Help To Home Inc. Board of Directors
Many Help To Home Inc. board members have been long-time advocates of children’s services or have been involved in helping the homeless or those threatened with homelessness. The board is volunteer and owns Hope Village of Manatee. An executive committee of the board provides the direct oversite of the village’s on-site employees.
Meet the Team
Our board of dedicated individuals, looking to make a difference in our community.
Rod Urban
Rod Urban is a retired attorney and human resources executive who also served 30 years in the U.S. Marine Corps on active and reserve status, retiring as a colonel. He was director of human resources for Tropicana Products in Bradenton for 10 years and also served as a human resources director for other firms. His civic activity has included the Florida Council of the Boy Scouts of America, Meals-on-Wheels of Manatee County, the Bradenton Kiwanis Club.
President
April Childers
April Childers, Secretary, H2H board, is a professional children’s advocate serving as a Guardian Ad Litem for the 12th Judicial Circuit. She also was a founding board member of Help To Home Inc. and also served for 10 years as owner and publisher for Parent Pages magazine, a resource for families raising children. April also is a partner in the Ortygia Restaurant in Bradenton, which has received top ranking of all Bradenton restaurants by Trip Advisor.
Vice President
Bill Hawthorne
Bill Hawthorne is a retired CPA and a 50-year resident of Manatee County. In his professional career, Mr. Hawthorn focused on audit and consulting, including many local non-profits and governmental entities. He also has significant experience with banks and construction companies. His civic affiliations have included president of the Manatee Symphony Association, treasurer of the West Coast Symphony, Manatee Players board member, Lions Club, and Masons. He served three years in the U.S. Army Medical Corps. and was discharged as a captain.
Treasurer
Margie Genter
Margie Genter is responsible for workforce development programs at Goodwill Industries-Manasota, Inc. She has a master’s degree in Rehabilitation Counseling and is a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor and a Certified Vocational Evaluator. As vice president of Mission Services at Goodwill Manasota, she provides direct oversight for all mission services including case management, financial literacy, veterans’ services, and placement programs. She also serves on the board of Turning Points, a primary agency assisting the homeless
Goodwill Industries-Manasota
Jerry Marlar
Jerry Marlar is a retired CPA and former board member of the Florida Institute of CPAs and president of the Gulf Coast Chapter. Mr. Marlar also was chairman and board member of the Bradenton Area Economic Development Corp. He also served as a lay member of the Circuit 12b Florida Bar Disciplinary Committee, board member of the SANCA at Nathan Benderson Park and board member of the Manatee Players and Bradenton Rotary.
Retired CPA
Mike McCoy
Mike McCoy is Manatee market president of Valley Bank. Has 36 years of banking experience. Prior to his current position, Mike was market president of Sarasota/ Manatee Bank of America NA. In a prior role, he was president of a community bank in Bradenton. Mike was granted an M.B.A. from the University of South Florida. His prior community activities have included serving on the board of directors of Guardian Angels, Sarasota Chamber of Commerce, Bradenton Christian School, Bradenton Kiwanis, etc.
Valley Bank
Matt McSwain
Matt McSwain is a financial advisor with Edward Jones in Bradenton, a position he has held since 2013. He was a sales representative with the Bradenton Herald before beginning with Edward Jones. Prior to that position, Matt was the manager of a major retail hard goods store in Bradenton. He graduated from Furman University and he and his wife have two sons. He has been on the Young Life board.
Edward Jones
Dr. Archie Smith
Dr. Archie Smith is a fifth-generation Manatee County native with a master’s degree in Mental Health and Rehabilitation Counseling and a Ph.D. in Psychology. He spent 25 years in the U.S. Air Force and his last assignment was as chief, Test and Survey Branch, USAF Personnel Directorate, at the Pentagon. Following his Air Force career, Dr. Smith held positions as faculty research director at the University of South Florida, and the lead of the Medical Countermeasures Team at United States Central Command, MacDill AFB, Tampa
Educational Psychologist
Steve Wilson
Steve Wilson is the founder of the Hide-Away Storage network of 27 self-storage facilities based in Bradenton. He is a former president of the National Self Storage Association. Before his business career, he was a newspaper reporter and foreign correspondent for The Associated Press in New York and Tokyo. He worked for the Bradenton Herald before starting Hide-Away Storage. His civic involvement includes the Bradenton Kiwanis, a lay member of the Circuit 12b Bar Disciplinary Committee, and former chairman of the board of Turning Points.