Meet the Board

Tom Grady is an investor in kids, startup businesses, and the financial industry. His investments in the future include helping kids graduate from high school and college to enjoy great jobs and extraordinary lives, most recently including co-founding The Freedom Institute. Tom also invests in startup businesses (where most jobs are created) and in the financial industry and helps clients do the same.

He is the CEO of Continental Equities Group, Inc. (an asset management and real estate development, construction, brokerage, and finance company), Chief Investment Strategist for PureAssets Management Company (a family office investing in global asset, wealth, and real estate managers), and CEO of GradyLaw (financial industry law and consulting).

Prior positions include Commissioner, Office of Financial Regulation; President, Citizens Property Insurance Corporation; member, Florida House of Representatives; Commissioner, 2018 Florida Constitutional Revision Commission; member, SBA Investment Advisory Council; Chairman, Quest for Success; Chairman, Florida State Board of Education; and trustee, Florida Gulf Coast University. Tom and his wife Ann are proud parents and grandparents and longtime residents of Naples, Florida.

Ed Morton of Naples served as a Principal and Managing Director of the investment firm Wasmer & Schroeder & Co. He retired in 2006 after 34 years of service as the CEO of the NCH Healthcare System, a diversified healthcare holding company. He is a Florida native who was raised in Islamorada.

He holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Notre Dame, a Master of Business Administration from the University of Miami, and a Master’s of Health Science from Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU). Following graduation from Notre Dame, he served as a Captain, Ord, USAR from 1969–1972.

Morton has served as a Board Member on several civic-minded boards serving the citizens of Southwest Florida. He has served four terms as a Trustee of Florida Gulf Coast University, is a past Chairman of the Greater Area Chamber of Commerce, has served as Chairman of the FGCU Foundation, and is currently a Member of the FGCU Board of Trustees. He is a seven-year member of the Board of Governors of the State University System of Florida and a past Chairman of the Partners in Education Program of the then Education Foundation (Champions for Learning). In 2004, Morton received the Edison State College LIFE Award for his service to the field of education.

Tad Dekko is a successful entrepreneur and philanthropist with a long history of leadership in various industries. Dekko’s career began in 1978 with the founding of Dri-Dek Corporation, where he served as Chairman and President. He continued his entrepreneurial journey by founding Kendall International (1984) and Kendall Products (1988), holding the Chairman and President positions in both companies. In 1992, Dekko became Chairman of Group Dekko and Dekko Foundation.

In 1993, Dekko co-founded Quest for Kids (later known as Quest for Success), demonstrating a growing interest in education and youth development. He went on to establish the Quest Educational Foundation in 1994 and serve as its Chairman and President. His dedication to youth empowerment extended to the boards of Parents as Teachers, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, and Junior Achievement, and he founded the Youth Development Foundation and served as a Trustee.

Dekko served as a Director for Hodges University Foundation (2006) and joined the Advisory Board of the University of South Carolina (2010). He continues to serve as a Trustee of the Quest Educational Foundation and is a Board Member at The Freedom Institute, demonstrating his unwavering commitment to education.

After 30-plus years as a senior executive in the media industry, Barker fulfilled a life-long dream of owning his own company as founder and CEO of Barker Strategic Solutions, LLC. Based in Naples, FL, BSS specializes in strategic consulting centered around brand position, market differentiation, critical thinking and thought leadership, revenue and fund-raising optimization, messaging and marketing, leadership development, and effective goal-oriented execution.

Employing his broad experience in the transformational media space, Barker partners with CEOs and business owners to boost their bottom line, build leaders, guide growth, optimize operations, navigate change, and manage the message. BSS clients include multi-location retailers, healthcare organizations, wealth management firms, real estate developers, nonprofits, and media organizations.

Prior to launching BSS, Barker was Regional President for Gannett Inc./USA Today Network, encompassing 24 local media organizations throughout Florida, plus the Marketing Solutions group LOCALiQ. He was also President and Publisher of the Naples Daily News and Fort Myers News-Press, a founding officer of the Journal Media Group, and President and Publisher of The Tampa Tribune/TBO.com and WFLA-News Channel 8, an NBC affiliate.