Board of Directors 2013-2015

Sometimes the best journeys are those begun with no set destination or arrival date in mind.  Lisa Hall’s career in public relations began with a detour into television news.  But internships quickly led to job opportunities and a 17 year adventure as a news producer in markets from Oklahoma City to Miami.  Lisa began following the Florida legislature in 1990 as manager of a television news bureau serving 10 stations across the state, and then later as news director for a Tallahassee television station and as managing editor for Florida’s News Channel. 

The intended career in public relations finally got underway in the spring of 2000, when Lisa joined Herrle Communications Group.  Now known as Salter>Mitchell, the firm has grown to a staff of more than 30 with offices in Tallahassee, Orlando and Washington, D.C.  As Senior Vice President, Lisa leads the firm’s public affairs practice, creating and implementing communications campaigns that help good causes win in the court of public opinion and the halls of the capital. Lisa is accredited by the Universal Accreditation Board for public relations and is a Certified Public Relations Counselor.

Elizabeth C. Pines is a Director of the League of Women Voters of Florida. She has been practicing immigration law for nearly 20 years and is the founding partner of Elizabeth C. Pines, PA, a boutique law firm dedicated to helping foreign nationals with immigration matters in the United States. Pines is very involved in the state and local communities in which she lives. She sits on the board of the League of Women Voters of Florida and the League of Women Voters of Miami-Dade County. She has taken on leadership roles, as Chair of the Fair Districts Committee and the Executive Committee at the state level and she chairs the nominating committee and the Immigration Task Force for LWV of Miami-Dade County.

Pines remains active in her local school as a mentor to high school girls from the Carrollton School of the Sacred Heart. She has been a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association since 1996 and formerly served on the South Florida Chapter board.

Pines received her Bachelor of Business Administration Degree from the University of Miami in 1985 and earned an M.B.A. there in 1988. She received her Juris Doctor degree from St. Thomas University School of Law in 1994. She is also a graduate of the University of Florida Wedgworth Leadership Institute.  

Patricia (Pat) Schroeder is a Director of the League of Women Voters of Florida. She was born in Portland, Oregon in 1940. She graduated from the University of Minnesota in 1961 as a member of Phi Beta Kappa and went on to earn a J.D. from Harvard Law School in 1964, where she was one of 15 women in the class. She married classmate James Schroeder, they settled in Denver, had two children and worked for the National Labor Relations Board. Pat also taught classes at several universities and was a hearing officer for the State before running for congress in 1972. The Democratic Party did not support her candidacy but she was elected and went on to serve 12 terms.

In Congress Schroeder focused on women, children and family issues but also served on the Armed Services Committee where she drew up alternative defense budgets every year and tried to improve the conditions of military families and military women. Upon leaving the house, Schroeder taught at Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs and left to become the President and CEO of the Association of American Publishers (AAP). She headed a several year project on the Civil Society. Schroeder is now the international and national chair of the English Speaking Union, the vice chair of the Marguerite Casey Foundation, and on the national boards of Common Cause and the Communication Consortium. She retired in 2009 from AAP and resides in Celebration, Florida.

Alex Villalobos is a Director of the League of Women Voters of Florida. Alex draws on more than two decades of legal and public service experience in counseling clients on a broad array of legal issues including State governmental operations and regulatory matters. Alex has represented clients before State and Federal trial and appellate courts including the Florida Supreme Court. He has also proven to be an effective advocate in the court of public opinion, engaging with media opinion leaders to generate editorial support for client objectives.

Alex served for eight years in the Florida House of Representatives where he was Chair of Criminal Justice Appropriations. In 2000, he was elected to the Florida Senate and re-elected to this legislative body in 2004 and 2006. During his legislative career, he held many leadership positions including Senate Majority Leader, Senate Majority Whip, Chair of the Miami-Dade Legislative Delegation and Chair of the Committees on Judiciary, Criminal Justice and Education. Most recently, he served as the Senate Rules Committee Chair until November, 2010.

Theresa Francis-Thomas is a Director of the League of Women Voters of Florida. Theresa has lived in the Orlando area for the past 25 years. She is a proud parent of her 23 year old son who serves in the military. Theresa has spent most of her career with a background in public service. She has served as a Legislative Aide, a Business Analyst, and for almost 30 years worked for the Florida Department of Revenue in various positions including her current position, Tax Audit Supervisor. She volunteers with the American Red Cross as a disaster assessment team member. Further, she is a runner and a quilter. She earned her bachelor’s degree at Jacksonville University as well as attended the University of Central Florida for post-baccalaureate work in accounting. Theresa is currently, the Chair of the Budget Committee for the League of Women Voters of Florida and is looking forward to expanding her service as a League member.

Pamela Goodman is a Director of the League of Women Voters of Florida. Educated at the University of Iowa in Journalism and Business, she spent her professional career in retailing, rising to President/CEO of Limited Express, with $1.5 billion in revenue. She served as League of Women Voters Palm Beach County President 2005 -2009 and has been serving on the League of Women Voters Florida State Board of Directors from 2007 to present. While serving in that role, she was appointed by the Supervisor of Elections Palm Beach County to head a review and audit of voting machines and processes for the 2006 and 2008 elections. Since 2006, she chairs the Fair Districts campaign statewide for the League, and was responsible for coordinating all League work during the most recent campaign to secure passage of the two Fair Districts constitutional amendments.

Pam has also served on the National League of Women Voters Nominating Committee and the National Membership Recruitment Committee. In addition to being a member of the first “Sisters Across the Straits” government and citizen education team that traveled and met with women in Cuba, she has received numerous awards including the Susan B. Anthony Award for Outstanding Feminist 2008 from the National Organization for Women.

She also serves as President of the Homeless Coalition of Palm Beach County. She has recently served on the Community Advisory Board for WXEL radio and television PBS stations for Palm Beach County and Treasure Coast areas. She volunteers with Junior Achievement business preparation classes for High school seniors, teaches underserved adult communities with the Literacy Coalition of Palm Beach County and volunteers at her local community hospital. Pam resides in Gulf Stream with her husband Barry.