Three names sent to court to fill public member seat
Three names sent to court to fill public member seat
A community college president from Orlando, a former reporter from Orlando, and a communications professional from Tampa have been nominated as the next public member on the Bar Board of Governors.
Board member Sandy Diamond of Seminole, chair of the Bar’s Public Member Screening Committee, said the three finalists came from “a very diverse and eclectic group” of 36 people who applied to replace retiring public board member Winston W. (Bud) Gardner, Jr., of Orlando. Gardner has served the maximum two terms allowed in Bar rules.
The Board of Governors voted at the board’s March 27 meeting in St. Pete Beach to send the names of the three public member candidates to the Florida Supreme Court, which will make the final appointment. The new public member will be sworn in at the Bar’s June Annual Convention.
“We were very impressed with all of them,” Diamond said.
The three finalists are:
* Judy Doyle, a retired newspaper journalist. She was a reporter with the Orlando Sentinel in the 1970s; worked for a marketing firm in Tallahassee for four years; spent 17 years at the Tallahassee Democrat, first as a reporter in the Capital Bureau covering the Legislature, followed by several years as an editor on the news desk, the business desk, and the features department. She also sits on the Bar’s Citizens Advisory Committee; is an emeritus nonlawyer member of the Florida Board of Bar Examiners; and served three years on the Orange County Bar Grievance Committee. Now living in Orlando, she has been a volunteer with hospice, the Orange County Adult Literacy program, and Shepherd’s Hope, which provides free health care to people without health insurance.
* Leslie Gail Spencer, a retired communications professional. She served as director of consumer relations for Publix Super Markets, Inc., for 14 years and as director of marketing and public relations for Intelident Solutions, Inc. Spencer also was a newscaster at WTVT-TV in Tampa for 23 years, appearing on morning, noon, and prime time newscasts. Spencer premiered “Good Day, Tampa Bay” as co-host. She also reported on the Persian Gulf crisis from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, as well as worked on documentaries, special series, financial, and consumer reports. She volunteers at the Lowry Park Zoo, the Tampa Performing Arts Center, and Metropolitan Ministries.
* Lawrence Tyree the retired president of Florida Keys Community College in Key West. For 45 years, Tyree worked at 11 community colleges in six states, including four in Florida — serving as president/chancellor or interim president of nine. He also taught for four years at the University of Florida. He served on the 16th Circuit Judicial Nominating Commission; the Sixth Circuit JNC, and serves on the grievance committee for the Monroe County Bar Association. He also is a member of the Bar’s Citizens Advisory Committee. Tyree and Cooper — his two-year old Cavalier King Charles Spaniel certified pet therapy dog — volunteer weekly at Nemours Children’s Hospital in Orlando.
