About

Born and raised in Clearwater, Cary is a graduate of Largo High School and St. Pete College. She is a graduate of Leadership Pinellas and Co- founder of the popular Clearwater Jazz Holiday. She joined Eastern Airlines as a flight attendant then returned to Clearwater to begin a real estate practice. After earning her Florida Broker’s license she joined a real estate firm to handle downtown Clearwater commercial leasing and property management. She then formed Cary Management and served as President of the firm. As a volunteer in 1980 for Chi Chi’s, she met co- founders Chi Chi and Bill Hayes and was asked to join the staff in 1984. She began her non- profit career at the Chi Chi Rodriguez Youth Foundation as Director of Marketing and helped steer the fundraising and growth of the Foundation’s 170 acre McMullen Booth campus for 16 years. In 2000 she accepted a position as Director of Major Gifts for Ruth Eckerd Hall and then served as a Director for the Vincent Reid Foundation for children with disabilities. In 2004 she returned to Real Estate and became a Top Producer for Century 21in North Pinellas County. In 2006 she was invited to return to the Youth Foundation as Senior Vice President and Executive Director of The First Tee. Her goal in returning is to assist the Foundation with its future expansion plans and to position its alternative education program for struggling students as a permanent educational institution in the Clearwater community. She recently received the designation as a Certified Fundraising Executive. (CFRE) She has served as chairperson for the Downtown Clearwater Association, an Ambassador for the Clearwater Chamber of Commerce and been a member of both Kiwanis and Rotary clubs. Her recognitions include Up and Comer from the Tampa Bay Business Journal, Nominee Tampa Bay Business Committee for the Arts, Inducted into the Jazz Hall of Fame as an Honorary Member, Outstanding Young Women of America and the Century 21 Gold Pacesetter Award for Top Sales Producer.

Born and raised in Derby, England, James studied English Law and Business at South East Derbyshire College.

He moved to Pinellas County in 2003 and started his career in The United States by volunteering at The Clearwater Marine Aquarium and The Chi Chi Rodriguez Youth Foundation.

In the summer of 2004, The Chi Chi Rodriguez Foundation hired James to help run The First Tee of Clearwater’s Junior Golf Summer Camp Program. He has held multiple positions within the organization and is currently the Foundations Chief Operating Officer and Director of Golf Operations. He oversees the management and operations of the Golf Club and Sports Complex, including administration and maintenance.

In his free time, James loves to play golf, attend local sporting events and spend time with his wife Jenny and daughter Lyla.
Since 2014, James has served as the Treasurer for The Safety Harbor Chamber of Commerce and is currently Chair Elect. He loves to promote events and other great local non-profits. Grateful for an amazing group of family and friends, James makes sure to make a difference in our community by building relationships every day.

Mallory joined The First Tee of Clearwater in 2007 working in the Program Services department, mainly writing Grants and assisting with fundraising events put on by the Foundation. In 2010, she went to work for Corrigo Health Care Solutions as a Health Care Business Analyst. The past three years, she has been working with VA Hospitals and business offices around the nation on training and development of new billing systems. Early in 2013, Mallory rejoined TFT as Director of Development and is very excited to be back with such an amazing program.

As the Program Director, Karen will be responsible for overall implementation of the Life Skills programs through golf to over 1,600 youth in the community. She grew up in Orlando before moving south to obtain her B.S. in Professional Golf Management, Business & Hospitality at Florida Golf Coast University. As a PGA Class A Golf Professional, Karen has experience in instruction, course management and golf course operations. She worked at several courses in the Orlando and Naples area including the Osprey Ridge Golf Course at Walt Disney World and the Esplanade Golf and Country Club. Karen is excited to impact the lives of young people by providing educational programs that promote character development and life enhancing values through the game of golf.

Paul Sylvester has been the resident golf professional at Dunedin Stirling Links for the last 22 years, and a Class A of member of the PGA for the duration of his time at DSL. Paul has cemented himself as one of the premier junior teachers in all of the Tampa Bay area having won The North Florida Section PGA West Central Chapter Junior Golf Leader of the Year award in 2005, 2013, and 2014. Thanks to his efforts, The Dean Hedstrom Foundation awarded Dunedin Stirling Links a sun shade structure to cover a portion of the driving range, due to be installed late July 2015. In his time at Dunedin Stirling Links, Paul has done countless junior and adult lessons, leaving each and every one of his students with a lasting impression. His utmost expertise in the game of golf is directly reflected in one of his first and longest tenured students, Lee McCoy, who has been with Paul since the age of 3. As of 2015 McCoy is the number 1 golfer on the University of Georgia’s Men’s golf team and the 4th ranked amateur golfer in the world. McCoy was one of the amateur participants in the 2015 U.S Open and has played in other professional tournaments such as The Traveler’s Championship and the John Deere Classic as well as amateur tournaments such as The Walker Cup and The Palmer Cup. Paul remains dedicated to junior and adult golf, his summer camps fetch hundreds of youths and he does over 500 private adult lessons yearly, as they all come to Dunedin to learn from one of the best!