Jacqueline Botting, WiseTribe Founder & Chief Visionary
Jacqueline founded WiseTribe in response to a personal awakening. She realized that the democratizing of information brought on by the Internet would produce significant cultural and technological changes, fundamentally shifting society and how we live. Jacqueline saw an opportunity to activate citizens toward re-imagining and re-designing the systems which influence our health, well-being, and prosperity.
Prior to founding WiseTribe, Jacqueline worked as the Senior Vice President of Financial Services and Information Security for the Trade and Technology Board of the Government of Ireland. In this role, Jacqueline advised Irish software and services companies seeking to enter the US market. Previously, she worked for Intuit managing software partnerships with banks and other financial institutions. Before her role at Intuit, Jacqueline worked for an internet media start-up that went public during her tenure.
Jacqueline’s experience incorporates a blend of grassroots leadership with economic and business development for governments, start-ups and Fortune 500 companies. Her background makes her well equipped to think broadly about the factors impacting a rapidly evolving world.
Jacqueline graduated cum laude from Providence College with a major in History and a minor in Economics. She also studied Philosophy and Theology abroad at Oxford University. She has also attended executive management programs at MIT’s Sloan School of Management, Stanford University and New York University.
Jacqueline is driven to bring communities together to cultivate new ways of thinking and behaviors which lead to healthy living and lifelong learning. As the leader of WiseTribe, her passion inspires others to step into new possibilities and take action towards building a wiser world.
Mark Burns, WiseTribe Board Chair and Chief Operating Officer, BlueIvy Communications
Mark has a unique ability to build happy teams while providing unparalleled customer service. He is a respected leader among his colleagues, clients and partners as well as in his local community.
As COO of the South Florida-based Public Relations and Communications agency BlueIvy Communications, Mark manages events, video production, sales, marketing, and operations. Prior to joining BlueIvy Communications in 2016, he spent more than 15 years running small and medium-sized businesses in a range of industries, including mental health/substance abuse, health and fitness, call centers, and hospitality.
As a Delray Beach resident, Mark is co-founder of the local running group, the Pineapple Run Crew and is an active volunteer with other local non-profit organizations as well. A Baltimore native, he spends his spare time cheering on the Baltimore sports teams, taking group exercise classes, following the news, volunteering, and participating in local 5K races.
In addition to his work as the Board Chair for WiseTribe, he also plays a key role as marketing lead for the organization. Mark is committed to the success of WiseTribe and believes wholeheartedly in our cause and potential to change the world.
Michele Fasulo, Home Management & Concierge
It’s always been an important part of Michele’s family history to pay it forward.
Her professional experience includes more than 15 years as an executive assistant in high-volume, high-pressure environments. In 2017, Michele became an entrepreneur, helping small businesses in data-sensitive industries build out reliable and back office practices.
An administrative expert, Michele skillfully helps her clients with their client relations and management to ensure smooth operations. She also helps business owners fulfill their ongoing professional development needs by providing training workshops for employees, and seminar presentations.
She is active in the community and volunteers with such organizations as Women in Distress and Second Chance Rescue, where she fosters dogs. She also participated in the TEDx Boca Raton 2018-2019 planning committee.
Michele looks forward to applying her track record of strong performance in fast-paced organizations to the WiseTribe mission. As an avid networker and event planner she is sure to be a valuable resource to grow the WiseTribe community.
Kim Marrone, Board Vice Chair, Acupuncture Physician & Certified Functional Medicine Practitioner, Integrative Acupuncture
Kim believes in the value of working together as a community to help inspire people to take back their health. Working in Holistic Healthcare for over 15 years, she knows it can take a village to accomplish optimal health and wellness.
Kim Marrone is both an Acupuncture Physician and Functional Medicine Practitioner practicing in Delray Beach, Florida. She is the co-founder of Integrative Acupuncture, a busy wellness practice where all facets of patient healthcare are provided.
Kim practices the foundations of Chinese Medicine. Today, she says, people are starting to recognize that many factors contribute to our health including food, movement, community, education, emotional wellbeing, spiritual connection, and a sense of purpose and joy. She is passionate about helping her clients build a new consciousness about how they view their own health.
The primary goal for Kim and Integrative Acupuncture is to provide whole body health care in an environment that is warm, comfortable and professional. Her intention as a health practitioner is to aid her patients toward a greater awareness of what health means for them. Acupuncture, Chinese Medicine and Functional Medicine have the ability to heal on many different levels and the journey towards health is unique for every patient. It is Kim’s hope that through education, an open mind, and a supportive environment, every patient will find new growth and optimal health in their lives.
It is Kim’s hope is that through education, an open mind, and a supportive environment, every person can find new growth for optimal health and wellness in their lives. Since Kim’s intention is to help her patients raise their awareness about health, she makes an excellent addition to the WiseTribe Board and community.
Claudia Mendoza, General Contractor, Mom & Activist
A self-described WiseTribe groupie and mother of one of our Junior WiseTriber’s, Claudia is a multi-talented local community leader in Hispanic politics.
As a General Contractor, Mother, education advocate, former president of the Democratic Hispanic Caucus in Palm Beach Chapter and a member of the Empresarias Hispanas, an organization who supports Hispanic women business owners, and former radio host of La Primera, Claudia knows how to get the word out and build community.
As the mother of two daughters, one currently at Carver Middle School parent and the eldest a graduate of New York’s School of Visual Arts College with a BFA in Film, Claudia is passionate about standing for a world that is fair and filled with education, health, and well-being for all.
Claudia’s dedication for standing for social change aligns perfectly with the WiseTribe mission.
Jessica Pfeffer, Chief Connections Officer, Real Connections SoFla
Jessica Pfeffer is on this planet to spread good and increase awareness of the consciousness movement.
She is the founder of Real Connections SoFla, a holistic talent agency that produces holistic well-being events. Inspired by her personal experience with eastern practices Jess is also a Registered Yoga Teacher and proudly teaches yoga on and off the mat throughout the South Florida area.
Early in her career Jessica was an elementary school teacher in Miami Dade, later earning a Masters in Mental Health Counseling. She worked at a private practice for substance abuse treatment which fulfilled her passion to serve others. More recently Jess and her sister co-owned the widely respected JuiceBuzz, an organic cold pressed juicery which included a conscious boutique market. It was among the first in Delray to advocate for sustainable business practices.
Jessica is passionate about holistic social change and is a systems thinker. With her passion for teaching the community about sustainability, she aligns perfectly with the WiseTribe mission.
Bianca Pucci, President and CEO at Basix Inc.
Bianca’s financial expertise has served her well in both her volunteer and entrepreneurial ventures. And when her older daughter became vegan in high school, WiseTribe’s focus on educating students about healthy food really stood out to her.
Bianca has worked in $2 billion publicly held companies as well as small start-ups. After earning a BS in Accounting and an MBA in Finance from Florida Atlantic University, her career began as auditor for Ernst and Young and evolved into roles such as Director of Internal Audit and Chief Financial Officer. This experience has proved to her the necessity of understanding a company’s business processes will reveal the impact of its financial performance.
Over the last few years she has increased her volunteer roles, including acting as the Treasurer for SRCHS Foundation as well as the financial advisor for TedX Boca Raton. She has served on other nonprofit boards as Treasurer or Financial Advisor as well.
Since she loves helping small start-ups and has an interest in improving the health of our planet, she looks forward to becoming an active WiseTribe Board member.
Dina Tarro, Transactional Attorney, Dina Tarro Law
Known for her disciplined, detailed, and analytical nature, Dina’s brings a high level of professional expertise to WiseTribe.
As a transactional attorney with an MBA, Dina’s focus has been in technology and corporate law. Her experience includes acting as senior executive and technology attorney, as well as corporate counsel in both small and large firm environments.
Earlier in her career she was a systems analyst specializing in the design and documentation of software systems at IBM. There she was selected for the IBM executive accelerated career track. During that time she managed the budget review and analysis, management controls, and software development processes and procedures.
Adding to the breadth of her experience, she has also designed and managed various Human Resources functions including payroll processes, employment offers, terminations, employee manuals, and employment law compliance.
She has been a mentor of Florida Atlantic University’s TechRunway Business Accelerator Programs supporting entrepreneurs who are building next generation software, telecommunications, and information service companies. Her expertise will surely be an asset to WiseTribe as we grow.
Patricia Thomas Shutt, Licensed Clinical Psychologist, Co-Founder of Therapeutic Oasis of the Palm Beaches
Dr. Patricia Shutt is passionate about helping people create changes so they can reach important life goals and enjoy optimal wellness.
Co-founder of the Therapeutic Oasis of the Palm Beaches, she was born and raised in Southeast Florida. She earned her Bachelors in Psychology from University of Florida, as well as a Masters in Mental Health Counseling and a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology at Nova Southeastern University.
Patricia works with adults, couples, and families using a wide variety of therapeutic techniques. She also facilitates group therapy, a course on Mindfulness Based Stress Reductionand and teaches meditation. She works with patients with trauma, depression, anxiety, addiction, eating disorders, relational and behavioral problems, stress management, and adjustment/lifespan issues. Patricia uses an integrative approach, which addresses physical, emotional and situational conditions.
She believes in life-long learning for herself and encourages that approach with her clients. Aside from her valuable clinical expertise, Dr. Shutt is also compassionate, warm, and genuine all of which make her an amazing asset to the WiseTribe Board of Directors.
WiseTribe – Administration
Romaine Brown Palmer, Administrative Manager
Romaine Brown Palmer is a Speaker, Administrative Consultant, Virtual Assistant Coach, and Founder of The Executive Administrative Group, a boutique firm that provides virtual project management and executive administrative support to entrepreneurs, solopreneurs, coaches, marketing firms, and more. Romaine’s passion is the process. She loves nothing more than helping entrepreneurs take their vision from idea to reality. She has a particular knack for creating and executing systems and processes. She works one-on-one with companies that are looking to build and improve their administrative operations and provides consultation services for virtual assistants who are looking to expand their service and support offering.
WiseTribe – Interns
Joneldina Bazou
Joneldina, who goes by Dina, had been volunteering with WiseTribe since the spring of her freshman year of high school. She is currently a rising senior at Atlantic Community High School, an international baccalaureate diploma candidate. She dedicates a lot of her time volunteering for causes that she believes will make a greater impact in her community. She loves to write about the issues that impact human life daily such as plastic, climate change and human interaction but always manages to end on a positive note, highlighting hope. Dina recently earned her 200 hour Vinyasa yoga certificate and hopes to share her knowledge of pranayama meditation to help her friends connect within and reduce stress. She is delighted to be interning with WiseTribe as the Community Food Manager where she encourages youth leadership through food. She is happy to use her native language to facilitate connection within WiseTribe for the greater health of the community.
Sierra Richardson
Sierra Richardson currently attends Skidmore College, Class of 2023, majoring in Biology with a minor in Spanish. Her love for the environment and sustainable practices lead her to WiseTribe, where she has volunteered since being a junior at Atlantic Community High School. Sierra creates blog posts for the WiseTribe community to promote sustainable efforts locally and explore new sustainable solutions. In her spare time, she also practices mapping complex and dynamic solutions with the online WiseTribe team.
Lizzie Shutt
Lizzie Shutt is a senior at the University of Florida, working toward a major in Horticulture, and gaining knowledge in how plants function. She is an adventure-seeking, plant-loving, curious student of life and passionate about inspiring people to foster a connection between themselves and nature. She is also part of a health coaching program, which she incorporates into her lessons for Junior WiseTribers. She is now putting together a Food Citizen Learning Program that targets students to become aware of food system issues and empowers them to create their own solutions. Her “Consciously Connecting” blog can be found on www.lizzieshutt.com.
Tea Tallone
Tea Tallone currently attends Lynn University, Class of 2022, in Television & Film Productions B.F.A in their Communications and Design Program. Aside from her passion for ice hockey, she has always been concerned for the environment and her community. Becoming part of a WiseTribe J-Term experience at Lynn, she is now WiseTribe’s Brand Manager Intern and is responsible for co-creating WiseTribe’s Brand Guidelines Book and also creates posts for #SocialSaturday.
