The Board of Trustees of Marie Selby Botanical Gardens has elected three new members to their governing Board of Trustees. Businessman Ali Bahaj, executive Hosana Fieber, and entrepreneur and economist, Richard Sandor, will each serve a three-year term on the Board during which they will help guide the strategic vision for the future of the institution. Their term began on July 1.
Ali Bahaj retired as Chairman and CEO of Caterpillar Japan and Vice President of Caterpillar, Inc. after 32 years of service with the company. During his tenure with Caterpillar, Bahaj held several senior executive management positions within Caterpillar, including various assignments in Chile, Switzerland, Brazil and Japan. Bahaj served as Chair of the Van Wezel Foundation and is currently Vice Chair of Ringling College of Art & Design, and Board Trustee of Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe.
Hosana Fieber is an executive who serves as the CEO of Tervis, a national drinkware company. Prior to being named CEO in 2023, Fieber held other positions within the company such as chief operating officer and chief financial officer. With a strong background in finance and accounting, before she began her career at Tervis, Hosana worked in public accounting, her latest experience at Dixon-Hughes in Charlotte, NC. Hosana currently serves as a board member for the Charles and Margery Barancik Foundation.
Richard L. Sandor (Ph.D., Dr. sc. h. c.) is an entrepreneur and economist who invents markets. He is currently, Chairman and CEO of Environmental Financial Products (EFP). Among Dr. Sandor’s academic roles, he is currently the Aaron Director Lecturer in Law and Economics at the University of Chicago Law School and an honorary Professor at the School of Economics at Fudan University and the University of Hong Kong. Dr. Sandor is a member of the Advisory Board of the Center for Financial Stability, a member of the Advisory Board of the Digital Dollar Project and a senior Fellow of the Milken Institute. His civic honors include recognition from the City of Chicago as the “Father of Financial Futures,” and “Hero of the Planet” by TIME Magazine. In October 2013, Dr. Sandor was awarded the title of Chevalier dans la Legion d’Honneur (Knight of the Legion of Honor) in France, for his accomplishments in the field of environmental finance and carbon trading.
Joel Morganroth, M.D., Chair of Selby Gardens’ Board of Trustees remarked, “We welcome our new trustees during a historic time of pivotal growth at Selby Gardens. We are fortunate to have their critical leadership as we continue to execute our transformative Master Plan and advance our mission.”
Joel Morganroth, M.D. and Teri A Hansen were reelected as Chair and Vice Chair, respectively, for the current year of Board service as officers. Also continuing their service as Selby Gardens’ trustees: Daniel “Pat” Ball, Aaron Bellamy, Morgan Bentley, Mary Braxton-Joseph, Ariane Dart, Renée James Gilmore, Jean Weidner Goldstein, Marcy Klein, Katherine A. Martucci, Cornelia Matson, Marianne McComb, Keith Monda, Michael Quillen, Audrey Robbins, Jeannie Russell, Bruce E. Sorensen, Margaret Wise, and Jennifer O. Rominiecki, President & CEO of Selby Gardens.