BOARD OF ADVISORS

Lieutenant General Russel L. Honoré

Lieutenant General Russel L. Honoré served as the 33rd commanding General of the U.S. First Army at Fort Gillem, Georgia. Honoré coordinated the military’s preparedness and response to hurricanes Charley, Frances, Ivan and Jeanne. He is widely recognized for his role as the commander of Joint Task Force that coordinated military relief efforts for Hurricane Katrina across the Gulf Coast. Honoré is dedicated and committed to creating a culture of preparedness in America. General Honoré is a highly decorated officer, with impeccable credentials, and is a recipient of numerous prestigious awards. He was Commander to the 2nd Infantry Division stationed in South Korea. Honoré is of Louisiana Creole descent.

He is the author of the book “SURVIVAL- How Being Prepared Can Keep You and Your Family Safe” and War Stories.

Honoré earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Agriculture, a Master of Arts in Human Resources from Troy State University, and six Honorary Doctorates from various educational institutions, including the United States Army War College.

Dr. Linda Jane Smith

Dr. Smith is an education and professional development consultant with a specialization in distance learning. From 2014 through 2019, she served as Professor and Program Chair for the Master of Distance Education and E-learning (MDE) program at the University of Maryland Global Campus. She received her Ph.D. in Instructional Systems from Florida State University (FSU) where she also taught graduate courses in the Educational Leadership and Policy Studies Department.

She is involved internationally for work in both academe and professional development, including consulting and teaching in higher education. From 2010-2019, she served as Coordinator of Online Courses and Professional Development Consultant for the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers. Prior to work in higher education, she was a senior staff director for many years for the Social Security Administration in Baltimore, MD, where she led projects of national scope. Her current service activities include supporting education programs at Florida State University. In 2019, she joined the Board for the Florida State University Schools.

Dr. Glenn Smucker

Dr. Glenn R. Smucker is a cultural anthropologist who has specialized for the past 40 years in practical applications of anthropology to alleviating human problems. Smucker is a leading specialist on Haiti who first came to live in Haiti as a child in 1960. He led a major policy study on the Haitian environment commissioned by the US Congress, designed a watershed planning methodology for the World Bank and directed major programs in reforestation and natural resource management. He has produced numerous reports and publications including a book on grassroots organizations in Haiti, also studies on land tenure, small farmer decision making, tree crops and participatory watershed planning.

Smucker has served as director of the Pan American Development Foundation in Haiti, which included a large scale farm forestry project, and served as chief of party for a major natural resource management project in Rwanda, including protection of the mountain gorillas. He has consulted for a range of donors including USAID, the Inter-American Bank, the World Bank, also the Haitian Ministry of Environment and Ministry of Agriculture, and J/PHRO, the philanthropic organization founded by Sean Penn.

Dr. Robert W. Taylor

Robert W. Taylor is the Dean in the College of Agriculture and Food Sciences, at Florida A&M University. Previously, he served as Dean of the School of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences at Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical University.  Taylor was appointed to the State of Alabama Forever Wild Land Trust by the Governor of Alabama in 2010. He has served on numerous boards including one mandated by Congress to advise the Secretary of Agriculture.

Taylor was recognized as a Caribbean Icon in Science and Technology in 2007.  Taylor is a recipient of numerous awards including the 20th Century Agricultural Development International Award, bestowed the honor as a Fellow of the Food Systems Leadership Institute, the Soil Science Society of America in 2002, and the American Society of Agronomy in 2000.

Taylor has overseen over $15M for research projects, and has over 200 research publications and papers. Taylor holds a Ph.D. in soil chemistry from Michigan State University.

Attorney Robin Hassler Thompson

Attorney Robin Hassler Thompson is widely recognized for her work on human trafficking. She has traveled to Bangladesh and Dhaka as a part of US State Department mission on human trafficking. She is the Executive Director of the Survive and Thrive, a non-profit agency that assist survivors of human trafficking.

Robin served as the National Advisory Council on Violence Against Women appointed by the U.S. Department of Justice. Robin earned a B.A. from American University in Washington, D.C., a degree in law, and an M.A. from Florida State University.