Meet Our Staff

Monica Wofford has diligently served on our board and Executive Board prior to being named Interim CEO in May of 2020. She has a significant depth and breadth of exposure and experience in both the Non-Profit and Corporate leadership arena. Monica has served on the board of Freedom Ride, Rollins College Leadership Advisory Board, Girl Scouts, and National Speakers Association and is a current board member of Habitat for Humanity and a political committee, while also serving as a member of Lake County Workforce Housing Task Force and Lake 100. She is a twenty-year Lake County resident and brings a wealth of knowledge and relationships to the organization, due in part to her founding and operation of the leadership training and consulting firm of Contagious Companies, Inc, since 2003. Her roles in this organization have included business coaching, professional trainer, executive consultant, and keynote speaker. Monica has also written for the Non-Profit Times and taught courses within the Non-Profit Mini-MBA at Rollins College.

We value her commitment and passion to serve in this capacity as we smoothly transition during this time. Monica will continue to hold the role of CEO of leadership training firm Contagious Companies, Inc while also working closely and daily with the incredible team within United Way of Lake and Sumter, facilitating meeting the many needs within our communities.

Anessa relocated from Stockholm Sweden here to Central Florida and has been an active resident for over 20 years. She comes with 20 plus years of leadership, promotional, and professional sales background. Anessa currently serves in the role of Campaign Director; she heads up major campaigns with Corporations, local community organizations work with event planning and volunteerism.

Her educational background is in Human Services with an emphasis on non-profit. Anessa continues to educate herself by actively participating in an Executive Coaching program, sitting on the Environmental Panel with LifeStream, serves as Ambassador Chair with the South Lake Chamber of Commerce, and has completed the Harvard Mentorship Program. Anessa is not a fundraiser. She is a catalyst for change!

Michelle Dean was born in Ocala at Munroe Regional Medical Center. She was raised in the small town of Anthony, Florida with an older brother, an older sister and one younger brother. Her other sisters and brothers were already married and had moved away. There are twelve children in all.

Michelle’s professional career started at the age of seventeen. She was an early childcare preschool teacher. She worked her way up to assistant Director and then standing Director of an Early Learning Center. She then moved into the school system as the In-House Substitute teacher. In this position, she completed an internship in the placement department. She was hired as a placement specialist working with foster children.

As the Master Teacher of United Way of Lake and Sumter Counties, she works in the early childcare classrooms to provide hands on training for the teachers in their own classrooms. The teachers earn a 45 hours certificate upon completion of the twenty-day program. She feels blessed to work with providers in the Lake and Sumter County areas.

Her personal goal is to complete her Master’s Degree in Early Childhood Educational Leadership at the University of North Florida. Her professional goal is to be the Director of the Master Teacher Program. She also wants to provide a quality early childcare training conference to educators free of charge once a year. It is her desire to see this program make a difference in the providers of these two-great counties. She would also love to partner with local early childhood agencies to increase awareness and knowledge of early childhood needs in our area.

Michelle has many interests. At the top of the list, is spending time with her boys and husband. She enjoys watching her middle son play baseball and look forward to the season starting up again. She also enjoys helping her son with his wood working business. Painting, drawing, decorating, reading, and jewelry making is a very soothing experience for Michelle.

Tracey Schoonmaker is currently serving as the Coordinator of Mission United of United Way of Lake and Sumter Counties. Mission United is designed to assist veterans in six key areas, which include: Health, Education, Employment, Financial Stability, Legal and Housing.

Tracey spent 24 years with the US Army rising to the rank of Lt. Col with successive assignments in various military assignments. He then was employed for the next 24 years in several positions in post-secondary education ranging from Campus Director, Vice President International operations, Vice President Brazilian operations, Regional Financial Director and Faculty member. Has also established and developed campuses in Orlando, Brazil, and India. He and his family currently reside in Howey in the Hills.