Honoring The People Who Make This Community Our Wellington!
Congratulations To Our 2025 Recipients
Photos by Denise Fleischman, Kendall Bierer, Aggie Brooks and Coastal Click Photography
Once again this year, we are thrilled to unveil the outstanding individuals chosen to be honored in the Our Wellington Awards 2025, our annual celebration of compassion, commitment and community spirit.
Featured in this month’s issue of Wellington The Magazine, we mark our fourth annual presentation of the Our Wellington Awards to recognize our neighbors who go above and beyond in service to others. These awards shine a spotlight on local heroes who give generously of their time, energy and talents to uplift and inspire. Each honoree this year reflects the very best of what it means to have a deeply rooted desire to make a difference in the Wellington community.
After careful consideration of many inspiring submissions, our editorial team is proud to present this year’s honorees: Marcella Montesinos, who helps students both at the Boys & Girls Club and Palm Beach State College; “serial volunteer” Walter Imperatore, who has quickly become a key leader in the Rotary Club of Wellington; retired teacher Sue Bierer, works to preserve the history of Wellington; equestrian Jackie Ducci, who founded a nonprofit focused on the power of the human-animal connection; “top cop” Dwayne Brown, who makes a difference on the streets of Wellington every day; and Marty Ross, who engages and uplifts his community with a passion for sports and philanthropy.
All of these everyday citizens saw and answered the call — not for recognition, but out of genuine care for their community. Their stories, featured in this special section, highlight what makes Wellington not just a beautiful place to live, but a vibrant and giving hometown full of heart.
We extend our deepest gratitude to everyone who took the time to nominate an extraordinary Wellington neighbor. Your nominations sparked awareness, encouraged hope and celebrated selfless service across our community. Congratulations to this year’s honorees! Your impact is real, and your legacy will continue to inspire.
Marcella Montesinos
Marcella Montesinos Helps Students, Both At The Local Boys & Girls Club And Palm Beach State College
Story by Mike May | Photo by Coastal Click Photography
During the day, Marcella Montesinos serves as the director of the Dr. Floyd F. Koch Honors College at Palm Beach State College. After hours, she spends much of her volunteer time serving on the board of directors of the Neil S. Hirsch Family Boys & Girls Club in Wellington.
That is in addition, of course, to her role as mother to daughters Emily, Gabby and Olivia, and wife to Dr. Tyson Tabora, a local podiatrist.
At home, her oldest daughter, Emily, is a senior at the Alexander W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts in West Palm Beach, while her two younger daughters, Gabby and Olivia, are enrolled at Wellington Landings Middle School.
According to Montesinos, one of the highlights of being a mother has been her involvement with the local Girl Scouts.
“I was able to be a troop leader for a few years for Troop 24217 with my daughters in Wellington. That was fun,” Montesinos said. “I would have loved to have been a Girl Scout, but my parents didn’t know much about these things when they immigrated to the U.S. in the 1970s.”
Montesinos, a native of Palm Beach County, has had roots in Wellington since 1987. While at Wellington High School, she met her future husband during their senior year. Both graduated from WHS in 1997 and later wed in 2005.
Montesinos graduated from the University of Central Florida, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in organizational communication. After college, work opportunities took her to Washington, D.C., where she worked at the Washington Workshops Foundation, which focused on educating young students through experiential learning and empowering them to be impactful citizens.
In the early 2000s, she returned to South Florida, earning a master’s degree in management with a focus on leadership from Nova Southeastern University in 2005.
Montesinos has worked at Palm Beach State College since 2003, and she has served as director of the Dr. Floyd F. Koch Honors College for last 15 years. It’s a job which she has referred to as “a privilege to oversee.”
“The Honors College has given me far more than a professional role. It has given me a true sense of community,” said Montesinos, who is also a graduate of Palm Beach State College. “As the director of the college-wide program, it is a privilege to guide students who dare to ‘dream big’ and to support their development into thoughtful, compassionate future leaders. It is deeply meaningful to be part of their journey as an alumnus.”
The Honors College is a program that focuses on its commitment to academic excellence and service learning. It serves more than 380 students and provides nearly $200,000 in scholarships for students who are studying at Palm Beach State College.
The Boys & Girls Club also has special meaning to Montesinos.
“My brother, Marcelo, was part of the Boys Club of Palm Beach County in the 1980s, and the club was a true anchor for our family while my parents worked so many hours,” Montesinos said. “Seeing the impact of the club first-hand, it inspired me to give back to an organization that provided so much for us, to help create the same kind of support and opportunity for other families.”
As a result, Montesinos has been a member of the board of directors of the Boys & Girls Club in Wellington since 2018. She served as the chair from 2022 to 2024.
In addition to serving on the board, Montesinos has carved out her own niche at the local club.
“A couple years ago, I created the birthday club at the Neil S. Hirsch Family Boys & Girls Club to celebrate our kids monthly,” Montesinos said. “Nothing makes me smile more than to see their smiles and get excited about their birthday month. I have become the ‘birthday lady,’ which I am very proud of!”
When she gets a break from her duties at home and at work, Montesinos enjoys unwinding with a good movie or book. “I appreciate the simple moments that bring balance to a busy life,” Montesinos said. “I try my best to slow down but truly enjoy being part of my community in any way I can to serve.”
Walter Imperatore
‘Serial Volunteer’ Walter Imperatore Has Quickly Become A Key Leader In The Rotary Club Of Wellington
Story by Deborah Welky | Photo by Denise Fleischman
Walter Imperatore was born on the day, month and year that Disneyland opened, although he insists that he was not named after that other famous Walt. This Walter spent his youth in Whitestone and Port Washington, N.Y., and earned a degree in public relations and advertising from Syracuse University.
He put those communication skills to use in the real estate field, managing a diverse private real estate portfolio, serving as global director of real estate for a Fortune 100 company, and providing commercial brokerage, consulting and development planning.
Imperatore has been involved with Rotary International all his adult life, currently serving as immediate past president of the Wellington Rotary Club. Before relocating to Wellington five years ago, he was president of the Rotary Club of Oyster Bay, vice president and treasurer of the Oyster Bay Chamber of Commerce, and held several leadership roles in the Coast Guard Auxiliary. He moved to Wellington in April 2020, just at the start of the pandemic.
“Our kids were in their early 20s then, and when [wife] Joan and I told them we were moving to Florida, they came back to us and said they would come down here, too,” Imperatore recalled. “My son Jake [now 30] and daughter Katie [now 28] both moved to within a mile of our new Florida home.”
It was not Imperatore’s years of real estate experience nor months of scouting South Florida locales that brought him to Wellington. “Wellington didn’t pop up on any radar,” he said. “I was lucky, and I’ve always said I’d rather be lucky than smart.”
In 2021, Imperatore transferred his Rotary membership to Wellington, and got involved helping people struggling during the pandemic.
“We did weekly food distribution out of the Mall at Wellington Green,” said Imperatore, who described himself as a “serial volunteer.” “We were all masked-up and wore gloves. It was very restrictive and uncomfortable, but a worthwhile effort.”
As the pandemic receded, Imperatore became more immersed than ever in Rotary activities and soon found himself on the board. Earlier this year, he worked with the village to develop the Flags of Wellington program, honoring not only military personnel but also civilian achievements.
“In Wellington, the flags aren’t strictly dedicated to memorials, but are also about spirit and community, so the message is broader,” Imperatore explained. “They range from people who have been in the service to congratulating a family member.”
Imperatore said both the village and local scouts helped with the effort. “The scouts were phenomenal,” he said. “When we were putting the flags up, they were a huge part of that.”
Rotary and the village work together on many projects, something that adds immeasurably to the community feel of the town.
“It’s a win-win,” Imperatore said. “When the tornado went through Wellington in 2024, the village had a plan and resources, but they reached out to Rotary to help. We created a tornado relief fund, partnering with other organizations, and were able to help our residents with everything from debris removal to gift cards to help for first responders. It was a pretty broad program, considering the frenetic pace at which it was created. In some cases, we merely served as a portal for people who didn’t know that village resources were available.”
Imperatore recalled the story of a son pulling his father into their safe room just as a tornado breached the house and tried to suck them out. “The general theme was that people felt like a freight train was going right past,” Imperatore said. “Someone who had served in the military said it felt like explosions going off around him… Myself, I watched the tornado from my home on Lake Wellington. It was like watching The Wizard of Oz. It was really formidable.”
He is also involved in Rotary’s exchange program. “We have a youth exchange program where we send 8,000 students from one country to another for either a short summer program or the entire school year,” Imperatore said. “Watching the looks on those kids’ faces as they participate in this thing, it is so rewarding — it’s an impact point in their lives.”
Learn more about the Rotary Club of Wellington at www.wellingtonrotary.org.
Sue Bierer
A 46-Year Resident, Retired Teacher Sue Bierer Works To Preserve The History Of Wellington
Story by Deborah Welky | Photo by Kendall Bierer
Sue Bierer has been serving as the president of the Wellington Historical Society since 2023, which is apropos, since she herself is a perfect example of how Wellington began.
Bierer graduated from Maine South High School in Illinois and was working as a teacher when she agreed to meet some friends for dinner at a restaurant in the Gould Inc. building where they worked.
“I very unexpectedly met Bill Ylvisaker and his No. 2 man, George Millington, who were both in the restaurant at the time,” Bierer recalled. “I started talking to George, and told him I was a teacher, but that I was trying to get a job in Florida because I had been reading Chronicle of the Horse, and there was a tiny little article about a superb new facility opening in the Palm Beaches called Palm Beach Polo & Country Club in a town called Wellington.”
As an equestrian, this fascinated her. “I had been riding all my life, as well as showing hunters and jumpers around the Midwest, and I told him I’d love to move there and bring my horse, but I didn’t have any contacts,” Bierer continued. “That’s when he said, ‘We own it.’ He set me up for interviews at Palm Beach Polo.”
It was a dream come true! She and her horse moved to Wellington in the fall of 1979 and started working in the PR department at the old Palm Beach Polo stadium building. (“It broke my heart when they tore it down,” she said.) Her fiancé, Leonard, followed a few months later. They married and have one daughter, Kendall.
Back then, while Bierer’s horse stayed in the show barn, she was busy coordinating visiting VIP groups and celebrities.
“Merv Griffin had a unit there, Zsa Zsa Gabor had a unit there, and others just came to enjoy the social atmosphere and be ‘seen’ — Joan Collins, Jane Seymour, Sonny Bono… Prince Charles came to play polo, and later he brought Lady Di,” she continued.
Eventually, Bierer realized that she missed teaching and went back to it, teaching at Wellington Elementary School from 1985 until she retired in 2012, 27 years in all.
Then, in 2018, avid reader Bierer saw another small item that piqued her interest.
“There was an announcement in the Town-Crier, asking people who were interested in preserving the history of Wellington to a meeting,” Bierer said. “Len and I went, since we’d watched Wellington grow since 1979. There were a lot of people there. Later that month, I got a call from Maureen Budjinski, who asked me to be on the all-volunteer board of the Wellington Historical Society. We held our first board retreat on March 24, 2018. Laurie Cohen was the president for years and is still very involved but, when she stepped down, I took over in 2023.”
Bierer said that getting the history of Wellington included in the local fourth-grade social studies curriculum as one of the nonprofit’s greatest accomplishments.
“Together, with other teachers from Wellington schools, we worked for years to put together a PowerPoint presentation to present to the Palm Beach County School Board. It covered Wellington’s origins from the Seminole Indians to the present day. They suggested changes, it was reformatted and, finally, it was approved and implemented in all fourth-grade classes,” Bierer said. “We picked fourth grade because they do a unit on Florida Studies. It has been very well received. Teachers enjoy teaching it, and the kids love it. No other schools in Palm Beach County teach the history of their community, although the school board has told us that they wish they would.”
Another important initiative launched by the Wellington Historical Society is its Oral Histories archive. “This highlights many of Wellington’s pioneers who were instrumental in our early formative years and is available for viewing through www.wellingtonhistoricalsociety.org,” Bierer said. “There’s a plethora of wonderful interviews there.”
The Wellington Historical Society also hosts “Lunch and Learn” talks and several mixers each year. “And every group needs volunteers,” she said. “It’s only $35 to become a member, and we need to raise awareness that we even exist.”
Learn more about the Wellington Historical Society at www.wellingtonhistoricalsociety.org.
Jackie Ducci
Jackie Ducci Runs A Nonprofit That Focuses On The Transformative Power Of The Human-Animal Connection
Story by Shannon Anastasio | Photo by Aggie Brooks
Jackie Ducci’s life embodies purposeful leadership and meaningful service. As the founder of the Human-Animal Alliance, she aims to redefine how modern nonprofits operate — merging business expertise with philanthropy to share the transformative power of the human-animal connection.
“In many ways, my entire life has been connected to this cause,” Ducci explained. “Animals have been my primary source of comfort and strength since childhood. I founded the Human-Animal Alliance in 2022 to help others experience the same life-changing connections. I am very proud of what the organization does, but the animals are the true stars.”
Ducci awards grants to high impact, often overlooked organizations nationwide. These funds support two key areas: programs that offer animal-assisted therapy and initiatives that help keep pets with the people who love them.
“Through our grantmaking, we reach thousands of people and animals each year,” Ducci said. “Since our founding, we have awarded 21 grants totaling nearly $350,000, with an additional $100,000 expected before the end of 2025. These funds have supported a wide range of animal-assisted therapy programs for grieving children, women in crisis, first responders, at-risk youth, survivors of human trafficking and more. Our grants have also funded pet retention services from families at risk of losing their animals due to financial hardship, military service, domestic violence situations and natural disasters. Every dollar we contribute to these remarkable programs directly touches human and animal lives.”
Ducci grew up on a farm in northwest Connecticut, where her passion for animals developed at a young age.
“My entire family is from that area, and it was a wonderful place to call home during childhood,” she said. “Since then, I have lived in various cities on the East Coast, including New York and Washington, D.C., where I earned my bachelor’s degree from the Catholic University of America.”
Today, she is settled year-round in Wellington with her horses Westley and Teddy, and her bulldogs Ralphie and Sadie. She has been a full-time Wellington resident for the past five years. Aside from her philanthropic work, she is a United States Dressage Federation gold medalist. “I compete in FEI-level dressage, and also dabble in some low-level show jumping,” Ducci said. “I wouldn’t trade living here for the world. It is a remarkable community that blends the excitement of the global equestrian scene with a small-town spirit and wonderful, animal-loving people. My only regret is not moving here sooner.”
Through the alliance, Ducci helps animals, uplifts trauma survivors and strengthens families in crisis. But it’s not just what she does, but how she does it. Ducci personally funds all the overhead, so every dollar donated by the public directly supports programming and impacts human and animal lives. She applies a rigorous vetting process to ensure that funding reaches exceptional grassroots partners.
Ducci’s personal connection to horses goes back to her childhood. “As a child, I was naturally very quiet and struggled with social anxiety. Horses were my safe place,” she said. “They accepted me without judgment and taught me that my value had nothing to do with how much I spoke, and everything to do with who I was at my core. That tremendous life lesson salvaged my self-esteem during my early years and ultimately shaped me into the person I am today. The Human-Animal Alliance was born from a desire to enable others to experience similar transformative connections and unconditional acceptance through animals.”
Ducci’s career history is equally dynamic: from entrepreneur, talent acquisition expert, author and podcast host to nonprofit leader and advocate, she has built a platform for change that is both strategic and meaningful, proving that philanthropy can be precise, powerful and personal.
Her favorite way to unwind is enjoying downtime with her bulldogs, ideally with a Netflix show on TV and a glass of wine in her hand. “I also love my friends and prioritize quality time with the people I love most, including my fiancé, Mark,” Ducci said, adding that she also loves a good escape room. “I am an escape room enthusiast and have completed nearly 100 rooms! I enjoy the challenge of solving puzzles under pressure and the teamwork it inspires.”
Learn more about Ducci’s nonprofit at www.h-aa.org.
Dwayne Brown
‘Top Cop’ Dwayne Brown Makes A Difference On The Streets Of Wellington Every Day
Story by Mike May | Photo by Denise Fleischman
Every law enforcement agency needs a Dwayne Brown. Fortunately for Wellington, Brown works for the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, and he’s often seen patrolling Wellington. The daily physical presence of Brown helps keep Wellington such a great place to live, work and play.
Brown’s affiliation with the PBSO started in July 1998 as a drill instructor with the Eagle Academy in Belle Glade.
“I worked with at-risk youth. We worked on getting their lives going in the right direction,” said Brown, now 61. “We used exercise, physical training and various drills to get their attention. It worked. Nowadays, many of those individuals see me, and they thank me for helping them.”
In 2003, Brown became a sworn deputy. For more than 20 years, he has served the residents of Palm Beach County with distinction. In addition to patrolling Wellington, he is a frequent volunteer at many community events and is involved with the Wellington Rotary. His years of service just recently got him recognized as Wellington’s “Top Cop” for 2025.
In addition to his patrols, he makes appearances at schools.
“At the elementary and middle schools, the kids love to meet the cops,” said Brown, who feels he makes the biggest difference in his job with children. “Kids like coming up to me to tell me what they are doing. All kids need guidance and love.”
Brown truly feels his presence in Wellington is important. “I want to make a positive difference in the lives of kids and their families. I like to bring peace to a crisis,” said Brown, who once worked as a SWAT negotiator.
The foundation of Brown’s success can be traced to his six years in the U.S. Marine Corps. After boot camp, he traveled the world to protect American freedoms at home. “I was in Europe six times, in Africa six times and based on three different naval ships,” said Brown, who served from 1982 to 1988.
He rose to the rank of corporal, and Brown’s military experience was filled with positive memories. “I enjoyed my time as a U.S. Marine,” he said.
Brown’s transition to the PBSO would never have happened had it not been for a job he took. “Pratt & Whitney was advertising for somebody to work on its jet engine program who had a military background. I felt that I was qualified,” Brown recalled. “I applied for the job.”
That brought him to Palm Beach County, and he worked on a variety of military jet engines. Unfortunately, after a few years, those military contracts were not renewed, which meant it was time for Brown to find a new professional opportunity. “I had a wife and children at home, plus a mortgage,” Brown said. “I needed a new job.”
He initially did some substitute teaching, before he saw an ad for a PBSO position. As they say, the rest is history.
“In my job, every day is different,” said Brown, who has drawn his gun on many occasions, but only pulled the trigger once.
When he’s not on patrol, Brown is busy helping his family run a foundation focused on sarcoma cancer awareness in memory of his late wife, Juliet, who died of sarcoma cancer.
“In 2021, we started the Julie B. Foundation,” Brown said. “Over the last four years, with the support of generous donors, we have been able to award scholarships to individuals who have been impacted by cancer, in addition to providing care packages to hospitalized cancer patients during the holidays.”
Brown’s 27-year-old daughter Jaelyn leads the foundation. Learn more at www.thejuliebfoundation.org.
In his spare time, Brown likes to exercise and work on his vehicles. “I have a 2017 convertible Corvette. It’s a dark charcoal color with a red interior. I also have a 1987 silver champagne-like coupe Corvette and a Harley-Davidson Ultra Glide motorcycle,” Brown said. “I drive them on sunny weekend days. They are a stress reliever.”
Brown is also a fan of opera, and he plays the saxophone. While Brown has been living in Palm Beach County since the 1980s, he grew up in Sarasota.
“In high school, I played in the band in the fall, played basketball in the winter and I was a designated hitter on the baseball team in the spring,” Brown said.
MARTY ROSS
Marty Ross Engages And Uplifts His Community With A Passion For Sports And Philanthropy
Marty Ross, a fixture at the Wycliffe Golf & Country Club, is passionate about maintaining a positive mental attitude and contributing to the active lifestyle in his community.
“My two favorite expressions are ‘great-fantastic’ and ‘positive-positive-positive,’ which I use every day,” Ross said. “Those are my guideline words for life.”
Ross is passionate about the power of positivity, and he firmly believes that the primary purpose of playing sports is not to see who wins or loses. Instead, it allows you to positively impact and connect with people, often for a good cause.
“Sports have always come easy to me, and I was an above-average athlete,” said Ross, now 84. “For me, playing sports was a big part of growing up in New York. I grew up in The Bronx. I was a big fan of the Yankees, the Knicks and the Giants football team. Joe DiMaggio was my idol. I was the captain of my high school tennis team at DeWitt Clinton High School.”
These days, there is very little that takes place at Wycliffe that doesn’t involve Ross and his positive mental attitude. He keeps busy connecting Wycliffe residents with one another by organizing, promoting and participating in many athletic activities.
As a participant, he plays golf, tennis, pickleball, bocce and stickball throughout the year. For many of his daily activities and initiatives, Ross has the assistance and support of his wife, Harriet, whom he married more than 60 years ago.
“I couldn’t have done all that I have done without the support of my wife,” Ross said. “She’s been a great partner and teammate in life.”
They raised their two daughters, Leslie and Alison, in Westchester County, N.Y. Marty worked for 36 years as a professional sales consultant in the wholesale distribution of paper products. They moved to Wycliffe on Aug. 31, 2000.
Ross’ first big initiative was starting the Wycliffe Stiffs Stickball League in the fall of 2002, which earned him his nickname, “The Commish.” Every year, the Wycliffe Stiffs play from November to April on Tuesday afternoons in a corner of Wellington’s Village Park, nicknamed Stickball Boulevard South. It’s an extension of Ross’ childhood, where he played stickball on the streets and school yards of New York. Similar to baseball, stickball uses a long, thin stick and a small, soft rubber ball. In stickball, players don’t run the bases. Instead, there are lines on the playing surface to indicate whether a hit is a single, double, triple or a home run.
“Our stickball league creates goodwill, happiness, fun and competition,” Ross said. “Stickball is now being played at Stickball Boulevard South, which is 1,221 miles from Brooklyn. This league was my vision.”
Ross gives thanks to the Wellington Parks & Recreation Department for supporting the league, which will open its 24th season in November.
“When I had this vision, I was lucky to get in touch with Wellington Parks & Recreation to get their help,” he said. “It’s been a great partnership.”
One of Ross’s biggest fans is State Rep. Anne Gerwig, the former mayor of Wellington.
“Marty actually introduced me to stickball,” Gerwig said. “It was amazing to watch the happiest retired men reliving their youth with the added life’s experience along the way. He didn’t know me, and he was a little worried that the new mayor would not be interested in continuing this sport’s inclusion at Village Park. I couldn’t have enjoyed it more… Getting to know him and Harriet has made life so much better.”
In tennis, Ross founded the annual Wycliffe Generations Tennis Tournament, held in December. He also started an early-bird tennis program on Tuesday and Thursday mornings at Wycliffe for anybody who wants to improve. “In sports, I love the interaction and socializing with people,” Ross said.
In addition, Ross has strong philanthropic goals. Two causes that Marty and Harriet enjoy supporting are the Wycliffe Charities Foundation and the Israel Tennis & Education Centers.
This year, the Wycliffe Charities Foundation distributed approximately $325,000 to 33 different nonprofit organizations in Palm Beach County.
ITEC provides a safe haven for at-risk children in Israel. For the last eight years, an ITEC delegation of tennis players has visited Wycliffe every March for a major fundraiser, thanks to the work of Marty and Harriet, along with fellow Wycliffe residents Steve and Ellen Wechsler.
At the 24 ITEC centers scattered around Israel, tennis is used to successfully bridge gaps between children of different backgrounds, while promoting diversity, enhancing life skills and transforming lives.
“At ITEC, we feel honored and fortunate to have Marty Ross as our ambassador for the last eight years in his beautiful community of Wycliffe,” explained Yoni Yair, vice president of development for ITEC. “Marty and his wife Harriet play a vital role in leading our campaigns there, and I’m continually inspired by their extraordinary commitment, passion and dedication to our meaningful work. Marty’s efforts in sharing our story and engaging the Wycliffe community are truly remarkable. The number of people he’s able to recruit and inspire to engage with our mission is absolutely exceptional and unique. Through his leadership, we’ve raised a significant amount of meaningful funds that directly benefit the children of Israel and support our mission.”
There’s no doubt that next March’s ITEC event at Wycliffe, and other charitable endeavors there, will continue to be successful, thanks to leadership, passion and positive mental attitude of Marty Ross.
“We’re always on call to help local causes,” Ross said. “We’re always willing to pitch in to help.”
