The Take Stock Manatee Team
Anne LeBaron
~ Chief Executive Officer
Anne Joined TSIC Manatee as a mentor in 2014 and continues to mentor today as well. In 2015 Anne chaired our Community Council for a year. She then became a Board Member where she served for 2.5 years. She stepped in to take the Interim Chief Executive Director (CEO) position in October of 2019 and in Feb. 2020 she took the CEO position permanently.
Anne brings with her 40 plus years of Sales, Marketing, Recruiting/Hr/Management and has extensive experience with turnaround recovery for private and non-profit organizations. Anne is originally from Texas and has worked all over the United States in her professional career. From Texas to Montana, New York and Connecticut which led her to Florida. Her two daughters live in Dallas and have blessed her with 3 wonderful grandkids Henry, Hudson, and Emilia Anne.
She graduated from Texas Woman’s University with a BS degree.
Kelly Suba
~ College Success Coach & Data Specialist
Kelly moved to Florida in 2003 from upstate New York. Her education is from the State University of New York in Oneonta where she dual majored in Business Economics and Speech Communications. Kelly landed her first real job traveling for a computer software company in Maine installing and training non-profits such as school districts and government agencies on fund accounting.
Once Kelly and her husband Rich moved to Florida, she took some time off to raise their four children. Once all her kids were enrolled in Braden River Elementary in August of 2008, she started part-time with the Take Stock Team. Since then, Kelly has helped in all areas of the program from working with the students, supplying information on data and statistics, and aiding with events to help raise funds so that we can serve more students.
Kelly’s favorite part of the Take Stock program is helping the students navigate their way to college and providing the resources necessary to make their journey as easy as possible!
Meloney Jones
~ College Success Coach
Meloney Jones has been a College Success Coach with Take Stock in Children of Manatee County since 2017. She earned her Bachelors degree in Psychology from Eckerd College and Masters Degree in Community Counseling from Slippery Rock University. Meloney and her husband have 3 amazing children. They relocated from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 2015. In her free time, Meloney enjoys watching
Steelers, Pirates and Penguins games, exercising as well as shopping at the Nike outlet!!
When asked why she works for Take Stock Manatee: “I work in the nonprofit world because I want to have the opportunity to make a positive impact on the lives of the underserved, but highly deserving youth in our community. Our program provides the youth in our community with the opportunity to envision their goal of pursuing a post-secondary education as a reality instead of a dream through hard work and dedication. I am honored to play a small role in helping our youth reach and exceed that goal!”
“Taking it easy won’t take you anywhere.” Nike
Theresa Quin
~ College Success Coach
Theresa Quin, “TQ,” joined Take Stock Manatee as a mentor three years ago. In August 2022, she joined the Take Stock Manatee Team as a College Success Coach. She will quickly tell you she landed her dream job. TQ has a passion for college and career readiness and financial aid funding. She believes in the Take Stock mission of Scholarships * Mentors * Hope → College * Career * Life!
Her coaching approach with juniors and seniors is student-centered, collaborative, and empathic. She understands that each student has unique strengths and learning styles. By fostering a supportive, non-judgmental environment, she can ensure students feel comfortable sharing their concerns and their dreams. Beyond her coaching role, TQ is an active advocate in her community for FAFSA completion, serving on the REACH Manatee FAFSA Completion Committee for Manatee County since 2018.
When TQ is not working, you will find her enjoying her grandchildren, watching college football, touring a college campus, and enjoying all Florida offers with her family.
Denise McGirr
~ Mentor Coordinator
In 1995, Denise relocated from Wilmington Delaware to Florida with her husband of 37 years, Matthew. Denise, and her husband have 3 amazing daughters and 2 wonderful granddaughters. When Denise is not spending time with her grandbabies, she is basket weaving. Denise has taught basket weaving at all levels for many years and has been honing her own skills for over 20 years.
Denise, a graduate of the University of Delaware, has a long history of working in the nonprofit world. Before relocating to Florida, she worked at the Delaware State Hospital as a Sheltered Workshop Manager. Once in Florida, she worked for the Department of Children and Families as a Protective Services Case Manager and then began working at the Manatee School for the Arts (MSA) as their Testing Coordinator. Denise’s tenure at MSA included working with Take Stock Manatee for many years as MSA’s TSIC School Coordinator. Ultimately, Denise joined the Take Stock Manatee Team in the fall of 2021 as our Mentor Coordinator. Denise is also a Take Stock Mentor and enjoys spending quality time with her assigned scholar.
Denise shared: “Working at Take Stock Manatee allows me to be a part of something much larger than myself, it allows me to open doors, share experiences and watch mentored scholars grow and succeed by just being there for them, listening, encouraging them – It truly takes a village”.
Michael higley
~ Digital Coordinator & Grant Writer
Michael Higley has worked in the field of education, technology, and leadership dating back to 2001. His experience in public, charter, and non-profit education provides him with a unique set of skills. His skills range from managing all aspects of a project, grant implementation, progress monitoring, to evaluation, and reporting. He also has experience managing the creation, scheduling, and implementation of promotional events (social media, website design, and community promotions).
Michael received his doctorate in e-Learning from Northcentral University. He received his Masters Degree in School Leadership and Administration and his Bachelors of Science Degree in Interdisciplinary Studies, specializing in middle school education, from Austin Peay State University. His plans are to continue coaching and supporting educational institutions as they move towards a more blended approach to teaching and learning.
Michael joined the Take Stock Manatee team in 2023 and looks forward to supporting students and families in the Bradenton area. When Michael isn’t supporting his Take Stock community, he enjoys working closely with students, school administrators, and teachers, as they learn to blend the best of face-to-face instruction with online teaching and learning technologies through another non-profit organization, NCCE. NCCE is a professional learning organization dedicated to computer education and teacher training. You can catch up with Michael at http://elearningindustry.com/ where he is featured as a Top e-Learning Author, the largest online community of professionals involved in the e-Learning industry.
