation resources.
Douglas Mott
Board Member
The founder and CEO of MetaParse, a software development company that builds custom data systems for educational entities throughout the country. MetaParse also supports various school districts analyze teacher and school leadership performance through the United States Department of Education’s Teacher and School Leader (TSL) program.
Throughout his twenty-year career, he helped establish Michigan’s first online, project based, cyber high school as the Director of Technology as well as the sole developer of the programs learning management system. He was a founding partner of what became a non-profit organization that provided an online learning platform to districts and charter schools across Michigan as the Director of Technology and lead developer of the student reporting system used. He also worked for the Education Achievement Authority of Michigan, under Governor Snyder’s office where he worked as the lead systems analyst in the department of Data and Accountability.
Mr. Mott is excited to be working with FOSI and dedicated to helping bring awareness to the Spoil Islands and the Indian River Lagoon Aquatic Preserve.
Jim Dyreby
Board Member
Retired orthopedic surgeon, Jim spends summers in northern Wisconsin where he manages a small grain organic farm and mixed hardwood/pine forest. Regenerative forestry and agriculture, with a passion for soil health and restoring pollinator habitat are his focus.
He is currently a board member of the Indian River Land Trust in Vero, a lifetime member of the Florida Native Plant Society, and serves on the Nicolet College Foundation Board in Rhinelander WI. As a volunteer with ORCA he’s been able to hone his surgical skills by dissecting fish for lagoon health research.
He and his wife Katy and their two dogs enjoy hiking, sailing, kayaking, and boating.
His passion for preserving natural habitat and a healthy environment for future generations, along with his love of our lagoon, drew him to join The Friends of the Spoil Islands.
Von Harvey
Board Member
Von is currently Food and Beverage Manager at Quail Valley Golf Club in Vero Beach, FL. He has worked at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac, Michigan and other resorts where he has demonstrated his love for the hospitality industry.
Von has a dedication and passion for the hospitality industry. He has worked in the industry for over 20 years and he is committed to excellence. He thrives on enhancing team productivity and member satisfaction.