Officers
Gary Schweikhart, President
President, Public Relations by Schweikhart; Palm Beach
Gary Schweikhart is president of PR-BS, a full-service public relations firm based in Boca Raton. Clients include the Palm Beach Photographic Centre, Arts Garage, DCOTA, Mounts Botanical Garden, MusicWorks, etc. He is co-founder of the Gold Coast PR Council and the popular series Culture & Cocktails at The Ben in partnership with the Cultural Council for Palm Beach County. Gary was formerly VP of PR at Office Depot, Senior Media Manager for The Sharper Image retail chain, Managing Editor of The San Francisco Sentinel, Entertainment Editor of The Sun Newspapers of Omaha, a radio/TV talk show host, print and broadcast theater reviewer for over a decade, and a producer of numerous stage shows, rock concerts and citywide festivals.
Javier Siut, Vice President
Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs; Miami-Dade
Javier Siut is a member of the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs and former director of Prometeo Theatre at Miami-Dade College. He also chairs the board’s Scholarship Committee.
Donald R. Walters, Esq., Treasurer
Donald R. Walters, P.A.; Broward
Don Walters is an Attorney and Managing Partner of Donald R. Walters, P.A., a full-service Real Estate Law Firm with offices in Pompano Beach and Coral Springs, Florida. Don graduated from the University of Georgia with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and received his Juris Doctor from the University of Florida College of Law. His involvement in the legal community includes stints serving on the boards of the North Broward Bar Association, the Broward County Bar Association, Stephen R. Booher American Inn of Court, and Legal Aid of Broward County/Coast to Coast Legal Services. In addition to his law practice, Don has been active in the South Florida theater community for over thirty years as an actor and stage manager and served five terms as President of the Hollywood Playhouse. He has been on the Board of Trustees of The Carbonell Awards since 2009 and as Chairperson of the Steering Committee of the South Florida Cappies, The Critics and Awards Program for High School Theater, since 2006. After 20 years in Coral Springs, Don recently moved back to the east side where he was raised and currently resides in Lauderdale-By-The-Sea, Florida. He is the immediate past president and will continue to serve on the board’s Executive and Governance committees.
Terri R. Colli, Secretary
Retired Diplomat & former Vice-Chair of the Helen Hayes Awards in Washington, D.C.
Terry Colli spent nearly 20 years working in the Canadian Ambassy in Washington, D.C., where he served as both Director and Executive Director of Public Relations, specifically promoting cultural industries and designing programs to encourage Canada-U.S. relations. He also spent five years serving as Vice-Chair of the prestigious Helen Hayes Awards.
Board Members
Debbie Calabria
Marketing & Cultural Events Manager for the Cultural Council for Palm Beach County
Debbie Calabria oversees major special events at the Cultural Council, including the annual Muse Awards, exhibition openings, fundraising parties, and the popular Cultural & Cocktails series that concluded in 2025 after 20 seasons. A resident of Palm Beach Gardens, she is active in numerous local nonprofit organizations including Leadership Palm Beach County, The ARC, the Northern Palm Beach Cultural Collaborative, and the Jupiter Light House.
Dale Edwards
Vice President of Marketing for the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County
Since 2021, Dale Edwards has been responsible for marketing and sales efforts for all Arsht Center presentations, including Broadway, dance, theater and music, as well as overseeing institutional branding and various educational and community engagement initiatives. He previously worked with Houston Grand Opera and such NYC-based cultural institutions as Alvin Ailey Dance Theater, Disney Theatrical Productions, Manhattan Theatre Club, and The Metropolitan Opera.
Ricardo J. Gonzalez III
Owner/Director, Beaux Arts Gallery in Miami, Proprietor and worldwide personal representative for the Estate of Manuel Carbonell; Miami-Dade
Ricardo J. Gonzalez III is a registered architect in the State of Florida. Mr. Gonzalez has a degree in Architecture from the University of Miami with a minor in art. Since 1971, he enjoyed an extensive architectural practice throughout Florida and owned a successful development and construction company. He established Beaux Arts Gallery, aka Carbonell Sculptures Ltd. in 1987 for the purpose of representing Carbonell, being of the few galleries in Miami dating to that time. Twelve years ago, he retired from his other endeavors and dedicated himself full time to the art gallery and the promotion of Carbonells’ sculptures. Mr. Gonzalez is the nephew of Sculptor Carbonell and has full authority over the oeuvre of Carbonell as well as being the proprietor and worldwide personal representative for the Estate of Manuel Carbonell.
William Nix
Former Vice President of Marketing and Governmental affairs for the Cultural Council for Palm Beach County; Palm Beach
William Nix is the former vice president of marketing and governmental affairs for the Cultural Council for Palm Beach County who co-hosted weekly TV and radio programs on the arts. He currently is an ex officio member of the Palm Beach County Film and Television Commission and hosts the annual African-American Film Festival at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts.
Bernie Pino
Education Associate at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts.
At the center, Bernie Pino oversees programs such as S*T*A*R Series, Kravis-On-The-Road, Kravis Student Theater Critics, Broadway Reach, and Student Workshops & Masterclasses, among others. He is a former Artist-in-Residence for the A.W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts and a Teaching Artist for the Kravis Center. Bernie currently serves as the Assistant Music Director for the Kravis Center Dream Awards, and a judge for the Silver Knight Awards.
Avery Sommers
Broadway, Movie, and TV veteran; Palm Beach
Avery Sommers continues to sell out performances in cabarets, nightclubs, and theaters. Both a Carbonell Award winner and a seven-time nominee, she also is a recipient of a Los Angeles Ovation Award, The Silver Palm Award for Outstanding Contributions to South Florida Theater, and the Best Supporting Actress Award at the 2010 Monaco International Film Festival.
Ellen Wedner has organized and directed numerous film festivals, including those targeted to Jewish and LGBTQ+ audiences, in Miami and Palm Beach. She has also produced theater in both NYC and South Florida.
Zaylin Yates
Founding Manager Director of Brévo Theatre in Pompano Beach
Representing the Broward County Cultural Division, Zaylin Yates is dedicated to amplifying the voices of young Black artists and showcasing underrepresented talent across theatre, dance, and performance. Through inclusive, boundary-pushing storytelling and color-conscious casting, he champions new works that give rise to diverse perspectives and cultural dialogue. Yates also serves as a Manager of Community Engagement at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts in Miami.
