Department of Finance Professional Advocacy Board

The mission of the Department of Finance Professional Advocacy Board is, among other things, to prepare students for success in their careers, facilitate business opportunities for them and financially support the finance department and the College of Business. 

Members of the board are highly regarded in their fields and represent diverse industries, viewpoints and communities. Serving three-year terms, board members meet twice a year and may meet intermittently when necessary. 

To learn more about the board, please contact Gary Bliss, senior finance lecturer and board liaison, at gbliss@business.fsu.edu.

 

Board Chair 

Todd Lazenby (MBA ’95)
Founder and Managing Partner, Royal Ascot Partners
West Palm Beach, Fla. 

 

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE 

Charles "Chuck" Adcock (B.S. Finance ’97)
President and CEO, FSU Credit Union
Tallahassee, Fla.

Niki Armstrong (B.S. Finance ’03)
Director of Institutional Sales and Business Development, Artisan Partners
Atlanta, Ga.

Kevin Kacer (B.S. Accounting ’11)
Partner, K-2 Ventures
Miami, Fla.  

Todd Lazenby (MBA ’95)
Founder and Managing Partner, Royal Ascot Partners
West Palm Beach, Fla.

 

Board Members 

Stephanie Carrejo (B.S. Economics and Finance ’18, MSF ’19)
Energy Investing, Zenith Capital Partners
Miami, Fla. 

Carter Collins (B.S. Finance ’22)
Franklin Templeton
St. Petersburg, Fla. 

Terin B. Cremer (JD/MBA ’10)
Managing Partner, Barbas Cremer, PLLC
Tampa, Fla. 

David Diaz (B.S. Marketing ’83)
Investment Advisor, Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith
Sea Ranch Lakes, Fla. 

Sammie Dixon (B.S. Finance ’96)
CEO, Prime Meridian Bank
Tallahassee, Fla.

Michael Freiburghouse (B.S. Accounting ’09; MAcc ’10)
CFO, PECAA
Deerfield Beach, Fla.

Kevin Hawkins (B.S. Finance and Risk Management/Insurance ’87)
CEO, MidAtlantic Finance Company
Belleair, Fla. 

Byron Holmes (B.S. Finance and Marketing ’91)
Managing Director, LoanStreet
Atlanta, Ga. 

Brock Howard (B.S. Finance ’11)
State Board of Administration
Tallahassee, Fla.

Peter Jones (B.S. Accounting, ’77)
Retired President, Franklin Templeton Distributors, Inc. and
Retired, Chairman, Franklin Templeton Institutional Inc.
Clearwater, Fla. 

Steve Lowsky (B.S. Finance ’88)
President/CEO, Middle Market Strategies
Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.

Kevin McGann (B.S. Communication ’99)
Owner, Digital Target Marketing
Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.

Holly Newell (B.S. Accounting ’00; MBA ’11)
Chief Financial Officer, Florida State University Foundation
Tallahassee, Fla. 

Robert "Bob" Rice (B.S. Political Science ’76; JD ’79)
Senior Advisor, multiple companies/boards
New York City, NY

Derrick Rushnell (B.S. Communication ’86)
Investment Banking and Private Equity
Spring Hill, Fla.

Matt Shifrin (B.S. Accounting ’08; MAcc ’10)
CFO, Tech Data Asia
Republic of Singapore

Rueben Stokes II (B.S. Finance ’11; M.S. Marketing ’13)
Investment Banking Associate, Bank of America Merrill Lynch
Miami, Fla. 

Jason Virostek (MIS ’02)
Baird Fixed Income
Tampa, Fla. 

Salmaan Wahidi (B.S. Finance ’04; MBA ’06)
Senior Director Commercial Finance and Credit, CSX
Jacksonville, Fla.