Sam Bailey - Sanibel, Florida

Sam Bailey is the owner of Bailey’s General Store on Sanibel, and one of the three brothers who gave the land on which the Museum was built. He has long-term experience in local non-profits, and played a major role in the establishment of the Community Foundation of Sanibel and Captiva.

Clair Beckmann, (Secretary) - Lousiville, Colorado, and Sanibel, Florida

Clair Beckmann grew up in St. Louis, Missouri and graduated first in her class with a degree in finance from the University of Missouri many many years ago. She moved to Colorado in 1975 and enjoyed a 30-year career with JPMorganChase and various predecessor institutions serving in many capacities including many years as Regional President for Boulder County. Currently she is the Planned Giving Officer for the Boulder Community Hospital Foundation. Non-profit work has been a hallmark of her life and she has served on dozens of Boards and served as Board Chair of non-profits such as the Community Foundation serving Boulder County, Community Food Share, the Boulder Economic Council, the Louisville Chamber of Commerce and others. Clair has been instrumental in raising funds for Hospice, Impact on Education, the Women's Foundation of Colorado, Community Food Share and other institutions. Passions include reading, eating, gardening, travel, PEOPLE, and seashell collecting. Clair and her spouse, Ron Nixon, reside in Louisville, Colorado and Sanibel, Florida.

Rodger R. Bunnell - Sanibel, Florida

Mr. Bunnell is a Florida native and graduate of Stetson University. He served in the Army for five years before returning to do post-graduate work in Finance at the University of Massachusetts. A career in the electronics industry with several companies took him to Massachusetts, Arizona, Mexico, and eventually back to Florida. He and his wife, Mary Jo, moved to Sanibel in 2001 where he is retired and does seasonal taxwork for a local firm. He is an active member of Kiwanis, the US Power Squadron, the Captiva Island Yacht Club and the Sanibel-Captiva Shell Club. He and Mary Jo are Charter Members of The Bailey-Matthews Shell Museum where he frequently volunteers in the Collections area. The Bunnells are active shellers, specializing in Florida and Bahamian seashells. In addition to shell collecting, hobbies include scuba diving, fishing, and boating.

Betty English, (Member-at-large) - Sanibel, Florida

After ten successful years of selling real estate, attending seminars and management courses Betty attained her GRI designation and Brokers license. Deciding to make a career change, Betty started a Manufactures Sales Representative Agency in 1979, English Associates. Betty’s husband John joined her two years later when they decided to specialize in selling pet supplies. Betty moved from New Jersey to Sanibel in 1998. Not having a lot of experience with leisure time, she decided to apply for a Real Estate Appraisal License and appraised real estate for several years. Betty also volunteered to pick up food from local restaurants for the Twelve Baskets women’s shelter program in Fort Myers, served as V.P. of their Homeowners Assoc., served five years on the board of the Schoolhouse Theater before coming to the board of The Bailey-Matthews Shell Museum. Her favorite activities are shelling, reading, and gardening. Betty resides in Sanibel with her husband John.

Anne Joffe, (Vice-president) - Sanibel, Florida

Anne has judged scientific and artistic categories at shell shows for more than 25 years. She is a Past-president of Conchologists of America; Past-treasurer of the American Malacological Society; President of the Sanibel-Captiva Shell Club; Shell Show Chairman; Past-president of the Sanibel-Captiva Chamber of Commerce; owns and operates "She Sells Sea Shells" on Sanibel Island; has authored a craft book," Shellcrafting;" board of directors member for the Conchologists of America; along with two partners, Harlan Wittkoff and S. Peter Dance, she is the secretary-treasurer of "C Shells 3", a shell book publishing company; Anne has led shelling trips all over the world.

Douglas S. Jones - Gainesville, Florida

Douglas S. Jones is the Director and Curator of Invertebrate Paleontology at the Florida Museum of Natural History in Gainesville, Florida. He received his Ph.D. in Geological and Geophysical Sciences from Princeton University in 1980. Dr. Jones is a board member, among other organizations, of the Natural Science Collection Alliance, Florida Association of Museums, and the University of Florida Foundation. In addition to his administrative duties as Director of FLMNH, Dr. Jones remains interested in the broad fields of molluscan ecology and paleoecology. His research focuses primarily on the use of growth increments and stable isotopes in the shells of marine mollusks to interpret life history information as well as to reconstruct paleoenvironments and paleoclimates.

Jack Luft - Sanibel, Florida

Jack was born in Iowa and got his masters at Iowa State University. He is married to Perla and has three girls and one boy. He has resided on Sanibel since 2003. Jack is a member of the Lee County Smart Growth Committee, past-president of the Sanibel School Fund, a member of Florida Governor’s Bicycle Advisory Committee, and third-time Panel Member of the Urban Land Institute Advisory Services. Jack is one of South Florida’s highest profile urban planners. Shaping the dynamic and complex growth of urban Miami over three decades, Jack has served in widely varying and challenging roles of urban designer, master plan author, and director of the City of Miami Development and Planning Departments and for ten years as Vice-chairman of the Miami Beach Design Review Board.

Richard E. Pyle, (Treasurer) - Captiva, Florida

Executive Vice-president and Chief Investment Officer, Sanibel-Captiva Trust Company. Prior to joining the Trust Company, Mr. Pyle was co-founder, Executive Vice-president, and Portfolio Manager at Winslow Capital Management, Inc., in Minneapolis. From 1982 to 1992, Mr. Pyle served as Managing Director and Research Analyst at Piper Jaffray in Minneapolis. He began his investment manager career as a Trust Investment Analyst for U.S. Bank in St. Paul before becoming a Portfolio Manager and Senior Research Analyst for Wells Fargo and American Express Financial Advisors from 1973 to 1982. Mr. Pyle earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in economics and political science from Macalester College in 9169 and did graduate work in economics at the University of Minnesota. HE was awarded a Chartered Financial Analyst designation in 1976. Mr. Pyle has served on committees for several non-profit organizations; he and his wife, Nathallie, live on Captiva Island.

Gary Schmelz, (President) - Naples, Florida

Dr. Schmelz received his Ph.D. in marine biology from the University of Delaware. He is a former director of the Big Cypress Nature Center and director of education for the Conservancy of Southwest Florida. He helped establish the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Environmental Education Center on Key Biscayne, supervised the Conservancy''s sea-turtle nesting program, and developed a national environmental education program for school teachers. In 1985, Dr. Schmelz received the Elsie M. B. Naumberg Award as the Best Environmental Educator in the United States.

Dan Schuyler - Sanibel, Florida

Dan Schuyler has been a prominent fixture in the American jewelry industry for more than 26 years. A native of Maryland, Schuyler has dealt in nearly every aspect of the jewelry business—from sales and advertising to buying and designing. Schuyler had his first foray into the jewelry business at the age of 19, when he worked as an engraver at a local jeweler, while attending college. During the course of his education, Schuyler became a GIA diamond and pearl course graduate. In 2002, he set his sights on Southwest Florida and worked with some of the regions'' leading jewelry companies. Schuyler met well-known Captiva Realtor Karen Bell in 2002. In 2006, Schuyler and Bell opened Lily & Co. Jewelers on Sanibel Island. Named after Bell''s Labradoodle, Lily & Co. is Sanibel''s first jewelry gallery, offering couture jewelry lines and fine art at one location.

Graig Shaak - Gainesville, Florida

Graig D. Shaak received his Ph.D. in Earth and Planetary Sciences from the University of Pittsburgh in 1972. He has been on the faculty of the Florida Museum and University of Florida since 1972. He is a member of the Geological Society of America (GSA), Southeastern Museums Conference (SEMC), and American Association of Museums (AAM). Graig has participated in seven Museum Assessment Program (MAP) surveys for the AAM and Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). He has served on three AAM Accreditation surveys including one as team leader.

Evelyn Stewart - Sanibel, Florida

Since 1986, Evelyn owns and manages, with husband Craig and son Joshua, the eco-tourism outfit Adventures in Paradise, on Sanibel and Fort Myers. She has been a member of the Sanibel-Captiva Chamber of Commerce and several island organizations

Gilda A. Suarez - Fort Myers, Florida

Gilda is a licensed realtor, and since 2007, she has been Director of the Hispanic Division of Stewart Title Insurance Services for Lee, Collier, and Charlotte Counties. She was previously Vice-president and Manager for the Sanibel Office of that organization. From 2001 to 2003, Gilda served also as Chairman / President of the Sanibel-Captiva Chamber of Commerce.

Ronald B. Toll - Fort Myers, Florida

Dr. Toll has been the Provost and Vice-presiedent for Academic Affairs of Florida Gulf Coast University since 2008. Dr. Toll earned his Ph.D. in Biological Oceanography from the University of Miami, and served as Vice-president for Academic Affairs and Dean of Faculty at Lebanon Valley College, and Dean of the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics at the University of Central Arkansas.

Kirk Williams - Sanibel, Florida