Lad Daniels, Chairman
Jacksonville

Mr. Daniels is president of Daniels and Associates Inc. in Jacksonville. He was appointed to a four-year term in an at-large seat on the Governing Board in April 2011. He was elected Governing Board chairman on Nov. 8, 2011. He is past president of First Coast Manufacturers Association (FCMA). In this capacity, he has developed the Professional Progress program for environmental regulators and industry professionals. He has been active in the St. Johns River total maximum daily load (TMDL) process since 1999. His business career includes experience as a commercial real estate developer and manufacturing executive. A partial list of Mr. Daniels’ community involvement includes: election to two terms on the Jacksonville City Council (past president) from 1999 through 2007; The Players Championship (past chairman); Manufacturers Association of Florida (past president); Mandarin Rotary Club (past president); Children’s International Summer Villages (international vice president and past USA vice president); World Affairs Council of Jacksonville (past president); WorkSource (past chairman); and University of North Florida School of Engineering and Computer Science Dean’s Council. His education includes a bachelor’s degree from North Carolina State University and a master’s in business administration from Harvard University.

Term of Appointment: April 2011–March 2015
Email address: ldaniels@sjrwmd.com

John A. Miklos, Vice chairman
Orlando

Mr. Miklos is president and senior project manager of Bio-Tech Consulting (BTC) Inc., an Orlando-based environmental consulting firm. He was appointed to an at-large seat for a four-year term on the Governing Board on March 31, 2010. The Board elected him secretary on Oct. 12, 2010, and he served in that capacity until Nov. 8, 2011, when he was elected vice chairman. Mr. Miklos has a bachelor’s degree in limnology from the University of Central Florida and many years of experience in environmental permitting, mitigation, wetland delineation, listed species evaluations, wildlife surveys and water quality studies. The Orange County Board of County Commissioners appointed Mr. Miklos in December 2006 and reappointed him in April 2008 as the Environmental Conservation Organization Representative to the Orange County Development Advisory Board, which reviews subdivision regulations and recommends amendments to the County Commission. The Commission also appointed him in April 2010 as the Environmental Conservation Organization Representative to the Orange County Environmental Protection Commission. Gov. Charlie Crist appointed Mr. Miklos in April 2008 to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s Environmental Regulation Commission, which he served on until April 2010. In June 2009, he was elected to the Board of Directors of Back to Nature Wildlife Refuge, a nonprofit organization that rescues, raises, rehabilitates, and releases orphaned and injured native wildlife species. Mr. Miklos is a certified stormwater management inspector, and is a member of the Florida Association of Environmental Professionals, the Florida Lake Management Society, and the Society of Wetland Scientists.

Term of Appointment: March 2010–March 2014
Email address: jmiklos@sjrwmd.com

Douglas C. Bournique, Secretary
Vero Beach

Mr. Bournique is executive vice president of the Indian River Citrus League, where he has served on committees for both the St. Johns River and South Florida water management districts, including the St. Johns District’s Agriculture Advisory Committee. He was recognized by both districts for commitment and leadership in the protection of the Indian River Lagoon National Estuary Program. He was appointed to the Governing Board for a four-year term on April 2, 2008. The seat represents Area 5 (see map). He was elected as the Board’s secretary on Nov. 8, 2011. Previously, Mr. Bournique worked for the 350,000-acre Florida Sugar Cane League. Among his numerous affiliations, he is currently a member of the Florida Agriculture Water Policy Group, Indian River Area Citrus Best Management Practices (BMP) Implementation Committee, South Florida Water Management District Water Resource Advisory Committee, and the St. Lucie River Issues Team. He also was appointed by the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture to the USDA Agricultural Technical Advisory Committee for Fruits and Vegetables. Mr. Bournique has a bachelor’s degree in geology from Whittier College and attended San Diego State University, Florida Atlantic University, and Scripps Institute of Oceanography.

Term of Appointment: April 2008–March 2012
Email address: dbournique@sjrwmd.com

Maryam H. Ghyabi, Treasurer
Ormond Beach

Ms. Ghyabi was appointed to a four-year term in an at-large seat on the Governing Board on May 19, 2009. The Board elected her treasurer on Oct. 12, 2010, and re-elected her to that position on Nov. 8, 2011. A graduate of the University of Central Florida, Ms. Ghyabi holds a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering and a master’s degree in transportation engineering. She is the CEO and President of Ghyabi & Associates, Inc., with offices in Jacksonville, Lake Mary and Ormond Beach, Florida. Ms. Ghyabi is active in the industry’s professional associations and is a tireless advocate for economic growth, having led many key transportation efforts: leading the ISB Coalition, spearheaded the I-4 St. Johns River Bridge Coalition, was appointed to the Transportation Outreach Program (TOP) Advisory Board, served as chair of the Volusia County Area Responsible Development (VCARD), and Central Florida Transportation Commission Task Force. She is also involved in many community charity and leadership organizations: she served as the chairwoman for the Women’s Center at Daytona State College and as the chairwoman for the Floridians for Better Transportation (FBT). Her career and community activities have been recognized with awards, including the Floridians for Better Transportation 2008 Chairman Award, a proclamation from Daytona State College Women’s Center designating Nov. 7, 2008, as “Maryam Ghyabi Day,” many awards for initiatives to fund and accelerate the
I-4 St. Johns River Bridge, a proclamation from the County of Volusia designating May 31, 2001, as “Maryam Hosseini Ghyabi Day,” Volusia County Metropolitan Planning Organization recognition for contributions to the Technical Coordinating Committee as chair in 1998, and the Florida Legislature has recognized her and her leadership role in the Florida Transportation Outreach Program (TOP) Advisory Board.

Term of Appointment: May 2009–March 2013
Email address: mghyabi@sjrwmd.com

Charles “Chuck” Drake
Orlando

Mr. Drake was appointed to the Governing Board April 21, 2011, by Gov. Rick Scott to represent area 4 (see map), a region that extends from southern Putnam County to southern Indian River County. His appointment was to a four-year term. Mr. Drake is a licensed professional geologist in Florida, Alabama and North Carolina, and is currently a vice president at Tetra Tech, Inc., a national engineering consulting firm. He has been employed as a hydrogeologist for almost 30 years. After graduating from the University of Florida, Mr. Drake began his career at the St. Johns River Water Management District, where his work focused primarily on protecting and allocating water resources based on the issuance of consumptive use permits. Since then, his professional work has focused on protecting water resources while ensuring that they are used to expand and enhance economic development. His expertise is in hydrogeology, groundwater resource evaluation, well and wellfield design and water use permitting that provides a solid foundation to support smart water management strategies that balance our need to protect the environment with our need to use resources. As a founding member of the Florida Association of Professional Geologists, he has worked to promote the profession of geology. He has served as president of the Florida Association of Professional Geologists and served for two years on the Advisory Board of the American Institute of Professional Geologists.

Term of Appointment: April 2011–March 2015
Email address: cdrake@sjrwmd.com

Richard G. Hamann
Gainesville

Mr. Hamann was appointed to a four-year term in an at-large seat on the Governing Board on May 19, 2009. Mr. Hamann is an attorney on the staff of the Center for Governmental Responsibility at the University of Florida’s (UF’s) Levin College of Law. He conducts research and teaches classes on water, wetlands, wildlife, watersheds and coastal law and policy. He is also a member of the Faculty Advisory Committee to UF’s Water Institute. Mr. Hamann has previously served the District as chairman of the Orange Creek Basin Advisory Council and as a member of the Ocklawaha Basin Board. He has been chairman of the Environmental and Land Use Law Section of The Florida Bar, president of Florida Defenders of the Environment and a member of the Bluebelt Commission and the Land and Water Planning Task Force. He currently serves as the president of Three Rivers FNPC, a public charity that supports protection of the Ichetucknee River, and as a member of the boards of the Florida Wildlife Federation, Florida Defenders of the Environment, the Everglades Law Center and Alachua Conservation Trust.

Term of Appointment: May 2009–March 2013
Email address: rhamann@sjrwmd.com

George W. Robbins
Jacksonville

Mr. Robbins is chair of Vistage Florida, an international organization that provides professional and personal development to business and industry leaders. He was appointed to the Governing Board on Oct. 12, 2011, to complete the remaining five months of a four-year term. He is a resident of Jacksonville and represents Area 2, the lower St. Johns River (see map). A native of Norfolk, Va., Mr. Robbins is a graduate of the Virginia Military Institute in Lexington, Va., where he received a bachelor’s degree in biology. He is a former mayoral fellow for the City of Jacksonville; trustee of the Jacksonville Library System, Better Jacksonville Plan review board, the Jacksonville Environmental Protection Board and the Jacksonville Economic Development Council; and is a member of the Mandarin Rotary Club and First Coast Manufacturers Association. He also served in the U.S. Army.

Term of Appointment: October 2011–March 2012
Email address: grobbins@sjrwmd.com