LAKELAND, Fla. (September 10, 2015) – Seretha S. Tinsley and E. Blake Paul – both long-time Polk County business and civic leaders – have been named to the Florida Polytechnic University Foundation Board, bringing a wealth of experience in leadership, entrepreneurship and community commitment to their roles.
The Foundation Board of Directors is responsible for building and managing the financial assets necessary to support the University’s innovative and educational mission. Established in 2012, the Foundation is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization committed to its pivotal role in cultivating the next generation of change makers for the region and the state.
“Both appointments represent the fundraising leadership and dedication that enable us to grow the Foundation, strengthen relationships with the community and expand our sphere of investors,” said University President Dr. Randy K. Avent. “They join an actively engaged board of respected business and community leaders committed to Florida Polytechnic University and its innovative mission.”
Seretha Summers Tinsley is the Chief Financial Officer and owner of several dining and concession businesses in Florida and other states, including PenGeo Inc. and Tinsley Family Concessions. She and her husband, George, launched their first Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant in Auburndale 30 years ago.
Active in the local community, Tinsley co-founded and is the executive director of the Chain of Lakes Achievers, an organization dedicated to empowering youth through tutoring, leadership training and life-skills building. She also serves on the board of the Auburndale Chamber of Commerce, as the Polk County chapter president of the National Coalition of 100 Black Women, as a trustee for the First Missionary Baptist Church, and as a member of the Advisory Board for Webber International University and the Public Education Partnership. Tinsley is past chair of the Winter Haven Chamber of Commerce.
Tinsley was the first African American woman to graduate from Kentucky Wesleyan College, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in education in 1971. She holds honorary doctorates from Webber International University in Lake Wales and Kentucky Wesleyan College.
E. Blake Paul has practiced law for his entire career at Peterson & Myers, which has offices in Polk County. Paul joined the firm’s Lake Wales office in 1996 and in 2004, moved to Peterson & Myers’ Lakeland office, where he advises business clients in the area of commercial civil litigation. His litigation practice extends to commercial trucking, land use and the environment, personal injury, probate and trust.
Paul is a member of the Florida Bar, the American Bar Association and the Polk County Trial Lawyers Association. He is licensed to practice before all Florida Courts, all Federal District Courts in Florida and the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. He was recognized as one of the top 100 “Up and Coming Attorneys” by Florida Trend magazine in 2006, and as a “Rising Star” by Florida Super Lawyers magazine.
In 2014, Governor Rick Scott appointed Paul to serve as a member of the Tenth Judicial Circuit Nominating Commission. He has served on the Lake Wales Police and Fire Pension Board, as a member of the Board of Directors for the Lake Wales Family YMCA from 1997 through 2001, and as its President in 2000. Paul is the immediate past chairman of the Board of Trustees of All Saints Academy.
Paul originally is from Eustis, Fla. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Auburn University, Magna Cum Laude, in 1993 and his Juris Doctorate from the Florida State University College of Law, Magna Cum Laude, in 1996.