Board Members

Karen Swanson – President.
Originally from New Jersey, moved to Florida in the mid 70’s. Having graduated from Graham Jr. College in Boston, Massachusetts with an Associate Degree in Business Administration, Karen began working for several developers in the South Florida region. Eventually, Karen and her husband Dan successfully created Addison Development, a premier custom estate homes development company based in Palm Beach, Florida.
Karen has been involved with The Unicorn Children’s Foundation for over nine years. During this time, she has served on the Board of Directors as Vice-President and is currently the Treasurer. Karen is also involved in many civic groups and the Arts including: The Norton Museum, Palm Beach Civic Association, The Ann Norton Sculpture Gardens, Kravis Center, Carnegie Museum of Pittsburgh, the Preservation Foundation of Palm Beach, & Peggy Adams Rescue League. Karen sits on the board for The Center for Family Services. She has chaired “The Old Bags Luncheon,” the YWCA Harmony House Luncheon, & the Children’s Holiday Party at the Norton, along with being a member of many other fundraisers. Her philanthropic work is well known throughout the Palm Beaches, which earned her the nomination of the Wachovia’s Woman Volunteer of the Year award in 2007, hosted by the Junior League of Boca Raton.

Tamera Pompea (Tammy) – Board Member since 2012 and Vice Chair since 2018.
Originally from Connecticut and then raised her family there with her husband Charlie; she has committed her life to her family and raising their three daughters while teaching them the important value of community service. Family and community service continue to be what Tammy is most proud of and also her greatest joy. Throughout her life, she has been involved with numerous charitable nonprofit organizations and the University of New Haven Business Council. Tammy and Charlie are actively involved at the University of New Haven Pompea Business School. The following quotation is one of Tammy’s favorites and so perfectly expresses why she gives back to the community: “We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give”
by Winston S. Churchill.

Jose Cano – Treasurer
Jose is a native of Palm Beach County having grown up in Belle Glade. Jose is Senior Vice President of Flagler Bank, in West Palm Beach.
Jose is active in our community as a volunteer and enjoys Palm Beach County’s many outdoor activities, especially fishing.

Gary Walk – Secretary
Gary has more than 40 years of experience practicing real estate, business, and banking law. He is a partner in the West Palm Beach law firm of Nason Yeager, and is the former Chairman of the Palm Beach County Bar Association.
Gary has served the community in numerous roles from seats on bank boards, to non-profits, to homeowner associations. His support of the Jewish community has been extensive. He is a graduate of Leadership Palm Beach County and a former Director of the program.
Gary lives in Palm Beach Gardens has raised three children there with his wife, Judy. He is an avid runner and has run many half and full marathons, including 12 consecutive Boston Marathons.

Adam Friedwald, a certified public accountant with EisnerAmper. He specializes in performing audits in the industries of manufacturing and distribution, employee benefit plans, hospitality, real estate and non-profit organizations.
Friedwald is a graduate of Ithaca College with a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance. He has CPA certifications in the States of Florida and New York. Friedwald is a member of the American Institute of the Certified Public Accountants, the Florida Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Florida Governmental Finance Officers Association

Carol Pfeiffer Messmore, PhD, LMFT is faculty chair and program director of the COAMFTE accredited Marriage and Family Therapy program at Capella University. She received her master’s degree and doctoral degree from Nova Southeastern University. Her clinical work has focused on families with young children as an Infant Mental Health Specialist; completing two years of post-graduate clinical work through the Florida State University Harris Institute for Infant Mental Health Training. She has experience working with children and families in school settings, community based agencies, as well as private practice and social service consultation.

Rosalyn “Destinie” Baker Sutton, Esq. is the founding shareholder of Destinie Law Firm, PA., where she successfully pursues justice for victims of catastrophic personal injuries. She has secured over 10 million dollars in favorable resolutions for her clients. In her legal career, she has tried to verdict, approximately 100 trials. Mrs. Sutton began her legal career as a Prosecutor for the Palm Beach County State Attorney’s Office. She was a special prosecutor, assigned to the Organized Crime Unit. She has experience litigating complex matters involving the opioid crisis, pill mills, prescription fraud, drug trafficking, racketeering and first-degree murder. After over a decade at the State Attorney’s office, Mrs. Sutton worked for the Palm Beach County Attorney’s Office where she represented the Palm Beach County Board of County Commissioners in State and Federal Court in matters including personal injury, negligence, employment law, eminent domain, foreclosure and the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Dedicated to making a difference in her law practice and the legal community, Mrs. Sutton is one of the Founders of the Palm Beach County Sheree Davis Cunningham Black Women Lawyers Association, and she currently serves as the Vice President of the organization. She is the first Black woman to serve on the Board of Directors for the Boy Scouts of America, Gulf Stream Council. She also currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Palm Beach County Chapter of the Florida Association for Women Lawyers and The Center for Family Services, Palm Beach County. She recently served as the Legal Action and Policy Chairperson for the F. Malcolm Cunningham, Sr. Bar Association and twice as the Chairperson of the Palm Beach County Bar Association’s
Civil Court/Small Claims Seminar for their Annual Bench Bar Conference.
Mrs. Sutton was born into a life of public and community service as the daughter of the Honorable Moses Baker, Jr., retired Circuit Court Judge, and Rosalyn Baker, retired Circuit Administrator for the Department of Corrections in Palm Beach County. Dedicated to making a difference in her community, Mrs. Sutton serves as the Legal Advisor for the West Palm Beach Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated. She also volunteers with Cub Scout Pack 116, feeds the homeless, enjoys speaking engagements, and fundraising efforts that provide scholarships to the children in this community.
A Florida native, Mrs. Sutton was a nationally competitive gymnast for Palm Beach Sports Academy and graduated from Cardinal Newman High School. She attended Florida State University where she was awarded a full scholarship for her academic achievement. Additionally, she was the recipient of the Academic Excellence Award and was inducted into an Honor Society. She earned her law degree from the University of Florida Levin College of Law where she was awarded a Stipend for her academic achievement, served as Student Representative for the John Marshall Bar Association, Secretary for the Law College Council, Ambassador for the University of Florida, Member of the Student Recruitment Team and Assisted Students with Disabilities. She resides in West Palm Beach with her husband, a teacher, and their two children.

Diane Smith and her husband, Tom, moved to Palm Beach from Connecticut in 2012. They have 8 grown children and 16 grandchildren and have been interested and involved with charities and organizations which focus on family for many years. Diane graduated from UC Berkeley in political science. During her years as a young mother she worked with the Junior League of Oakland, Children’s Hospital, the Florence Crittenton home for unwed mothers and was an active volunteer at her children’s school. For the past several decades their foundation has been focused primarily on education….in the inner city as well as throughout the country. Today we are facing a more urgent need. With the stress of the pandemic and its crushing effect on society, it is crucial for us to do everything we can to help families who are struggling. The Center for Family Services is an organization which attends to these needs and is focused on providing care for many families who are particularly affected by this crisis. I believe we are making a difference and perhaps will serve as a model for other community organizations which are also trying to help these families.
Honorary Board
Frances Fisher
Arlette Gordon
Barbara Nicklaus