The USF Foundation Board of Directors recently added eight dynamic new members to advance its vision of inspiring philanthropy and stewarding resources that support USF’s pursuit of excellence.
The eight newly elected board members, including Don Aripoli; Elodie Dorso, ’01; Cindy Kane, ’76; Sam Lazzara, ’84; Chip Newton; Sheetal Patel, MBA ’14; Juan Carlos “JC” Prado, ’79; and Supriya Taneja, bring an impressive array of career experiences and perspectives to the board. Their appointments await final approval by the USF Board of Trustees at their August meeting.
Aripoli is the emeritus vice president for student affairs at Missouri State University, where from 1993 to 2011 he was responsible for numerous university activities including enrollment management, counseling and career services, student life and development. Since 2004, he has served as founding director on the Helios Education Foundation Board of Directors and currently leads the Foundation’s Governance Committee. Together with his wife, Becky, he established the Helios/Dominick and Emelene Aripoli Scholars Program at USF, named for his parents.
Dorso is the president and CEO of Evara Health (formerly Community Health Centers of Pinellas), a nonprofit health care organization. Dorso is also the founder, president and director of the Evara Health Foundation, which focuses on expanding its impact in health equity, workforce development, community outreach and technology. She serves on a number of boards and was recently appointed chair of Health Choice Network Florida. Dorso was named a BusinessWoman of the Year by the Tampa Bay Business Journal in 2024.
Kane is the former owner of the GW Group LLC, a consulting firm to assist nonprofit organizations in providing training and services that help support their mission. Prior to establishing her company, Kane was a business systems analyst at TECO Energy. Kane is an active member of USF Women in Leadership & Philanthropy (WLP) and a Life Member of the Alumni Association. She and her husband, Mark, have included USF in their estate plan, with half their gift designated for WLP and half for women’s golf. Kane was the first donor to support USF’s Stampede for Women, which provides female student-athletes with necessary resources to succeed at the highest level.
Lazzara is a shareholder with CPA firm Rivero, Gordimer & Co., where he’s worked since 1989. He is experienced in auditing and taxation of not-for-profit organizations and is the shareholder in charge of the firm’s not-for profit and government clients. Before joining the firm, Lazzara spent three years as a senior and staff auditor at Deloitte. He is active in several accounting industry organizations and received Nonprofit CPA’s Member of the Year Award in 2019. A USF Alumni Association Life Member, Lazzara is also an emeritus trustee for Academy Prep Center of Tampa.
Newton is a private equity investor based in St. Petersburg, Florida. Currently, his most meaningful investments are in the direct-to-consumer space and include: SeaVees Inc. (casual footwear), AYR Inc. (women’s and men’s apparel) and Tracksmith Inc. (running apparel, footwear and accessories). Previously, he served as senior managing director of Evercore Partners and Perseus LLC and as general partner of J.H. Whitney & Co. Newton served as a former board member and chairman of the National Psoriasis Foundation and is currently chairman of the Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital and Duke University Institute for Brain Science boards. Newton has established a fund at USF that supports the Bull Ring Accelerator Grant Program, which assists startup companies that were formed on the basis of licensed USF technologies.
Patel is chief operating officer for the Patel Family Office, where she oversees operations and manages investments across all of the family’s portfolios with a particular focus on the hospitality portfolio. She earned a medical degree from the University of Miami School of Medicine and completed a residency in radiology and fellowship in musculoskeletal radiology at USF. While working in one of the top radiology groups in Tampa for nine years she earned her MBA from USF and eventually transitioned from medicine into her current role. Patel is involved with various nonprofit and charitable endeavors in the medical and education arenas, both within and outside the Patel Family Foundation.
Prado has been president of Prado Enterprises since 1992, through which he and his wife, Jenifer, own and operate a large number of Florida McDonald’s franchises. Prado was active with his high school alma mater, Tampa Catholic High School, previously serving as assistant coach of the boys’ basketball team and chairing the Master Planning Committee. As part of the school’s renovation and expansion, Tampa Catholic named the Prado Family Hall of Fame Pavilion in honor of JC and Jenifer.
Taneja is the co-owner and general counsel of Belcher Pharmaceuticals, a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on the development and manufacturing of prescription products. Additionally, she co-owns multiple limited liability companies and corporations in a variety of industries, including pharmaceutical manufacturing in Florida. Previously, she was a contract attorney for Shumaker, Loop and Kendrick LLP. Taneja serves as vice president and secretary of the Taneja Family Foundation, which has donated millions to health- and education-related causes. In 2019, the foundation gave $10 million to name the USF Health Taneja College of Pharmacy.
“We are excited to welcome these dynamic new members to the Foundation Board of Directors,” said USF Foundation CEO Jay Stroman. “I am grateful for their commitment of time and service to USF, and look forward to seeing the positive impact they, along with the full board, will have on our great university.”