Board of Directors

Board of Directors Treasurer
David Watson and his wife Jane are long time supporters of TSO. They own a local software company VR Systems, that provides elections management software to Florida Supervisor of Elections. David has been in an ownership/leadership position of small software companies during the course of his career.  He started attending symphony concerts when he was about 10 years old.  He is currently singing with the Tallahassee Community Chorus.

Board of Directors Secretary
Sanford A. Safron was born in Chicago, IL, on July 24, 1941.  He moved with his family to Los Angeles, CA, in April, 1947, where he went to school.  He earned a B.S. with honors in Chemistry at the University of California, Berkeley, in 1963, and a Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry from Harvard University in 1969.  After a year as a post-doctoral researcher at the Physics Institute of the University of Bonn, Germany, he was hired in 1970 as an Assistant Professor of Chemistry at the Florida State University in Tallahassee, FL.  He retired as Professor Emeritus of Chemistry in December, 2007.

VP of Education
Ruth Ruggles Akers attended Florida Atlantic University where she was a University Scholar, a Faculty Scholar, and was listed in Who's Who Among American Universities and Colleges.  After earning her Bachelor of Arts degree in three years, she was an associate instructor in piano at Indiana University, where she received the Master of Music degree in Piano Performance with High Distinction.  While in Bloomington, she was inducted into Pi Kappa Lambda, national music honor society.

Governance Committee
David Ashburn, a 5+ years member of the Board, is the husband of Geralyn Ashburn, a violinist who has performed with the TSO for more than 20 years.  He is also the father of four strings players -- Andrew (18), Reed (16), Elise (13) and Luke (11) -- who are members of the Tallahassee Youth Orchestras.  David is a shareholder with the Greenberg Traurig law firm, a longtime TSO sponsor, where he practices governmental and administrative law, with a particular focus on the health care and insurance industries.

Parliamentarian
Lester Abberger is a senior consultant to the D.A. Davidson investment banking firm, managing partner of Florida Lobby Associates, vice president of Hometown Neighborhoods, a new urbanist real estate consulting and development concern, and managing partner of Call Street Capital LLP. He serves on the corporate boards of Fuhlberg Koch Architects and M and S Banks.

Don Carrigan is a Real Estate Investor, City Planning Consultant and a former faculty member of Department of Urban and Regional Planning at FSU. Don has advanced degrees in Architecture and City Planning.

Keith Dean is a native Floridian, born and raised in the Tallahassee area.  He graduated from Florida State University with a post-graduate Accounting degree and is a Certified Public Accountant.  He has worked in the not-for-profit financial sector for fifteen years and has served as the Chief Financial Officer of multiple Trade Associations and Nonprofits simultaneously, including the Florida Network of Youth and Family Services, the Florida Sheriffs Association and the Florida Home Builders Association.

Cecilia D. Homison is the Chief Executive Officer for Florida Commerce Credit Union, the largest credit union in the North Florida region with more than 35,000 members.

In 2000, Homison joined Florida Commerce Credit Union as Chief Financial Officer. As an accomplished senior executive, she has had the responsibility of revenue growth management, strategic planning, facilities expansion, human resources and employee development.

June Noel is a retiree enjoying the freedom and opportunities of a lifestyle different from the working American.  Since early 2010 when she lost a dear love one, she began to embrace new activities including the enjoying the performing arts here in Tallahassee.  The very special musicians, dancers, and actors gave solace as well as generating thrills, laughter, tears, fun, and awe.

Tom Pobjecky has served as General Counsel for the Florida Board of Bar Examiners since 1985.   He received his bachelor's degree from the University of Southern Mississippi and his law degree from the University of Florida College of Law. Shortly after moving to Tallahassee in 1985, he attended his first TSO concert and he has been an annual season ticket holder ever since.

Melanie Punter, Associate Professor of Double Bass, joined the FSU faculty in Fall 1996. She is a graduate of the High School of Music and Art in New York, where she studied with Homer Mensch, and at the Manhattan School of Music, where she studied with Alvin Brehm. She has been a member of the Juilliard MAP faculty, where she coached chamber and bass ensembles and taught double bass.

Rabbi Romberg entered Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion after 18 years as the CEO of a furniture manufacturing business. During that time Rabbi Romberg was an active lay leader in his congregation (Beth Or of Spring House, PA), serving on the board for 5 years, chairing the ritual committee, and acting as “chazzan sheini.” During his time at HUC-JIR Rabbi Romberg served for one year as a chaplain at the Philadelphia Geriatric Center, and for three years as the rabbinic leader for Beth Sholom in Fredericksburg, VA.

Manley H. Thaler, Esq. Graduated from Cornell University with A.B. and Juris Doctor degrees. He was admitted to the New York Bar in 1953, to the Florida Bar in 1977 and is President of the firm of Thaler & Thaler, P.A., with offices in Palm Beach, Boca Raton and Tallahassee, Florida.

Robert Vice has joined the Northwest Florida Diversified Commercial Banking Team as a senior relationship manager based in Tallahassee FL.
Robert  has 36 years of diverse banking experience of which  9 years were with SunTrust.  During his many years in banking, he has spent 17 years as a corporate lender and relationship manager, 11 years as a Team Leader and Area Manager in various banking segments that includes commercial lending, retail, treasury management and merchant lines of businesses in different commercial markets (e.g., Ohio, Georgia and Florida).