Deering Estate Foundation announces new slate of officers and welcomes newly-elected members to Board of Directors

The Deering Estate Foundation's Executive Director Nina Zanella and President Liede DeValdivielso announced the new slate of officers and welcomed four distinguished newly-elected directors to the organization's Board of Directors at the Foundation's annual meeting in January.

Fellow Board members, trustees, community leaders and collaborating partners welcomed the new slate of officers and new members to join the Board of Directors in fulfilling the Foundation's mission to preserve and protect the Deering Estate's education and research initiatives, cultural arts programming, environmental conservation efforts, and historic preservation.

The new slate of officers include:

Liede DeValdivielso, President
Carole Wright, Vice President
Matias Perez, Treasurer
Barry Johnson, Secretary
Becky Roper Matkov, Past President
Nancy Eggland, President, 100 Ladies of Deering

The four new members of the 2021-2022 Board of Directors are:

Suzanne Gottlieb Calleja is the Associate Head of School for Communications and Strategic Partnerships at Palmer Trinity School, an independent college preparatory school in Miami. She began at Palmer Trinity in 2005 as the School’s director of communications and community relations, where she initiated strategic brand building and strengthened relationships within the community as well as with the media. Active in the community, Gottlieb Calleja is an amateur cellist and has played with the Alhambra Orchestra, a local chamber group. She is a board member of the Palmetto Bay Business Association; was a steering committee member of the 100 Ladies of Deering; is a member of Smith College Club of Miami; and was a board member at Temple Beth Am Religious School. She has also been a commissioner on the Council of Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) Marketing Commission. Gottlieb Calleja holds a bachelor’s degree from Smith College and a master’s degree in Strategic Communications. She is fluent in French and Spanish. She and her husband, Jose, have one son.

Baldwyn English, is an External Affairs Manager for Florida Power & Light in Miami-Dade County. His area of responsibility focuses on South Miami-Dade County from the City of South Miami down to Florida City. In this role, he represents FPL and is the primary contact for the company with local city and county elected officials, the business community and the nonprofit sector. In this capacity, Baldwyn sits on the boards of the Miami-Dade Chamber of Commerce, ChamberSOUTH, the South Dade Chamber of Commerce, the Economic Development Council of South Miami-Dade, the Deering Estate Foundation. In addition to these roles, Baldwyn is the Chairman of the Miami Union Adventist Academy School Board, a local parochial school in North Miami. Before entering the public sector, Baldwyn worked as an attorney at a leading law firm in Houston, Texas. His practice focused on complex business litigation, toxic tort litigation and related oil and gas matters. While in Texas, Baldwyn was successful in both a prosecutorial role as well as defending his clients’ interests and aggressively pursuing judgment recovery. Further, he was able to co-author the legal article, “I’m All Verklempt!” that was presented at the Conference on State and Federal Appeals at The University of Texas School of Law. Baldwyn earned his law degree from Texas Southern University where he graduated cum laude and was a member of law review, Chief Justice of the Board of Advocates and Chief Justice of the Honor Court. His undergraduate business degree was earned at Florida International University. Baldwyn is married and has two wonderful children. He is happy to be back in South Florida where he grew up.

Jerrod Sharp is originally from Illinois, Jerrod now lives in Palmetto Bay with his husband, Geoff, and their son, Josh. As a high school student in the Midwest farm belt, Jerrod first learned of the Deering family and their invaluable contributions to agriculture and its industrialization. Over the years his interests in historical properties and conservation have led him around the world, only to return full-circle to the amalgamation of his Illinois roots with his Florida life by settling just across the street from The Deering Estate. Jerrod pursued an interest in linguistics which eventually led him to work in the field of interpreting - serving the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community as an American Sign Language interpreter in the greater Washington D.C. area, North Dakota, and northern Florida. He’s now a stay-at-home parent, spending lots of quality time with his family at Deering. Jerrod also enjoys traveling, collecting artwork, playing the piano, fishing and reading. Charles Deering’s estate exhibits virtues which demand protection and preservation as hallmarks of south Florida heritage and our nation, as well as promotion to the general public as an historical and ecological gem not to be missed. Jerrod couldn’t be prouder to serve on the Board of Directors dedicated to this purpose.

Ashley Sodeman is a Realtor and Special Project Manager for Grouper Financial, Inc. Ashley became an advocate for and fan of The Deering Estate and The Deering Estate Foundation when she joined the foundation staff as an Executive Assistant from 2005 and remained an integral part of the Foundation team until 2012. Ashely remains committed to the mission and vision of The Deering Estate Foundation through her annual volunteer efforts at the main gate of the Deering Seafood Festival, managing volunteers and ticket sales, and selling memberships.

Photos of new members of the 2021-2022 Board of Directors. 

About the Deering Estate
The Deering Estate preserves the 1920s era Miami estate of Charles Deering, Chicago industrialist, early preservationist, environmentalist, art collector, philanthropist and first chairman of the International Harvester Company. The Deering Estate is a 21st Century house museum, cultural and ecological field station, and a national landmark listed on the National Register of Historic Places, owned by the State of Florida and managed by Miami-Dade County Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces Department. The Deering Estate has diverse activities for the whole family to enjoy! The Deering Estate is located at 16701 SW 72 Ave. in Miami.

About the Deering Estate Foundation
For those who treasure the Deering Estate, who advocate for its preservation and wish to invest in its future, The Deering Estate Foundation provides opportunities for individuals and corporations alike to partake in membership, signature events, and one-of-a-kind experiences, all in service of providing vital funding and support to the Deering Estate. Through these efforts, the foundation fulfills its mission to uphold the legacy of Charles Deering's cherished 1920s-era property, to provide funding for the cultural, educational and recreational experiences it offers, as well as its significant scientific and archaeological endeavors to conserve its diverse flora, fauna and the eight native ecosystems that thrive on its 450 acres, and to ensure its longevity as a prized American heritage site. Established in 1989, The Deering Estate Foundation, Inc. is a community-based charitable 501(c)3 Florida Corporation and the philanthropic partner of the Deering Estate.