New board members added to Community Foundation

The Key Biscayne Community Founda-tion has added three new board members: Carlos Batlle, Patrick Dwyer and Fred Joch, and a new executive director, Ximena Antunez de Mayolo.

Batlle is a partner at Squires Sanders and Dempsey LLP, where he focuses his practice on trust and estate planning, probate and trust administration as well as fiduciary litigation throughout the United States, South America and Latin America.

Batlle served as a professional advisor to the Key Biscayne Community Foundation and received the 2006 Professional Advisor of the Year Award. Batlle and his wife Lauren (owner of the Seahorse Boutique in Key Biscayne) recently established the Seahorse Fund, a donor-advised fund through the Community Foundation that will provide an opportunity for the youth of Key Biscayne to participate in the art of philanthropy.

Dwyer is a Senior Vice President and Private Wealth Advisor in the Private Banking and Investment Group at Merrill Lynch in Miami. His work has been recognized in various publications, including Barron's 2007 list of "Top 100 Financial Managers."

Dwyer previously served as a member of the Key Biscayne Community Foundation Finance Committee and established a donor-advised fund with his wife, Marisa, that benefits local education initiatives.

"Growing up in the northeast, I saw first-hand how community foundations played an important role in developing a strong sense of community in the towns I lived in," said Dwyer. "A well-endowed community foundation is an important financial resource needed to fund and sup- . port cultural, education and charitable endeavors in our town. I will use my back- ground in investment management to assist in the development and monitoring of the KBCF funds."

Joch is an entrepreneur and chairman of Producto POP.Inc., a merchandising agency with subsidiaries in Hong Kong, Barcelona, London, Caracas and Buenos Aires. He also has ownership of airport business centers in 30 airports on three continents and has developed several ski vacation homes in Cooper Mountain, Colorado.

Joch and his wife, Susan, are strong supporters of local and cultural causes, having recently hosted a fundraiser for SI. Agnes Academy in their home.

On welcoming Batlle, Dwyer and Joch to the Key Biscayne Community Foundation board, Antunez de Mayolo said: "I think the common thread between these three new board members is that they're all young and they've all been active in the community. I think they will definitely bring a refreshing, very professional viewpoint to the board."

A native of Key Biscayne, Antunez de Mayolo brings a wealth of experience, in education, community outreach and fundraising to the Key Biscayne Community Foundation. Prior to joining the Foundation, Antunez de Mayolo worked in various arts organizations in both Miami and New York, including The Lowe Art Museum at the University of Miami, Creative Capital Foundation and Vizcaya Museum and Gardens.

While at the Lowe Art Museum. Antunez de Mayolo worked to develop innovative and multicultural educational programming for children and families. She also participated in the creation of Miami's first museum magnet school, Shenandoah Middle School.

Following this experience, Antunez de Mayolo joined the Development Department at Creative Capital in New York. a national foundation supporting individual artist's projects. While at Creative Capital, Antunez de Mayolo worked to identify and develop strategies for targeting prospective funders.

A graduate of Coral Gables Senior High School's International Baccalaureate program, Antunez de Mayolo received a B.A. in Comparative Literature and recently completed her Master in Arts Administration at Columbia University.

Antunez de Mayolo currently serves as Vice President of the Board of Directors for Starting Artists, a Brooklyn-based arts-education nonprofit organization.

Antunez de Mayolo started working at the Foundation December 3.

The Key Biscayne Community Foundation is a nonprofit organization that raises money from individuals, families, corporations, foundations and other organizations, and makes grants to support charitable activities vital to the Key Biscayne community.