Staff - Updated February 2011

1000 Friends of Florida maintains an experienced, professional staff to monitor ongoing local, regional and state growth management activities and recommend actions to 1000 Friends' Board of Directors. The staff also coordinates with other public and private organizations involved in growth management issues.

Charles Pattison, FAICP, President - As president, Charles is responsible to the Board for the day-to-day administration of the 1000 Friends' office which includes working with Florida's citizens and communities. He also works with the state's executive and legislative branches on land use and long range planning issues. Prior to coming to 1000 Friends, he was the Director for the Division of Resource Planning and Management at the Department of Community Affairs from 1992 to 1998.  From 1989 to 1992, he worked as a Field Representative for The Nature Conservancy’s Virginia Coast Reserve.  Between 1983 and 1989, he opened the DCA Florida Keys Field Office in Key West, served as the Monroe County Planning, Building and Zoning Director, and was the first executive director of the Monroe County Land Authority.  Charles also has also served as a planning director in coastal North Carolina and spent five years with the North Carolina Office of Coastal Management in beach access and coastal permitting work.  A North Carolina native and an Eagle Scout, he received an undergraduate degree from N.C. State in Raleigh and a Masters in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of North Carolina.  He spent six years working on coastal development issues in North Carolina before moving back to Florida.  A Fellow of the American Institute of Certified Planners (April 2008), he serves on the Florida Conflict Resolution Consortium Advisory Council, Betton Hills Neighborhood Association, External Advisory Council to the University of Florida’s School of Natural Resources and the Environment, and Apalachee Land Conservancy.  He is a graduate of Leadership Florida, Class 18.  In 2005, Charles was appointed by Senate President Tom Lee to a four year term on the Century Commission for a Sustainable Florida.  He was also appointed (2007) to the Florida Energy Commission’s Climate Change Subcommittee and the Governor’s Climate Action Team which developed a state climate action plan.

Joanne Davis, Community Planner - As community planner for Palm Beach County's Green Initiative, Joanne works with policymakers, agencies, community groups, other nonprofit organizations and citizens to provide assistance and information regarding projects occurring with the region. Issues such as land acquisition and preservation, smart growth, government relations, and transportation are addressed as part of the overall comprehensive plan strategy. Davis was instrumental in securing public funding for the purchase of environmentally sensitive and agricultural lands and chaired the advisory committee responsible for the implementation of the Palm Beach County program. Before coming to 1000 Friends, Joanne was an environmental consultant to a large land planning and landscape architecture firm. She continues to design and install native Florida landscapes for her own firm. Her education background is in botanical science, field studies and evaluation, and communication.

Kathleen Morris, Executive Assistant - Kathleen provides administrative support to the Executive Director and serves as the liaison to the Board of Directors. She also assist with the office management and works on development and fund-raising efforts. Kathleen held a number of positions with the Department of Community Affairs from 1984 to 1990. In the Bureau of Local Planning, she organized and maintained a computer-based tracking system for monitoring the status of local government grants and contracts. She also worked in the department's Bureau of State Resource Planning as an administrative secretary. She was active in Big Brothers/Big Sisters for a number of years and is an avid gardener and is pursuing becoming a Master Gardener.

Dan Pennington, Community Planner - Dan is planner with a long background in working with environmental and community planning issues in Florida. Recently, he has been project manager for several projects including developing a Florida-based document on Wildlife Habitat Planning Strategies, Design Features and Best Management Practices for Florida Communities and also for the Florida Panhandle Initiative which worked to improve local and regional land use decisions. Dan also works extensively on Springs and Karst areas protection issues including development of the manual entitled, Protecting Florida's Springs - Land Use Planning Strategies and Best Management Practices and as the project coordinator for the report entitled, "Degradation of Water Quality at Wakulla Springs." Dan was project manager for the Waterfronts Florida Program at 1000 Friends. This effort focused on revitalizing smaller, economically depressed waterfront communities through educating local citizens on environmental and cultural resource protection, hazard mitigation, economy and public access. Dan received his Master's degree in Urban and Regional Planning from Florida State University with specializations in growth management and environmental planning and B.S. in Biology from the University of Central Florida. Prior to joining 1000 Friends, he worked for the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) reviewing local government comprehensive plans and amendments, groundwater protection planning, federal project review, developments of regional impact and regional policy plans. He also managed special projects such as local greenway development, military base closure planning and ecosystem management efforts within the Green Swamp and other environmentally sensitive areas. He also edited the Environmental Exchange Point, a newsletter addressing natural resource protection, infrastructure planning and other land and water quality and management issues.

Jaimie Ross, Affordable Housing Director - Jaimie is responsible for working with local governments and with the nonprofit and for-profit development communities in the provision of affordable housing through the state's growth management laws. She promotes affordable housing through policy and administrative advocacy with state, regional and local agencies and by developing other organizations involved in low-income housing issues; providing technical assistance and legal expertise. The affordable housing program receives its primary funding from the Florida Bar Foundation. Before joining 1000 Friends of Florida in 1991, Jaimie practiced with an Orlando law firm; the emphasis of her practice was real estate and land use law. Ross is the director of the Florida Community Land Trust Institute, a collaboration between 1000 Friends of Florida and the Florida Housing Coalition. She is the President of the Florida Housing Coalition and heads up the Florida Nonprofit Housing Advocates Network.  Nationally, she serves on the Board of the Innovative Housing Institute and served on the Board of the National Low Income Housing Coalition from 1997- 2003. In 2004, Jaimie was named a James A. Johnson Community Fellow by the Fannie Mae Foundation for her accomplishments in affordable housing including spearheading the Sadowski Coalition, which successfully advocated passage of Florida’s dedicated revenue source for affordable housing.  She continues to facilitate that alliance of 24 statewide organizations in support of the Sadowski state and local housing trust funds.

Vivian Young, AICP, Communications Director - Vivian is responsible for the communications activities of 1000 Friends. She coordinates publication of the quarterly newsletter, Foresight, and annual reports. She works with the media, preparing news releases and op eds on timely issues. She also manages and updates 1000 Friends' web site, administers the e-mail alerts, and updates Facebook. She assists with fundraising, preparing grant requests and solicitation letters on behalf of 1000 Friends. In cooperation with Executive Assistant Kathleen Morris, Vivian handles the Better Community Award Program. Additionally, she coordinates special reports and publications, and undertakes other projects on behalf of the organization. From 1987 until 1996, Vivian was the planner for the Historic Tallahassee Preservation Board. In that capacity, she worked with the City and County on the development and implementation of the Historic Preservation Plan, ordinance, and economic incentive program, and staffed the Architectural Review Board. From 1984 until 1987 she served as Florida's first Main Street Coordinator. In 2005 she received an individual achievement award from the Florida Heritage Foundation and Tallahassee Trust for Historic Preservation for her two decades of contributions in historic preservation. She received her Master of Urban Planning degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and is a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners.