Meet The

team

Wellfit Girls Team

Franchesca

Whiting

Chief Executive Officer

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Franchesca Whiting serves as the CEO at Wellfit Girls, where she is passionate about connecting community leaders, families, and partners to create meaningful opportunities for teen girls. She believes lasting impact happens when relationships are strong and collaboration is intentional.

Prior to Wellfit Girls, she spent more than a decade as Director of Admissions and Marketing at Community School of Naples, building trusted relationships and strengthening engagement across the broader community.

Franchesca is an active community leader as a graduate of Leadership Collier Class of 2026 and Associate Leadership Collier 2022. a board member of the David Lawrence Centers Advocates, and a mentor with Champions for Learning.

Through her work, she is committed to ensuring every girl has access to experiences that build confidence, resilience, and connection.

Alivia

Crowl

Program Coordinator

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Hometown:
Council Bluffs, Iowa

Education:
Graduated from Saint Louis University with a B.A. in Criminology & Criminal Justice, and a B.A. in Psychology

Wilderness First Responder

Previous Career:
Outfitters Store Manager, Paralegal Assistant & Adoption Caseworker, Property Management, and Domestic Violence Legal Advocate

Biggest Accomplishment:
PADI Open Water Diver Certification at 16 years old, Hosted my own weekly radio show at KCAW in Sitka, Alaska at 22 years old

Family
Mom & Dad, and a miniature dachshund!

Favorite Quote
“If you were born where they were born, and you grew up where they grew up, you would believe what they believe.” -Heidi Reinhardt

Jamie

DePaola

Fitness Facilitator & Coach

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Hometown: Baltimore, Maryland 

Career: Sports performance coaching 

Biggest Accomplishment: Nine 100+ mile ultramarathon finishes 

Family: Loving and loyal; I’m an auntie ❤️

Favorite quote: If you wanna go fast, go alone. If you wanna go far, go together.

Alyssa

Tezna

Facilitator & Admin Support

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Hometown: Hamilton, New Jersey

Career: Private Trainer, Photographer

Biggest accomplishment: Hiking over 25 national parks including 3 international parks.

Family: Husband – Nico

Australian Shepherd – Jasper, Chocolate lab / border collie – Frank,

Russian blue – Raine, Siberian – Bart

Favorite quote:

“Not like someone who always wins, but like someone who never gives up.” – Frida Kahlo

board of directors

Joseph

Charles

Chair

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Hometown:
Dearborn, Michigan

Education:
Bachelor’s Degree in Speech Communication/Public Relations – Miami University, Oxford, OH

Industry:
Banking/Finance

Biggest Accomplishment:
Completed three full Ironman races

Family:
Married my love in 2017 – Attorney Marcie Charles
2 sons – Spencer Charles (19) currently attending Embry Riddle Aeronautical University,
Nathan Charles (17) Senior at Creekside High School in Fruit Cove, Florida

“Life is what happens while you are busy making other plans”
– John Lennon

Why for being on the Wellfit Girls Board:
To help girls in need

Meli

Neubek

Vice Chair

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Hometown:
Boston, MA

Education:
Montessori, High School, Boston University, FGCU

Industry:
Service: Photography, Videography & Event Planning

Biggest Accomplishment:
Coordinating events for hundreds of people at a time from all over the world, on freedom-focused topics that are very important to me!

Family:
Husband – Matt; Mom – Francina; Cats – Luna, Soffi & Charlie; Chickens – Kiki, Ruthie, Chicky & Derpy

Why for being on the Wellfit Girls Board:
I believe in the mission and potential for it to change our world for the better. I wish I had had Wellfit Girls available to me as a teenager.

Favorite Quote
“All I know is that I know nothing.”
– Socrates

Catherine

Elkins

Secretary

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Hometown:
Bernardsville, NJ

Education:
Middlebury College, BA in Psychology; Manhattanville College, MA, Liberal Studies with a concentration in Leadership; UCF, MBA and MSBM

Industry:
Commercial Real Estate

Biggest Accomplishment:
Taking control of my family businesses and continuing to grow and strengthen each business.

Family
Mother and two younger sisters

Why for being on the Wellfit Girls Board:

I want to be active participant in my community and help grow and lead future generations.

“Do unto others what you would have them do unto you.”

Ashlynn

Reeder

Treasurer

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Hometown:
Naples, Florida

Education:
Master’s Degree

Industry:
Accounting

Biggest Accomplishment:
CPA License

Family:
Mom and Brother

Why for being on the Wellfit Girls Board:
Helping to further the mission, and seeing first hand the impact it has on the girls within the programs

Favorite Quote
“Fight for the things that you care about, but do it in a way that will lead others to join you” – Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Colby

Robertson

Founder & Director

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Hometown:
Minnetonka, Minnesota

Education:
Bachelors in Broadcast Journalism and Psychology from University of Miami (FL)

Industry:
Non-Profit

Biggest Accomplishment:
Completing TransRockies 6-day 120 Mile Race in Colorado in 2019

Why for being on the Wellfit Girls Board:
I believe in the work and have seen this program positively impact hundreds of lives over the past decade, including mine.

Favorite Quote
“Wherever you go, there you are.” -Confucius

Jill

Wheeler

Founder & Director

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Hometown:
Boulder, Colorado

Education:
Bachelor’s in Human Development
Masters in Psychology

Industry:
Psychotherapy and Life Leadership Coaching

Biggest Accomplishment:
Motherhood & Wellfit Girls

Family:
Husband Carter and 2 Daughters

Why for being on the Wellfit Girls Board:
Investment in the future of girls to lead from an embodied, self-loving, compassion and kind place.

“Go within to go beyond”

Marcie

Charles

Director

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Marcie Charles is a Senior Vice President at Northern Trust, where she specializes in wealth management and provides strategic financial guidance to clients. With a strong background in finance, legal expertise, and governance, she brings a well-rounded perspective to both her professional work and board service.

Marcie has more than 10 years of board and nonprofit experience and currently serves as Secretary of the Collier Community Foundation. Her background includes extensive involvement in accounting, legal, and governance functions, as well as hands-on experience across nonprofit operations and leadership.

Deeply committed to service, Marcie has a long-standing dedication to community engagement, rooted in her academic background in service learning from Providence College and her volunteer work with the Jesuit Volunteer Corps. As a woman in leadership, she is passionate about empowering young women and strongly aligns with the mission of Wellfit Girls to build confidence, leadership, and opportunity for the next generation.

Martin

De St Pierre

Director

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Hometown:
Hampton, VA

Education:
BA from U. of Richmond, MALAS U. of Florida

Industry:
Non-profit environmental protection and advocacy

Biggest Accomplishment:
My children

Family:
Olivia age 21 and Owen age 19

Why for being on the Wellfit Girls Board:
I am the product of great mentors and others who have supported me and saw in me strength and skills I did not know I had. It’s important to continue to pay that forward.

Favorite Quote:

“My country is the world, and my religion is to do good”

Heather

Fernstrom

Director

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Hometown:
Naples, Florida

Education:
University of Denver

Industry:
Real Estate

Biggest Accomplishment:
My 3 children

Family:
3 Kids Jackson, Harrison, Madelyn

Why for being on the Wellfit Girls Board:
I love making a difference in these young women’s lives. I love hearing the stories how our contribution change their lives at such a pivotal moment in their lifetime. I often think about how impactful Wellfit Girls could have been on my life had something like this been around.

Favorite Quote
“Maybe the journey isn’t so much about becoming anything. Maybe it’s about un-becoming everything that isn’t really you, so you can be who you were meant to be in the first place.” – Paulo Coelho

Charles

Kerwood III

Director

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Charles is a Partner at Waller Financial Planning Group, Inc., a holistic planning and investment management firm based in Columbus, Ohio. He has been with the company for 35 years and currently serves as Managing Partner for the firm’s Naples office, where he provides strategic leadership and financial guidance to clients.

With a strong background in finance and strategy, Charles has extensive experience serving on multiple nonprofit boards in both Ohio and Florida. He is deeply committed to community involvement and believes strongly in empowering women by providing them with the tools, confidence, and opportunities they need to become strong, effective leaders.