Paul White graduated from Lehigh University in 1970 with a BSEE. During the next 40+ years, he spent most of his time developing leading edge high power microwave solutions for next generation military systems. He spent 30 years as a serial entrepreneur, eventually selling his last business to General Dynamics in 2008. He also taught during this time, including 10 years teaching the electronics technology curriculum at The Community College of Baltimore, an inner city institution, and 3 years teaching at The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab as a staff consultant and graduate instructor. During the last 15 years, Paul has served as a Trustee at The Bridge Church, and as a board member of several non-profit and corporate boards, including Avenue 941. He is excited for the ministry opportunities that will unfold as Avenue 941 continues to provide an after-school faith based mentoring environment in collaboration with the Manatee County Board of Education. Paul is married to Vicki, father of 4, and grandfather of 9.

Hi all, my name is Johana Desir, I am a mom and wife, married to my H.S Sweetheart for 25 years, we have one amazing rainbow baby girl, well she is 22 years old, so not so baby anymore. I have my bachelor’s degree in organizational management from Concordia University Chicago. In the market place I am a Revenue Cycle Management Consultant working with small to mid-size healthcare companies. I am enrolled at Carson-Newman University in Knoxville, TN for my MBA in Org management, hoping to one day get my doctor in Org leadership.

I lead my own revenue cycle consulting firm and before that, I led the Revenue Cycle teams of several multi million dollar healthcare providers in CA, TN, GA & FL. My Husband and I are passionate missionaries to our Home Country of Haiti and leading the Haitian-American community here in Bradenton, FL through our church RendezVous Christ. I have a slight shoe addiction. I am a big ‘ole extrovert and if you’ve ever done the DISC profile personality test, I am high “I” 99% and high “C” 90%, my primary love language is gifts!

Thomas has a passion for helping others. Friends and family started coming to him as someone they trusted to help with their finances and investments. Seeing a void of trusted financial advice, Thomas founded Rise Financial Partners. Previous to Rise Financial Partners, he spent seven years at a global investment firm where he educated financial advisors and institutional investors how to build better investment portfolios.

Thomas frequently provides insights to other financial advisors and has been quoted by industry publications such as InvestmentNews, LendingTree, MarketWatch, Morningstar, and Time. Thomas is very active within his church community. He was responsible for the development and leadership of his prior church’s security team, and currently serves as the Chairman of the ManaSota Christian Community Foundation’s Advisory Board.

Thomas graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Finance from the University of Central Florida. He has passed FINRA’s Series 7, 63, and 66 exams.

Judy Vobroucek is the owner of Discount Med Direct and The Wellness Center of Ellenton. A dedicated community leader, she is an active member of Kiwanis Club of Manatee River and The Bridge Church, where she has served on the Dream Team and led small groups for over 15 years. Judy is the proud wife to Kevin, mother of two, and grandmother to four. Her passion for service and connection is evident in her professional and personal life,

Dr. Lora Reed has dedicated her life to education, believing deeply in its transformative power. With over 30 years of experience, she has worked as a college professor, consultant, program designer, and grant writer. She currently serves part-time as a dissertation chair at Grand Canyon University’s College of Doctoral Studies.

She also continues to serve as a learning coach at one of Avenue941’s Bradenton locations. Lora’s publications include Conflict: Many Sides to a Story (1998) and The Presents of Eagles (2012), both suitable for young readers. A strong advocate for experiential and service learning and workforce development, she earned a best paper recognition in 2010 for her work on Mustard Seeds for creative problem solving and ethical decision-making in management education. She and Dana ran Reach for the Stars! (1999-2020) as a program targeting development of older at-risk youth.

Lora holds a PhD in Organization/Management with a focus on servant-led organizations and was among the first Greenleaf Scholars in Servant Leadership. She authored the first national study on servant leadership in 9-1-1 emergency centers
(2015) and more recently, a case study on servant leadership in a 21st-century servant led church (2024). She continues to publish regularly.

She and her husband, Dana, longtime residents of Manatee County, are officers of Peace Offerings, Inc., a small family-owned Florida corporation. They have two daughters, sons-in-law, and four grandchildren, and are active members of Kingdom Life Christian Church in Bradenton, Florida. Both believe we are blessed to live as blessings to others.