St. Petersburg FL (May 30) – Tampa Bay businessman and civic leader Paul E. Avery has been appointed to a three-year term on the board of directors of the nonprofit Fish & Wildlife Foundation of Florida.
Mr. Avery was elected at the recent meeting of the Foundation’s board of directors. Board Chair Dick Corbett said he was delighted to welcome Avery to the Board. “Paul is an avid angler and hunter and will bring his love of the outdoors and considerable business acumen and nonprofit experience to this role,” Corbett said. “We’re very pleased he has signed on.”
“I am thrilled to join the Fish & Wildlife Foundation, as their mission and purpose are well aligned with my personal perspectives of wildlife management and appreciation of the great outdoors.”
– Paul E. Avery
Mr. Avery brings a long history of volunteer nonprofit service to his new role with the Fish & Wildlife Foundation of Florida. He is chair of the board of directors of the Friedreich’s Ataxia Research Alliance (FARA) and was chair of Take Stock in Children, Inc., which provides 13,000 Florida children and teens from low-income backgrounds with adult mentors (Mr. Avery being one) and scholarships as a way out of poverty. Other organizations with which he’s been involved include Great Outdoors Conservancy, Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce, Hillsborough Education Foundation, Tampa Bay Watch and the Muscular Dystrophy Association.
In his professional life, Mr. Avery serves currently as president and CEO of World of Beer Franchising, Inc. and has been CEO and Principal of Avery Management Group since February 2010.
Much of his career has been spent with OSI Restaurant Partners LLC, where he played a leading role in the growth of Outback Steakhouse from three restaurants to seven brands in 23 countries, serving as chief operating officer of OSI from 2006 to 2009 and as president of Outback Steakhouse of Florida, Inc. from April 1997 to March 2005.
Mr. Avery is also a director of Health Insurance Innovations, Inc. and serves on the board of directors at Suntrust Bank – Tampa Bay and as a trustee for Paul Smith’s College in New York.
Paul Avery has an associate degree in Hotel and Restaurant Management from Middlesex County College in New Jersey and a bachelor of science degree from Kean University in New Jersey. He and his wife Suzanne have two daughters and live in the Tampa Bay area.
“I know I speak for our entire board in looking forward to working with Paul,” said area Foundation board member Carlos Alfonso. “Our efforts in support of FWC’s Suncoast Youth Conservation Camp in Apollo Beach and other area conservation projects will benefit from his leadership as a board member.”
The Fish & Wildlife Foundation of Florida is a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) and other public and private partners to conserve Florida’s outstanding fish and wildlife resources and the lands and waters they need to survive. Since its founding in 1994, the Foundation has raised and donated more than $27 million to conservation and outdoor recreation and education.
