Welcome New Board Members

Champions extends a warm welcome to new board members in 2024! We are excited to welcome these members as they contribute their time and expertise to guiding Champions for Children’s direction this next year.

Dr. Bonnie Saks

Serving on the CFC board since 2020, Dr. Bonnie Saks has served on the Governance, Audit, and Executive Councils. Dr. Saks has remained committed to increasing emotional and educational readiness for young children.

She trained in obstetrics/gynecology and then psychiatry and sex therapy at Yale Medical School where she worked with teen mothers on parenting and family planning. She also worked in the Child Studies Center at Yale on Early emotional and cognitive development.

Dr. Saks is a Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the University of South Florida, a Distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association, a Founding Fellow of the American Board of Sexology. She has been President of the Society for Sex Therapy and Research and on the editorial board of the Archives of Women’s Mental Health. Dr. Saks has published and lectured extensively, including Commencement Speaker for Brown University Medical School.

Sarah Anderson

Sarah Anderson is a corporate attorney in the agriculture industry. She is also a mom to two boys and passionate about the mental health recovery of women and children.

Sarah serves as Associate General Counsel for BRANDT, Inc., a company providing innovative solutions in agriculture. As Associate General Counsel, she focuses her work on the company’s global reach. Prior, Sarah served as a federal judicial law clerk for the Middle District of Florida and worked in private practice. Sarah is an alumnae of Leadership Tampa Bay class of 2023.

Sarah played varsity lacrosse at Cornell University, worked in lobbying in Washington, D.C., and relocated to Florida in 2006. Sarah attended law school at Nova Southeastern University where she graduated summa cum laude and 2nd in her class. While in law school, Sarah helped develop youth lacrosse programs in South Florida and coached for six seasons at Saint Thomas Aquinas High School.

As a mother of two children, Sarah is committed to making a positive impact on their lives and those of children with fewer resources. She sees Champions for Children as a catalyst for perpetuating in our community the importance of safe and supportive environments for children in need and providing the same.

Dr. Sylvia Carra-Hahn

Sylvia Fernandez Carra-Hahn, Ph.D. received her undergraduate degree in Psychology from the University of South Florida in 1969. Following, she became a National Defense Education Act Fellow at the University of Mississippi. There, she received her MA and Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology. Dr. Carra-Hahn was awarded a US Public Health Service Fellowship and completed her internship at the University of Alabama Medical School. Dr. Carra-Hahn has been named a USF Outstanding Alumnus.

For 43 years, Dr. Carra-Hahn had a solo Clinical Psychology practice in Tampa until she retired in 2015. While in private practice, Dr. Carra-Hahn served on the Florida Psychological Association Board of Directors and was President of the Bay Region Chapter of the FPA. She also served on the Board of the Morning Star School for many years. She has been qualified as an expert in Clinical Psychology in Circuit and Family Courts throughout Florida. She has also served as a public speaker, sharing her expertise in psychology, for numerous civic organizations and public schools.

Since retirement, Dr. Carra-Hahn has been a public member of the Citizens Advisory Committee of the Florida Bar Board of Governors and on the Hillsborough County Grievance Committee for the Florida Bar. She has also served on the Advisory Board of the USF College of Arts and Sciences. Dr. Carra-Hahn continues to enjoy the life-long enrichment USF provides to the Tampa Bay community by remaining active with the College of Arts and Sciences and the Department of Psychology. Currently, Dr. Carra-Hahn is a mentor in a program for young Hispanic women through the Hispanic Professional Women’s Association.

Dr. Carra-Hahn is honored to have been selected to join the CFC Board. Through CFC, she has the opportunity to use her expertise gained from more than 45 years of working with children and families. Dr. Carra Hahn believes that nurturing positive family life contributes not only to individual wellbeing and character strength, but also to developing a healthy community and society.

Kyle Howry

Kyle is a seasoned executive with more than 15 years of experience as a Certified Public Accountant at Ernst & Young LLP (EY). His education experience includes a BS in Accounting degree from the University of Florida and a Master of Accountancy degree from the University of South Florida. In his role as a Managing Director at EY, Kyle leads multiple teams of professionals serving a range of clients, from emerging growth companies to large multinational public companies. As one of his non-client roles, Kyle is the executive sponsor of EY Tampa’s Today’s Families Business Resource Group, which provides a forum for current and expecting parents within EY to access resources and share experiences to strengthen the families of our professionals.

 

As a person born and raised in Tampa Bay, the child of an early-learning professional and a father of two young daughters, Kyle believes deeply that the strength of our community is dependent upon the development and success of our young people, and that begins with each child’s home life. He is committed to utilizing his experiences to further the mission of Champions for Children for maximum impact on our community.

Jim Kovacs

Jim Kovacs says, “I believe true success starts with putting others first and applying a personal approach to create lasting relationships.”

Jim is an Executive Vice President, retail services at Colliers. He is a 36-year commercial real estate veteran and expert in all facets of retail commercial leasing and tenant representation. As senior broker and team lead for The Kovacs Retail Team, he has built a highly sought-after world-class team. Kovacs is also the founding board member of Colliers Retail Group and board co-chair. During his service, Kovacs helped accelerate the Colliers Retail Group’s growth and extend the Colliers service line, which now includes retail.

Jim has received numerous recognitions for his professional accomplishments. He has consistently been ranked as a Top Producer for Colliers Central & West Florida. Additionally, he has regularly earned Colliers’ coveted Everest Club designation which accounts for the top 10% of all Colliers producers nationally. Jim has also been awarded the Chairman’s Award for Colliers Central and West Florida and Chairman’s Award for Colliers Retail Nationally.

Jim says that he is “aggravated to see children today are poorly influenced by,” among many things, “bad role models.” He says he’s a “huge proponent of trying to find better role models, better education and more positive activities for children. At the same time, he advocates for providing support and education to families so that they can better engage in their children’s’ welfare.

Joan Lange

Joan Lange is the Managing Director for Slick Rock Capital Partners. As an educator, Joan has long been an advocate for school choice. Before retiring from educational consulting, she served as the National Schools Director for a charitable trust. Her responsibilities included identifying and recommending grant support to start up charter schools. She was paramount in creating a national network of charter schools where she identified communities lacking school choice and assisted in creating high-quality charter schools that offered a rigorous K-12 curriculum. She has served on numerous charter school boards. Joan’s work contributed to the support of more than 200 charter schools in the nation and provided more than fifty million dollars in grants.

Joan is committed to the mission of Champions for Children, to end child abuse and neglect. She is passionate about supporting the programs that Champions for Children offer throughout the Tampa Bay region.

Korin Martin

Korin is a dedicated and passionate project manager with more than 15 years of experience. Currently serving as a Director in the Global Clinical Trial Operations Project Management Office at Merck and Co, Inc., Korin leads large-scale strategic initiatives aimed at improving the efficiency of Merck’s clinical trials through the implementation of innovative processes and technology. Notable among her achievements is the remarkable 30% reduction in study start-up timelines in the US, which was accomplished during her first year as a manager of the Clinical Operations Manager Regulatory Team. Korin played a vital role in driving this success and demonstrated her exceptional leadership skills. Furthermore, Korin has played an instrumental role in the Diversity and Inclusion in Clinical Trials Project, actively working to diversify the participation in clinical trials. Her commitment to promoting equal representation within the field is evident through her efforts in developing and mapping out processes to enhance diversity.

Korin is deeply passionate about the Children for Champions mission, as she personally understands the value of such services as a parent herself. As a project manager, she appreciates the organization’s preventative approach to child abuse and the mission’s focus on equipping parents with the necessary tools for a successful parenting journey.

Jon Wax

Jon Wax, CFP®, stands out for his unwavering dedication to enhancing financial well-being through personalized, high-quality, comprehensive wealth management. As the President and CEO of Waller & Wax Advisors, Inc., he leads with a focus on innovative wealth management strategies and exceptional client service. His career highlights include being recognized as a Forbes Best-in-State Top Wealth Advisor from 2018 to 2024 and being named to the Raymond James Financial Services Leaders and Chairman’s Councils for over a decade.

Jon’s passion for the mission of Champions for Children is driven by his commitment to supporting early childhood education and development for disadvantaged children, a cause that aligns with his values and other community involvement.

Dr. Amy Weiss

When she was in second grade, Dr. Amy Weiss chose to become a pediatrician. Ever since, she has been passionate about child and adolescent health. She is currently a Professor and the Division Chief of Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine at the University of South Florida Health Morsani College of Medicine. In addition to caring for adolescents with various medical and psychosocial issues, Dr. Weiss has been active in the medical education of students and residents at USF. On the national level, she has served on committees for the Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine and the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Dr. Weiss regularly sees the effects of childhood trauma on her patients. She says she is excited to join the Champions for Children Board of Directors because she knows that prevention can have a huge impact.

Joan Zinober

Dr. Joan Zinober previously served from 2010-2022 and is returning this year.

Dr. Zinober holds a B.A., M.A. and Ph.D. in Psychology as well as an MBA. She has served on the faculty of New York University and the University of South Florida. Now retired, she was a consultant and executive coach for more than twenty-five years. Dr. Zinober was also a board member of the Society of Psychologists in Management, a member of The American and Florida Psychological Associations and adjunct faculty for The Center forKo Creative Leadership’s Leadership Development Program.

Dr. Zinober developed instruments to assess client satisfaction, management and leadership skills, employee satisfaction, and service effectiveness. She has authored articles on leadership, practice governance, managing, motivating, hiring and selecting employees, and performance evaluation.

For more information on the CFC board and leadership members, visit our leadership page online.