Christopher is the Creative Director for Strategic Marketing Resources, Inc., a Sarasota based marketing firm serving Nonprofit Organizations, For-profit Businesses and Individuals and Families. Christopher has served on the board of TeamUP Volunteer & Partnership Council since 2012.

Prior to joining Strategic Marketing Resources, Inc., Christopher was a Multimedia Journalist/Reporter/Bureau Chief for WWSB ABC  7 where he gathered, wrote, edited and presented stories on multiple platforms including morning and evening newscasts. He also created and presented stories to air in long form “60 Minutes” style and wrote stories for web content, Facebook and Twitter.

From an embedded feature at Parris Island to Hurricanes and their aftermath, Christopher always delivers the story. His relationships with leaders in businesses, government, entertainment and philanthropy are noteworthy and for a man in his mid-twenties, he has accomplished quite a bit.

Christopher is a charismatic and talented director, reporter, storyteller dedicated to meticulous fact checking and thorough research. He has a remarkable ability to transform complex topics into accessible and engaging news, branding and life stories. An accomplished interviewer, Christopher is able to connect with the subject, all the while gathering relevant information. A digital native and professional, he easily leverages social media tools and technology to bring stories to a broader audience. 

He did get an early start by attending Suncoast Polytechnical High School and Suncoast Technical College simultaneously and graduating from both in 2012 with Certification in Television Production.  

Mary Ann White just joined the TeamUP Council this year, starting out as a Rockin’ Reader at Wilkinson Elementary for the past three years.  Mary Ann has always had a love of books, starting as a young girl who would walk to the Public Library every summer to be part of the Summer Reading Program.  She had to read at least 10 books and then give an oral report on them to the Children’s Librarian.  Her very first job as a teenager was being a student page in the Children’s of the library in her neighborhood.    Mary Ann did this until she left for college at the University of Dayton.  Graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Medical Technology, in her career as a Med Tech, she worked in departments like Medical Genetics, Microbiology and Hematology.  A few years after the birth of her son, Mary Ann took a part-time job at Selby Public Library in the Youth Department.  Once again working with children’s books, as the Assistant Youth Librarian, she found her niche in creating Pre-School Story Time, choosing the books and the activities that went along with the weekly theme.  Mary Ann even got to meet her favorite children’s author, Tomie dePaola, when he visited Sarasota for a Reading Conference!

As the job situation changed, Mary Ann went to work for Sarasota County Schools.  She started out as a secretary to the Supervisor of Testing.  Doing this job, Mary Ann learned to enjoy working with computers.  This evolved into learning about Networking and eventually lead to working with the GIS (geographic information system) used by the school district to create school boundaries.  She left this department to work in Information Services, supporting district-wide software applications for over 24 years, when she retired in March 2017.

Mary Ann has been married to her husband for 49 years.  They have a daughter and a son and two grandchildren, with whom Mary Ann shares her love of books!

After retiring from a 45 year nursing career, Rita, decided she wanted to volunteer outside of the nursing realm. She was introduced by friends to the Starfish initiative and the Rockin Reader program. 

She has been volunteering with this program approximately 5 years and loves the time she spends with the kindergarten children reading to them weekly.Prior to this she volunteered at the History Center in Sarasota. 

Originally from Dayton, Ohio she  moved to Sarasota with her mom,dad,and sisters in 1956, attended local schools and graduated from Sarasota High School and Manatee Junior College Nursing program. 

She worked at Sarasota Memorial and Doctors Hospitals in Sarasota after living in Tampa,while husband working on his masters,and Orlando. 

Married with 2 adult children and 5 grandchildren,whom she loves spending time with,Sarasota holds a special place in her heart. 

Candice served as program director of Take Stock in Children for nine years. Her commitment to the continued elevation of services to meet the needs of TSIC students resulted in the development of new higher education readiness programs, life skills workshops, college success curricula and the creation of a yearlong series of educational workshops to specifically prepare TSIC seniors for college and applying for financial aid. Candice is married to her husband Byron and they have two daughters that attend Riverview High School.

Scott Ferguson has been a Rockin’ Reader at Fruitville Elementary School since 2022. He became a member of the TeamUP Volunteer & Partnership Council the following year. Scott has worked in various media throughout his career. At the University of Florida, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Broadcasting (1975), Scott appeared on stage in Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew. In the 1980s, he worked as a magazine writer and voice-over talent in Atlanta and was a staff producer/writer at Turner Broadcasting. As a volunteer, Scott read the New York Times Book Review weekly for the Georgia Radio Reading Service for the vision-impaired. He and his wife, Cady, founded Bissell Ferguson Communications, producing videos for corporate and museum clients in Atlanta and Sarasota from 1983 to 2004. Scott was a member of the communications team for Sarasota County Government from 2004 to 2007 (he especially enjoyed working with libraries) and was the voice of Scrappy the Recycling Clown in an animated video. He served as communications specialist for Sarasota County Schools from 2007 to 2018. After a four-year stint as marketing and communications director of Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe, Scott retired from full-time employment in 2022. As a contributing writer for Sarasota Scene magazine, he writes stories about local arts organizations and their productions. Scott loves reading and enjoys sharing his excitement about the power of words and stories each week with kindergarten students! 

Dr. Suzanne Naiman has been supporting the TeamUp Council, formerly known as the PALS Council, associated with the Sarasota County Schools, since 1998. As the District Curriculum Specialist for Literacy and by request of the Council, she created and developed literacy programs to serve schools. Valuing the role of volunteers in the effort to support classroom teachers and students, Suzanne trained hundreds of literacy volunteers to prepare them for effective work with students. After retirement, she became a TeamUP Council member herself and is focused primarily on the Rockin’ Reader program.

Her professional experiences include classroom teacher, reading specialist, editorial board reviewer for international literacy journals, curriculum writer, creator of countless workshops addressing reading and literacy kindergarten through 12^th grade, FLDOE committee member for Reading standards development, and Literacy Conference presenter at the State, regional, and national level.

Dr. Naiman has been married to her college sweetheart for 50 years and is the mom of two wonderful daughters, and one exceptional granddaughter.

Susan Nations is the Principal of Wilkinson Elementary School in Sarasota.  She is also an author, national literacy consultant and former Reading Specialist with more than 30 years of experience. She is the co-author of Intermediate Literacy Stations, Primary Literacy Centers: Making Reading and Writing STICK!, More Primary Literacy Centers:  Making Reading and Writing STICK!  and So Much Stuff, So Little Space: Creating and Managing the Learner Centered Classroom all published by Maupin House.  Susan has also written over 250 teacher’s guides for the Weekly Reader Early Learning Library.

Over the years, she has worked as an Intervention Teacher and Reading Specialist in Hillsborough and Sarasota County School Systems in both Title I and non-Title I schools.  Susan received National Board Certification in Early to Middle Childhood Literacy in 2005. Also in that year, Susan was selected as Sarasota County’s District Teacher of the Year. In 2009, Susan represented her school as Literacy Teacher of the Year. 

In addition to her site-based job, Susan has served as a presenter to community groups on shifts in education and literacy acquisition for young children. Over her career, she has presented at many local, state, and national conferences including the North Carolina Regional ASCD Conference, Florida Reading Association Conference, The International Reading Association National Conference and the Staff Development for Educators (SDE) National Conferences She has also provided customized literacy training for schools and districts around the United States.

Susan lives in Sarasota, Florida with her husband Don.  They have five adult children who keep them very active! And now they have three grandchildren as well who are pure joy!  Susan and her family have a variety of interests including traveling, reading, community service and the arts. 

For over 39 years, Robin L. Magac has dedicated her career as an educator throughout Sarasota and Charlotte counties, working to advance children’s physical, social, and emotional well-being. 

Early in her career, Robin was an elementary teacher and media specialist, and she implemented evidence-based teaching practices and fostered positive and inclusive classroom practices. 

For the last 24 years of her career, Robin served as a school administrator and fulfilled various academic, organizational, and fiscal responsibilities. Most recently, Robin served as the principal of Gulf Gate Elementary for an unprecedented 18 years, where she nurtured the hearts and minds of a generation of students by promoting a safe, respectful, and student-centered approach to learning and academic achievement. 

Robin’s impact on the lives of others is profound, as evidenced by the warm hugs she receives from former students, teachers, and parents in our community. 

Her recent addition to the TeamUP Board is a testament to her ongoing commitment to enriching the experiences of our volunteers and the students we serve in the classroom. 

Beyond her professional life, Robin finds joy in spending time with her husband, Greg, their Golden Retriever, Louie, and in her role as a Nana to six amazing grandchildren. 

Susan Whitesides Padfield, M. Ed., Is a native of Sarasota, Florida who retired from elementary education after teaching second grade at Ashton Elementary School for 30 years.  During her tenure at Ashton, Susan served as chairperson for the Student Advisory Committee and was team leader for more than a decade.   A TeamUP Volunteer & Partnership member for several years, Susan steps into the role of President for 2020.