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Dan Pugh is a Senior Partner at Residential Building Supply, a medium-size building supply company specializing in providing high-end millwork to the residential home building community. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics from Rollins College, Winter Park, Florida. Dan is always interested in volunteering his time to worthwhile non-profit endeavors, and United Against Poverty has provided an excellent opportunity to give back to a community that has been his home for life. When not working, Dan is an avid golfer who enjoys spending time with family and friends on the golf course.

“I feel that the best thing we can do to help someone improve their life circumstances is to give them a sense of accomplishment and dignity. United Against Poverty does that hundreds of times a day, something I take great pride in being a part of.”

Linda Rusciano is a retired Chief Financial Officer of Farm Credit of Florida, a private agricultural financial institution. Her 32 years of service at Farm Credit included management of the accounting staff and all financial reporting of a $1.4 billion dollar portfolio. Her other responsibilities included management of the technology department, capital assets, and operations in twelve branch offices serving 36 counties across the state. Linda holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Accountancy from Rollins College. She is a second-generation Floridian, born and raised in the Orlando area.

Linda and her husband, Michael, moved to Vero Beach in 2009. Linda joined the Indian River County Advisory Board in 2013 and serves on the Gala Committee and Corporate Finance Committee. She is also a member of the Inner Wheel Club of Haines City and Impact 100 – Indian River County.

Amy moved from NY to Vero Beach, with her husband Don Reeser, in 2008. She joined the IRC Community Board in 2013 and has been a long-term working member of UP IRC’s Development Committee and Gala Committee. She has also served on the regional and corporate boards of the Hibiscus Children’s Center and on the executive committee and board of the Youth Sailing Foundation.

Prior to early retirement, Amy was the Executive Director of the Westchester County Bar Association and Bar Foundation in Westchester County, NY. She was responsible for the overall management of the association and its foundation. Amy oversaw and controlled all day to day operations ~ the accounting and budget, all programs and services, communications and cooperative relations among the WCBA, the judiciary, the legal and business communities as well as the public.

“I appreciate UP’s holistic “Hand-UP” approach which addresses the root causes of poverty rather than temporarily treating its symptoms. UP provides the tools, programs and consistent support that have allowed clients and their families to move toward self-sufficiency and financial security. I am pleased and proud to work with the amazing staff, volunteers and board members who play a part in UP”s measurable success.”

Don Drinkard was born and raised in Mobile, Alabama. He received bachelor’s and master’s degrees in engineering from Auburn University. After serving in Korea as an officer in the U.S. Army, he completed an MBA from the University of Alabama. He then began a career in the oil and gas industry, spanning 27 years, during which he managed drilling, production and construction projects in Louisiana, Texas, Alaska, and California in the U.S, and overseas in the Republic of Yemen, Colombia, Malaysia and Africa. Since retiring to Vero Beach, Florida in 2004, Don has enjoyed precious time with his wife, three children and five grandchildren. He enjoys First United Methodist of Vero Beach where he is involved in education and outreach. He supports United Against Poverty and serves on the Board of Directors. He also enjoys golf, art and reading.

“It is indeed a genuine privilege to be associated with an organization served by a caring, compassionate staff who help our clients and their families find their true selves and achieve their potential by reaching for the stars.”

Josh is originally from Las Vegas and grew up in Lake Tahoe, Nevada. Josh and his wife Anastasia moved to Vero Beach in 2019, where they both now live and work. Josh obtained his bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Colorado (Boulder) and a J.D. from Willamette University College of Law in Salem Oregon. He has over 15 years of in-house corporate counsel experience, and currently serves as VP & General Counsel for Piper Aircraft in Vero Beach. In that role he is responsible for all of Piper’s legal matters. Prior to joining Piper Aircraft, Josh was the Director of Regulatory Affairs at the Fort Pierce Utilities Authority, and has held positions as in-house counsel for Pinnacle Entertainment, a hotel casino company out of Las Vegas, NV, and Quadrant Information Services, a software and data analytics company located in the San Francisco Bay Area, CA.

“I first learned about United Against Poverty through Piper Aircraft’s community outreach committee. Working for an employer that has hired graduates of UAP’s Step Program has allowed me to see firsthand the impact that UAP can have on people’s lives in the local community. I am impressed with UAP’s values and its mission to empower, educate, motivate, and help others rise up out of poverty into success.”

With a BS in Chemical Engineering from the University of Illinois and an MBA from Northwestern University, I dedicated 35 years to Bestfoods, a global consumer food company boasting a $10 billion portfolio including brands such as Hellmann’s, Knorr, Skippy, SB Thomas, Arnold, and Entenmanns. My extensive corporate journey involved pivotal roles, from serving as President of the $1.5 billion worldwide food ingredients division to leading the $2 billion U.S. baking division, acting as Chief Financial Officer, and overseeing Bestfoods’ operations in Asia, Latin America, and the North American Baking business. This encompassed managing 20,000 employees across 30 countries, with a total revenue of $4 billion. Following Bestfoods’ acquisition by Unilever, I retired and transitioned to academia, becoming the Harder Professor of Business at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, NY. During my seven-year tenure, I taught Business Strategy, International Business, and Corporate Governance, and initiated a mentoring program connecting students with business executives. Simultaneously, I contributed significantly to various non-profit boards, dedicating 15 years to organizations such as the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship, Double H Ranch, Vero Beach Museum of Art, and United Against Poverty in roles ranging from Board member to Treasurer and Board Chair.

“UP doesn’t lift people out of poverty, rather it empowers people to lift themselves and their families to sustainable economic self-sufficiency through our programs and ongoing support.”

John was born and raised in the New York City suburbs. He received his BS in Engineering from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, NY. After graduating he travelled the world on merchant ships for three years before returning to New York University to get his MBA. In 1967 he married Charlotte DeWilde who he had met in The Netherlands, and he simultaneously started a 25-year career with IBM. In 1992 he joined Digital Equipment Corporation as a Corporate Officer managing a $2B worldwide business. He stayed in the Software/Services industry and moved to London, England to become CEO of MDIS, a publicly listed global firm. Since returning to the US John has served on several boards and recently retired in March of 2020 as Chairman of Cognizant Technology Corporation, a $16B global firm with 290,000 employees. From a charitable point of view, he has served on the local boards of United Way, YMCA, Preservation Trust, Morikami Museum, Opera New England, Urban League and others. For recreation he enjoys racquet sports, sailing and other events with his wife, three children and four grandchildren.

“I’ve been impressed with UP since my first exposure in 2017. The whole approach of a Hand Up and not a Hand Out resonates with my philosophy. I’ve also been impressed with the STEP program and their approach to partnering with other groups rather than trying to be all things to all people. Thanks for the value you bring to our community.”

Brandon Nobile was born and raised in St. Lucie County. He attended St. Lucie Public Schools for his K-12 education and received a degree in Building Construction Technology from Indian River State College. He began his construction career here in St. Lucie County by working on the construction of a new school for the county and eventually founded Remnant Construction in 2017, which focuses on public and private work in the Treasure Coast Region. Having experienced the need for public assistance during childhood he holds a special place in his heart for uplifting and providing support for the underprivileged members of his community.

Brian Rubin is one of the foremost experts on change in the financial services industry, known for orchestrating and implementing the redesign of Bank of America’s foreclosure process during the great recession in 2008-2009. This included rewriting over 3000 processes, holds and issues across more than 20 locations in 9 states. He did this for the largest mortgage servicer in the country, during historically high inventory levels and during constantly changing regulations. This allowed Bank of America to convert tens of millions of dollars in foreclosed real estate into revenue and satisfied regulatory requirements from more than 10 different government regulators.

He has strategized, designed, and implemented full scale transformations of sales and service organizations, post-merger integrations, project management offices and engineered multiple regulatory responses at Bank of America, Wirbicki Law Group, Let’s Talk Counseling, and Bank of America Merchant Services.

Brian also holds certifications in all major change methodologies including the Project Management Professional (PMP), Six Sigma Master Black Belt, Scrum Product Owner and Customer Experience Champion designations.

Brian has over 20 years of entrepreneurship experience, starting his first business, The Old Dominion Student Guide magazine, before graduating with a finance degree from Old Dominion University. He has experience as a founder/operator, investor, CEO consultant and board member in industries including construction materials, real estate, technology, and financial services.

Currently, Brian is Senior Vice President and Process Engineering Director at Wells Fargo and sits on the Corporate Board of Directors at Untied Against Poverty. At Wells Fargo, he owns all process and is a leader of the major growth initiative occurring in the Credit Card and Merchant Services groups. He manages a worldwide team of process engineers responsible for the digital transformation of workflow and process in that organization.

He is a graduate of Old Dominion University with a Bachelor of Science in Finance and a panelist and presenter at various change and process strategy events. He is a 2-time winner of the Bank of America Community Service award and in 2010, he took home a gold medal in Karate at the North Carolina State Games.

Based out of South Hutchinson Island, Florida, Brian is an avid scuba diver that can often be found at the reefs of the coast of Ft. Lauderdale and Key West. As an ice hockey fanatic, he tries to catch as many Florida Panthers games as he can. He also enjoys travelling and attending live music events with his wife Laura.

Victoria (Vikki) Thomson is Vice President, Customers since June 2018 and part of Bimbo Bakeries USA since 1998. She oversees $1.3B in sales revenue with national responsibility for Target, Costco and Save-A-Lot, as well as Central Business Unit P&L responsibility for Walmart, Kroger, Meijer, Hy-Vee, Sam’s Club and Jewel. Vikki holds an MBA in Marketing from Fordham University in New York and a BS in Business from Eastern Illinois University. Vikki and her husband Cliff share 3 daughters, Alexa, Jessica, and Victoria. She loves to read, create DIY projects and cheer on her beloved Miami Heat.

“Helping feed people is part of what I do professionally. At UP, we not only help feed people, but we also help feed their soul… with the belief, tools and resources to break the cycle of poverty.”