Baptist Health is the largest healthcare organization in the region, with 12 hospitals, more than 27,000 employees, 4,000 physicians, and 200 outpatient centers, urgent care facilities, and physician practices spanning Miami-Dade, Monroe, Broward, and Palm Beach counties.
Baptist Health boasts internationally renowned institutes specializing in cancer care, brain and spine care, heart and vascular care, and orthopedic care. It has three hospitals in Palm Beach County: Bethesda Hospital East, Bethesda Hospital West, and Boca Raton Regional Hospital. Boca Raton Regional Hospital is a designated Comprehensive Stroke Center and serves as the primary teaching site for Florida Atlantic University’s College of Medicine.
For more information, visit BaptistHealth.net/Newsroom.
Peter Bartuska was our 2023/2024 Ambassador of the year and a former Board member.
Peter received his BA in Christian Education/Psychology from Taylor University, M.Div. from Westminster Theological Seminary, and Reformed Theological Seminary. He is also Certified in Human Resource Administration from Florida Atlantic University. Peter has been working in pastoral ministry since 1990 and has been serving at the Church in Wellington for the past ten years.
Professional affiliations include; Alumni of Leadership Boyle County, Alumni of Leadership Martin County and a Member of the American Association of Christian Counselors. He is licensed and ordained through the Presbyterian Church in America.
Peter was born in Camden, NJ but calls Boca Raton, FL his hometown.
Peter is an avid runner, water lover, sometimes golfer, always reader, and loves to simply connect with people.
John D. Couris is the President and CEO of the Florida Health Sciences Center (FHSC), which comprises a portfolio of organizations, including Tampa General Hospital, one of the nation’s leading not-for-profit academic health systems, in partnership with the University of South Florida. Today, Tampa General’s footprint includes six hospitals and more than 150 care locations across Florida, employing nearly 14,000 team members and physicians.
Couris is recognized as a national expert in health care, organizational leadership and workplace culture transformation, having successfully built companies nationwide by driving innovation, operational excellence, team member and stakeholder engagement, and strategic collaboration.
Couris provides counsel and works closely with elected officials at all levels to help address issues impacting the health care industry in Tampa Bay, across Florida and on a national scale. He was recently appointed to a three-year term as a Florida Health Care Innovation Council member by Senator Kathleen Passidomo, President of the Florida State Senate.
Couris speaks and presents at conferences nationwide and internationally and serves as an expert source and contributor to multiple national publications. His peer-reviewed “Harnessing authentic leadership to transform an academic health system: Tampa General Hospital case study” was recently published in the journal, Management in Healthcare (July 2024).
Couris is a leader and advocate in his community and industry. He is a member of several boards and has been appointed to state and national councils. He has received numerous awards and accolades. Recently, he was awarded the President’s Fellow Medallion from the University of South Florida, one of the highest honors the USF President can bestow.
Couris holds a doctorate in business administration, management sciences, from the University of South Florida Muma College of Business, where he is a Research Fellow.
Darlene Curti, Senior Vice President/Business Development Officer for FNBCC Wellington, oversees the operations and management of the branch as well as leads in the development and expansion of the FNBCC brand in the Wellington community.
Darlene has more than 25 years’ experience in the banking and financial industry. In addition, she has served the western Palm Beach County region as a bank branch manager and business development officer. During her career, she has built strong relationships with residents and businesses in the Wellington area and successfully opened four bank branches in Palm Beach and St. Lucie counties.
An active member of the community, Darlene is a President’s Circle Member of the Wellington Chamber of Commerce and serves as a Chamber Ambassador.
Darlene and her husband Michael reside in Wellington. They have three sons and two granddaughters.
Mark Elie has operated K&E Travel for over 34 years. The company has 375+ independent agents and is ranked among the top 50 agencies in North America.
A longtime Wellington resident, Mark offers custom travel services worldwide and recently launched www.cruisedeals.fun to showcase hundreds of cruise offers.
Stuart A. Hack, EA, MS is the managing member of Hack Tax and Accounting Services LLC providing tax and accounting services to individuals and small businesses since 1988. He has worked closely with high-net-worth individuals, including investment banking executives and business owners, providing them with individual, trust, estate, business and not-for-profit tax preparation and advice. Stuart prides himself on getting to know all of his clients well, so that he can serve them on an ongoing basis.
Stuart holds degrees in mathematics and accounting from the State University of New York at Albany, where he also served as one of the play-by-play voices for Albany State Great Dane football and basketball. He is a member of the National Association of Enrolled Agents and the Florida Society of Enrolled Agents.
Stuart is a past President (2019-2020) and former Treasurer of the Greater Wellington Chamber of Commerce as well as a former Ambassador Chairman.
A Wellington resident since 2005, Stuart lives with his wife of 33 years, Diann. They have two children, Leah and Corey. In his spare time, this lifelong New York Mets fan watches most sports and in 2015 performed two standup comedy shows at the Palm Beach Improv. His internet sports-talk radio show, Hack Attack on Sports, ran for two years and had national sports writers, media personalities and former athletes as guests.
Stuart is a multi-time finalist and three-time winner of the Palm Beach Post’s Best Accountant Award.
Christina Nicholson is a TV journalist with a passion for helping business owners connect with their dream customers, all without emptying their pockets on advertising.
She stumbled upon this gig after spending over a decade as a TV anchor and reporter, which eventually led her to create a publicity and content creation agency, Media Maven, and working as a PR & Communications Manager at a global company with nearly 300 employees in more than 45 countries.
Christina is also the voice behind the mic on a podcast and best-selling book, Become A Media Maven.
She is a producer and correspondent on Health Uncensored! with Dr. Drew on Fox Business Network. Christina also hosts segments on Designing Spaces and The Balancing Act on Lifetime TV.
She has traveled around the country speaking at events like TEDx, FinCon, Mom 2.0 Summit, and ALT Summit, in addition to sharing her thoughts and insights in publications like Huff Post, Thrive Global, Inc. Magazine, Business Insider, and Fast Company.
In her downtime, you’ll find Christina on her local lifestyle and family blog called Christina All Day, curled up with a good book, or spreading the love of reading through her involvement with the Little Free Library non-profit
With over 28 years of accounting expertise, Sherron Permashwar, CPA and Personal Financial Specialist (PFS), is revolutionizing Financial Freedom, Education and Empowerment through her multifaceted career. A CUNY Lehman College Cum Laude graduate with advanced studies from Florida Atlantic University, Sherron’s impressive journey spans from Assistant Director of Accounting at American Red Cross to founding BMP Tax & Accounting, Inc. in 2007 and launching The Modern Savvy CPA in 2023, which delivers modern money tips specifically tailored to Gen Z and millennials. Beyond her professional practice, she chairs Women of the Wellington Chamber, serves on multiple boards, and leads The Prosperity Academy bringing financial education to underserved communities. Her podcast “Get Wealthy with Me!”, launched in January 2025 and now thriving, uniquely delivers financial education through storytelling while sharing her journey from poverty to prosperity and featuring guests to help younger generations master intentional money management. When not delivering dynamic financial presentations nationwide or developing educational programs, this thought leader enjoys time with her sons Brandon and Mark, embodying her philosophy of “paying it forward” while making financial education accessible and enjoyable across her social media platforms (@themodernsavvycpa).
Founder, BMP Tax & The Modern Savvy CPA
Steve is the President and CEO of Wellington based, K & E Travel. He brings over 30 years of experience in the travel industry. His extensive background includes agency ownership, account management, travel agency management/consulting, education and training in the travel industry, as well as experience on the supplier side of the industry.
As K & E Travel celebrates its 35th anniversary, Steve is focused on elevating the company to the next level. By leveraging new technologies in travel, he aims to ensure that K & E Travel clients enjoy the best possible travel experiences. Additionally, he intends to use the company’s high sales volumes to provide travelers with exceptional value that surpasses competitors. K & E Travel is proud to participate in many local and community charitable efforts. Steve is committed to continuing and expanding on the company’s philanthropic endeavors.
Dawn Quaranta is the Vice President of Regional Operations at Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital. She is responsible for all operations for the hospital’s Pediatric Specialty Center located in Wellington, Florida. She is also responsible for regional growth initiatives, business development and services lines. As part of her role, she also works with external partners to develop growth opportunities.
Dawn has more than 20 years of service with the Memorial Healthcare System and Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital. Prior to her role in operations, she was the Vice President of Palm Beach Operations, and Director of Business Development and Physician Relations for Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital. In addition, she served as the Director of Government Relations for the Memorial Healthcare System for 10 years.
A Wharton MBA and former IBM executive, Jess Santamaria, pioneered retail and housing development in the Western Communities. His accomplishments include the Royal Inn Hotel, Saratoga communities, and the original Wellington Mall.
Jess served as a County Commissioner, chaired major hospital boards, and founded the My Brother/Sister’s Keeper Foundation. He remains active in business and community service alongside his family.
Michael Stone leads Wellington International (formerly PBIEC), managing equestrian events and community partnerships. He is a former international show jumper and former Secretary General of the Fédération Équestre Internationale (FEI).
He served as Chamber President in 2011 and sits on multiple U.S. and international equestrian boards. He is committed to global excellence and supporting his local community.
