Key Points
- Mary Chance was unanimously elected chair of the Children’s Trust of Alachua County for 2026, with Susanne Wilson Bullard as vice chair and Lee Pinkoson as treasurer.
- The new officers will start their roles on January 1, 2026, succeeding retiring members Cheryl Twombly and Ken Cornell, who were honored for their service.
The Children’s Trust of Alachua County (CTAC) held its organizational meeting on Monday, where board members elected a new chair, vice chair and treasurer for the upcoming year.
In a unanimous vote by the board, Mary Chance was elected as the new chair, Susanne Wilson Bullard as vice chair and Lee Pinkoson as treasurer.
Chance was appointed to the CTAC by Gov. Ron DeSantis in June 2023.
Consistent with Ordinance 18-08, which established the trust, five of the CTAC’s 10 members are appointed by the governor. The other five are considered designated members, including the superintendents of schools, a school board member, a county commissioner, etc.
Like Chance, Pinkoson was also appointed by DeSantis, having been selected in February 2020. Before that, he served as an Alachua County commissioner from 2002 to 2018 and on the Florida Association of Counties’ Board of Directors from 2002 to 2019.
Bullard, meanwhile, is a judge for the Eighth Judicial Circuit of Florida, which encompasses Alachua, Baker, Bradford, Gilchrist, Levy and Union counties.
Following the board’s vote, Chance, Bullard and Pinkoson were invited up to the front of the room to take the oath of office, which was administered by current Chair Ken Cornell. The three board members will start their new roles on Jan. 1, 2026.
Before the election of new officers, some time was taken to recognize Cornell and the current vice chair, Cheryl Twombly.
Twombly, who is retiring, was first to be honored. A longtime board member, the words “OG” and even “pre-OG” were thrown out by colleagues.
“She has been an amazing board member, contributor, past chair, and you can’t be replaced,” Cornell said. “And you certainly won’t be forgotten.”
Twombly expressed her confidence in the board as it moved forward in her absence.
“What I see with this group is absolute legacy working,” she said. “It’s going to last so beyond any of us. “And I’m confident with you all at the helm…it’s just going to keep getting better and stronger for kids in Alachua County.”
CTAC Executive Director Marsha Kiner also took a few minutes to recognize Cornell for his leadership and commitment as chair.
“Your leadership style is brash, and let’s get it done – resourceful. And we love it,” she said. “You have been a joy to work with as our chair.”
Cornell was appreciative of the recognition.
“I tried to spread the urgency, really, of the board, collectively and individually, because we definitely are trying to move this ball forward every day,” he said.
CTAC staff presented Twombly and Cornell with a few gifts to thank them for their work.
Nick Anschultz is a Report for America corps member and writes about education for Mainstreet Daily News. This position is supported by local donations through the Community Catalyst for Local Journalism Fund at the Community Foundation of North Central Florida.