Board of Directors and Leadership Team

President: Tanya Landry

Tanya Landry, President

Tanya Landry is a retired executive, with over 35 years’ experience in the areas of operations and human resources with non-profit and for- profit corporations. She and her husband are from Bethesda, Maryland, and relocated to Clearwater, Florida in 2019, after the sale of their software company.

Tanya is passionate about civic engagement and improving community access to quality health care and education. She currently serves as a board member with the League of Women Voters North Pinellas County and has been a member of the league since 2020. She is co-chair of the Membership Committee and is the Candidate Forum Chair; organizing and serving as moderator for several candidate forums. She is also a member of the Environmental and Voter Services Committee. Tanya has also participated in the research and preparation of the voter guides, represented the organization at voter registration events and is the coordinator of the LWVNPC, first year in the Adopt-A-Mile program with Keep Pinellas Beautiful.

Tanya believes “that the greatness of a community is most accurately measured by the compassionate actions of its members” (Coretta Scott King)

Tanya has a B.S. in Health Education from the University of Maryland and a graduate degree in Health Care Administration, University of Maryland, University College.

She is also a member of 100 Women Who Care of Pinellas County. She is an avid reader, enjoys cycling, hiking, yoga and beautiful Clearwater Beach.

Vice-President: Jacqueline Farrell

Board-of-Director-Vice-President-Jacqueline Farrell Jacqueline Farrell has been a resident of Florida for 28 years. She originally hails from Buffalo, New York. Jacqui is a licensed speech pathologist and has worked in multiple educational and healthcare settings. She initially became interested in the League of Women Voters years ago, when she realized that there is nothing more fundamental to our democracy than our ability to vote. Since then, she has been on the Economic Equity Committee, Membership Committee, and the Board of Directors. She is also a co-editor of our newsletter, The Voter. Jacqui is also an exercise instructor for the YMCA and a long-time member of FAST (Faith and Action, Strength Together.)

Vice-President: Beth Hovind

Beth Hovind joined our League in 2015 and never looked back!
People who know her have often heard her mantra;

“My goal is to eliminate childhood poverty in my lifetime.”

She continues to gather voices of support for low-income housing, one of four selected priorities. Beth, who led North Pinellas League’s Poverty, Health Care and Juvenile Justice Committee for seven years, has been a passionate advocate for the under-served. In 2016, hosted hot topic meetings on local housing issues. In 2019, the Poverty, Health Care and Juvenile Justice Committee received grant funds to sponsor a conference “Reducing Poverty In Florida – Legislative Solutions.” More than 70 representatives of local and state organizations participated. Beth joined our League in 2015 and continues her good works toward her life goal.

Before moving from California to Florida in 2004, Beth was a child welfare worker and a residence director of low-income housing. In Wisconsin, she served as State Program Director for Health and Human Services including pregnancy prevention, teen parents, domestic abuse programs and teen youth. She’s also worked with aging programs and shelters for neglected youth. A graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Beth holds a Bachelor of Science degree and Master of Science in Social Work.

Currently Beth is Vice President of North County Community Council, responding to the Juvenile Welfare Board of Pinellas County, a member of the Advisory Board for the Florida Policy Institute, a volunteer with FAST: Faith and Action for Strength Together, Advocates for Race Amity, and the Pinellas Conservation Coalition.

Secretary: Gayla Larson

Board-of-Director-Secretary-Gayla-Larson Gayla Larson was born to Air Force parents in the Canal Zone of Panama. Her father’s career took her around the US, and her former marriage to an Army pilot took her to even more places and instilled in her a love of travel and faraway places.

After 27 years of service as a meeting planner to Nation’s Best Sports, a Texas based sporting goods buying group, Gayla retired to Florida to care for her mother following the death of her father. Subsequently and until her retirement in 2016, she worked as Executive Assistant to the President for Lighthouse of Pinellas, a rehabilitation center for individuals who are blind or visually impaired.

Gayla joined the League of Women Voters North Pinellas County in 2017 and served as Treasurer for a year prior to her retirement due to illness in 2020. She was highly active organizing the League’s Celebrating 70 anniversary fundraising event at the Fenway hotel in Dunedin, helping with ticket sales, program design, and creating gift baskets and treats for the silent auction. She attended Emory & Henry College in Virginia and Weatherford College in Texas where she worked on her declared English major.

Gayla is “mom” to two rescue fur-babies – Lily (a ShihTsu) and Loki (very affectionate black cat). She happily confesses that she is a lover of people, animals, and wine (not always in that order) and is eager to help in any way she can be of service.

Treasurer: Dennis McDermott

Board-of-Director-Treasurer-Dennis-McDermott Dennis McDermott retired in 2014 after a 30-year career with JP Morgan Chase. He primarily focused on supporting community economic development projects in small cities in the Northeast, ranging from residential and mixed-use housing, to commercial and industrial, including several brownfield projects.

The great majority of these projects involved adaptive reuse of existing properties and land uses, generally integrated with existing transportation corridors and public transit alternatives.

Dennis’ ‘world view’ was greatly influenced by the works of Thomas Paine, enhanced by a childhood immersed in the values of a Unitarian Universalist congregation in Buffalo, NY.

Director, Economic Equity: Vacant

Director, Education Committee Co-Chair: Vivian Posey

Board-of-Director-Education-Co-Director-Vivian Posey Vivian Posey has been a lifelong educator, having served as a teacher, curriculum specialist, school principal, university professor, and most recently, Chair of the Educational Leadership Department at Barry University in Miami Shores. After retiring from full-time teaching, she and her husband moved to Seminole in 2019, to spend more time with family, and enjoy the beauty and nature of Florida’s west coast.

Vivian was a member of the Broward County League of Women Voters before joining the North Pinellas chapter. While in Broward County, she participated in voter registration events, the Speakers Bureau, and several legislative forums. Vivian is the co-chair of the state legislative committee of Delta Kappa Gamma Society International (DKG) for Key Women Educators, and has traveled to Tallahassee and Washington, D. C. to advocate on issues related to women, children, and education.

Vivian continues to teach aspiring school leaders as an adjunct for Barry University and she currently mentors a PCSD student at Anona Elementary School. She and her husband Ward have two children and a very lazy rescue dog named McDuff.

Director, Education Committee Co-Chair: Jeanne Reynolds

Board-of-Director-Education-Co-Director-Jeanne-Reynolds Jeanne joined the League of Women Voters of North Pinellas County in 2021. She has been serving on the Education Committee and looks forward to serving as the Education Committee’s Interim Chair.

Jeanne retired as the Performing Arts Specialist for Pinellas County Schools. Her education includes piano performance studies at Boston University, a Bachelor of Music Education Degree from Florida State University, a Master of Arts Degree from the University of South Florida, and an Educational Leadership Certificate.

In addition to her work with the League, Jeanne has served on the boards of several other local and state organizations and is a founding member of the Pinellas Arts for a Complete Education Coalition. Jeanne has served as the President of the Florida Music Supervision Association, the President of the Florida School Music Association, and the President of the Florida Music Educators Association.

Jeanne currently serves as the Advocacy Chair for the Florida Music Education Association and sits on the board of the Florida School Music Association. Jeanne is honored to have received multiple awards and recognitions, some of which include the National Society of Arts and Letters Annual Community Award, the Ruth Eckerd Hall Shining Star Award, and the distinguished alumni award from the USF School of the Arts. Jeanne was inducted into the FMEA Hall of Fame in January 2014 and in 2020 received the Florida Alliance for Arts Education Dr. Mary Palmer Trailblazer award.

Jeanne and her husband, Richard, enjoy traveling and spending time with their two daughters and two grandchildren.

Director, Environment & Natural Resources: Bryan Beckman

Board-of-Director-Environment-Director-Bryan-Beckman Bryan is currently chair of the Suncoast Sierra Group Executive Committee. Suncoast Sierra is a volunteer organization serving Pinellas County, protecting green spaces, keeping our water and air clean, and supporting the movement to clean energy. He is a perfect fit as Chair of the LWVNPC Natural Resources Committee.

Since Bryan joined Sierra Club, he has led various Sierra Ready for 100 campaigns across Pinellas County, working with cities and the country to set clean energy goals and implement solutions to reach those goals. Bryan also serves on the Pinellas County Parks and Recreation and Conservation Advisory Board. He is also very involved in advocacy in Clearwater for workforce and affordable housing. Prior to all this, Bryan had a 30-year career with Kraft Foods/Mondelez, where he was responsible for Global Transportation and Warehouse systems.

In his spare time, Bryan enjoys helping residents, small businesses, non-profits, and churches reduce their energy bills and carbon footprint.

Director, Voter Service & Voter Registration: Linda Metzkow

Board-of-Director-Voter-Service-Director-Linda-Metzkow Linda Metzkow was born in Keyser, West Virginia, but grew up in St. Petersburg, Florida, from the 1960’s onward. As a young mother she was politically active and marched for clean waters in Tampa Bay, the rights of homeowners when the Interstate was built in St. Petersburg, the ERA, and the right for eighteen-year-olds to vote.

Linda has a BA in Legal Studies, Master of Public Administration, and Graduate Certificate in Nonprofit management, all received at the University of Central Florida.

For more than 20 years she assisted individuals applying for Social Security disability where she implemented case strategy, developed evidence, and presented clients’ cases before the administrative law judges. She is currently serving on the Inspire Equine Assisted Center Board of Directors located in Clearwater.

Linda is the mother of three, grandmother of six, and great grandmother of one. She has been retired for two years, and is active with the local TNVR programs helping to stop the overpopulation of neighborhood cats.

Immediate Past Chair: Marti Folwell

Board-of-Director-Immediate-Past-Chair-Director-Marti-Folwell

Marti first joined the Monroe County League of Women Voters in Rochester, New York when babysitting was provided for general meetings. Since moving to Clearwater in 1975, she has held several leadership positions in the North Pinellas League. She was elected president three times: 1983-1984, 2008-2010 and 2013-2015. She served as secretary, chair of the education committee, treasurer and parliamentarian. She particularly likes moderating candidate forums for local municipalities.

Growing up in a small town in Michigan, Marti was awarded a scholarship to the University of Michigan where she also played flute in the university’s symphony band. In Rochester she taught English and U.S. history for the City School District. Following her family’s move to Clearwater, her children attended local schools where she was active in Cub Scouts, Girl Scouts, president of the Clearwater High School PTSA, an officer in the Pinellas County Council of PTA’s, and member of many county-wide education related committees. She has been active in her church taking a variety of leadership roles. She still occasionally plays the flute at services.

Over the years she has enjoyed snow skiing, tennis, sailing, and family vacations in the Finger Lakes region of New York State. As one of the League’s longest serving members, Marti values integrity and intellectual honesty.

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2024-2025 Nominating Committee

Marti Folwell, Chair

Board of Directors and Leadership Team

2024-2025 Nominating Committee

League of Women Voters

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