Board of Directors

Our Team

Lori is a small business owner and practiced general dentistry at Ultimate Smile Design until her retirement in December 2022. Her practice welcomed patients with various special needs and is now owned by Emily Millingen, DDS who has, with their loyal staff of over 25 years continued with that care.

Lori served in the United States Air Force and completed her General Practice Residency there in July 1984, after graduating from the Baltimore College of Dental Surgery, University of Maryland as Valedictorian with her Doctor of Dental Surgery in May 1983. She also holds a BA in Psychology from the State University of New York at Albany, graduating summa cum laude. Lori completed an internship in the Special Needs Clinic at the University of Maryland. Lori’s practical experience with individuals with special needs brings wisdom and thoughtful consideration to the goals of Promise.

Lori’s son, Matthew, whose path of recovery from autism continues to inspire many, is currently a resident at Promise and is developing great skills of independence. Lori’s volunteer efforts within the community are many, but currently are solely focused on Promise in Brevard. Having served as Secretary and Treasurer, she now Chairs the Board of Promise and is excited about bringing it to the next level as an organization of excellence in the community.

Lynn is a lifelong resident of Brevard County and co-owner of Star Real Estate, Inc., Better Homes & Gardens Real Estate and Prudential. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Management from St. Leo College in Florida and earned a certificate of industrial and organizational psychology from The Chicago School of Psychology.

Lynn is active in the community having served on the parish council and committees at the Church of Our Savior and as chairwoman of the Space Coasts Challenged Athletes. She currently serves as a volunteer at Promise and developed and sponsors Promise Pulse, an interactive website for Promise families. Her daughter, Nicole, who works at Publix, was one of the first residents to move into Promise.

After more than 35 years of newspaper leadership, Frank retired from his role as publisher in May 2013. The Hearst Corporation named him publisher and chairman of the San Francisco Chronicle in January 2005. Vega serves as president of the Board of the Chronicle Season of Sharing Fund. He serves as a Host Committee member for the PGA’s Schwab Cup and held the same position for the President’s Cup in 2008 and 2009. Vega was the president and CEO of Detroit Newspapers Inc., the agency that provides business and production services to the Detroit Free Press and The Detroit News. He served as the CEO of Detroit newspapers beginning in 1991 and is credited with restoring the productivity and profitability of the agency during that time.

Prior to his work in Detroit, Vega, a 26-year veteran of Gannett Company, Inc., and a native of Tampa, Florida, served in a variety of positions with that company, including a tenure at the Bay Area’s Oakland Tribune. Vega was the vice president of circulation for USA Today when the flagship was launched. He was publisher of Florida Today from 1984 to 1991, and was also a regional president, where he oversaw a number of newspapers owned by the company. In addition, Vega has served in various capacities on numerous community nonprofit Boards including President of the Brevard Arts Council, Regional Director for Barnett Banks and member of the State of Florida Arts Council.

Mr. Williams IV is a partner with law firm of Widerman Malek and specializes in Construction, Estate Planning, Estate Litigation, Guardianship and Probate. Prior to his law career, Mr. Williams IV was a civil engineer with BRPH Architects/Engineers. He earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Florida in Gainesville and a Law Degree from Barry University.

Mr. Williams serves on the Board of Directors for The Morgan Project; is past president of the Barry University Alumni Association; a board member for the Space Coast Guardianship Association; and member of the Junior Achievement Charity Golf Tournament Committee.

A resident of Florida for the past 20 years, Peggie attended the Ultrasound Diagnostic School in New York and is a Registered Vascular Technologist. She served as Chief Technologist and Manager at the Vascular Laboratory at both the Brooklyn Hospital and Methodist Hospital in New York between 1988-93. A longtime volunteer of Promise Treasures Thrift Shoppe and at the Promise Main Campus, she is a parent to twin boys, both of whom reside at Promise – Daniel, who graduated from the On Campus Transition Program at the University of North Florida in Jacksonville and Thomas, who is currently a junior at the University of North Florida studying Photography.

Peggie’s volunteer work in the community includes her involvement with Manatee Elementary School, a committee member of the Feed a Family Foundation from 2010-14 and the 2016 Brevard Zoo’s “Safari Under the Stars.” As part of this event, Peggie was part of the committee that achieved its goal of bringing to fruition the “Exceptional Nature Space” at Brevard Zoo, an area that is the first of its kind designed to meet the needs of children with varying exceptionalities. She served as a presenter during the Brevard Public Schools Start Conference in 2016 and 2017 where she spoke about navigating potential post-secondary programs geared toward students with special needs, as well as financial options for the special needs population, including the Medicaid Waiver and Step Up for Students.

For more than 13 years, Rusty Melle has served as the broker for local real estate company, ITG Realty, as well as ITG Property Management. He is a proud veteran of the United States Navy serving during Desert Storm Desert Shield. Rusty has been a longtime support of Promise both serving as a past member of the Promise Board of Directors and a sponsor of many Promise fundraising events.

Rusty currently serves on the Board for the Henegar Center for the Performing Arts; the Florida Realtor Board of Directors District 2; and the Space Coast Association of Realtors (current President) and serves as chairman of the Commercial Investment Committee and the CIC Task Force. He also serves as a member of the National Association of Residential Property Managers; chairman of the West Melbourne Business Advisory Board; a board member of the Buena Vida Foundation; and a Melbourne Regional Chamber Board of Director.
In 2025, Rusty was named Economic Development Commission Volunteer of the Year for 2024.

Debbie retired in November 2024 from the firm of Carr, Riggs & Ingram, LLC’s Melbourne office where she was the Partner-In-Charge of the office. CRI is a regional CPA firm and is ranked in the top 20 largest accounting firms nationally and the 2nd largest in the Southeast. She previously worked for the national firm Coopers and Lybrand, is a certified public accountant and is a Diplomate of the American College of Forensic Examiners. Debbie was in public accounting for over 38 years and primarily worked with clients in Florida, in the not-for-profit, government, employee benefit plan and commercial sectors.

Debbie oversaw the audits of over 30 entities while also managing the Melbourne office’s daily operations. Her responsibilities as Partner-In-Charge were typical of a CEO’s and included budget monitoring, human resources, marketing and event management. She currently serves on CivMil’s Board of Directors and is on Suntree Country Club’s Finance Committee. Debbie served as chair of the Space Coast Economic Development Commission for two years and was also on its Board and Executive Committee for over 15 years. She also chaired the Boards of United Way of Brevard County, LEAD Brevard, and weVenture along with serving other officer positions and being on the boards of these organizations for many years. In addition, she was a founding member and chaired the Space Coast Women in Defense Brevard Chapter.

Debbie has a passion for being involved in her community and giving back. She does not consider herself to be a “typical’ accountant since she really enjoys meeting new people and fostering relationships and connections. In her free time Debbie enjoys traveling, cooking and pickleball.

Debbie has obtained numerous awards for her leadership and community involvement including weVenture’s Excellence in Leadership Award, the American Institute’s Woman to Watch Award, the Florida Economic Council’s Volunteer of the Year Award and the Community Leadership Association’s Distinguished Leadership Award.

Every great achievement starts with a dream

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Our Team