NOVEMBER 18, 2019 – Nicklaus Children’s Hospital Foundation has appointed Oscar Feldenkreis, Mojdeh Khaghan, Adam Schimel, Jeffery A. Thornton, Brett Trembly, and Christine Valls to its board of directors.
“We are pleased to welcome our newest members to our board of directors. These six community leaders each have unique backgrounds and diverse experiences, which make them an asset to help drive our Foundation forward,” said Michelle Boggs, President of Nicklaus Children’s Hospital Foundation.
Oscar Feldenkreis is the Chief Executive Officer and President of Perry Ellis International, Inc., a leading global fashion house representing a diverse portfolio of lifestyle brands. Feldenkreis has been immersed in all aspects of the organization since joining the company in 1980, and takes great pride in the development of the business coupled with his personal and long-standing industry relationships. He served as the company’s Chief Operating Officer beginning in 1993 and was elected Vice Chairman of PEI’s Board of Directors in 2005. In April 2016, he was appointed CEO and President providing the company’s strategic foundation and direction, resulting in increased operational and financial performance enhancing shareholder value. Additionally, he devotes his time and energy to various civic and philanthropic commitments. He is a member of the YPO/WPO, and belongs to the United Way of Miami-Dade’s Tocqueville Society. Feldenkreis has received various charitable awards such as the 2010 K.I.D.S. Achievement Award from Kids in Distressed Situations, Inc., the 2012 National Father’s Day Committee’s Father of the Year Award, and was named Apparel Industry Honoree at the 2016 Ronald McDonald House New York Annual Gala.
Mojdeh Khaghan was born in Iran and moved to the United States to escape the difficulties of life in her home country. She considers her life in the states to be a blessing, and the opportunity to help others, a privilege. Khaghan is an active professional lay leader in the community at large. She recently stepped down as Vice Chair for the Public Health Trust of Jackson Health System after eight years of service, and she is Chair of the Commission, Housing Authority of the City of Miami Beach. Her numerous leadership roles include Chair of the Greater Miami Jewish Federation’s Planning and Distribution Committee, and prior to that, Co-Chair of the Agency Support Committee. These two committees oversee the distribution of funds collected by the Federation and given out locally to those in need. Khaghan is also past Chair of Women’s Philanthropy, and she currently chairs CAJE’s Strategic Planning Committee for the Leo Martin March of the Living. Khaghan is also a member of the Federation’s Executive Committee, Board of Directors and the Financial Management Committee.
Adam Schimel is a Managing Director of Bayside Capital, the distressed and special situations investment group of H.I.G. Capital. Since joining the firm in 2006, Schimel has been involved in all aspects of the investment process, including sourcing, structuring, and overseeing investments as well as working with management of portfolio companies to execute strategic initiatives. Schimel has led numerous successful investments and served on the board of several portfolio companies across a broad range of industries. Before joining Bayside, Schimel was an associate at Lindsay Goldberg, a middle market private equity investment firm, and worked in the leveraged finance group at Goldman Sachs.
Jeffery A. Thornton is the Vice President of Planning and Engineering for FedEx Express Latin America and Caribbean Division. With more than 35 years of experience at FedEx Express, Thornton is responsible for managing a diverse team of managers and professionals that support all facilities, vehicles, aircraft scheduling, engineering, strategic business case analyses and Customs Clearance (GTS) services across the 50 countries and territories in the Division. He is also responsible for ensuring that the quality and process improvement activities followed are consistent with the FedEx ISO certified internal quality management system. Prior to his current position, within the FedEx Express Latin America and Caribbean Division, Thornton was the Vice President of Operations for Central America and the Caribbean. In that role, he was responsible for managing all operations across the region’s 50 countries and territories.
Brett Trembly is the founder of Trembly Law Firm, a franchise and business law firm in Miami. Trembly has served as President of the South Miami Kendall Bar Association and as Vice-Chair of the Florida Bar 11th Circuit Grievance Committee 11 “I.” He also volunteers on the Florida Bar Young Lawyers Division Mentoring Program, the Dade-County Bar Associations Rainmakers Committee, and annually volunteers for Miami-Dade County’s Ethical Governance Day. Trembly has also been named a Super Lawyers Rising Star in Florida for the past four years.
Christine Valls was named Vice President of Sales for American Airlines in Florida, Latin America, the Caribbean and U.S. Latin in 2018. She is responsible for the airline’s passenger sales revenue, agency and corporate relationships in these geographical markets. Valls joined American in 1991 as a Customer Service Representative. Since then, she has held numerous management roles across American in departments including Sales and Sales Planning, as well as leading American’s interactive marketing efforts in Latin America and the Caribbean. Most recently, she served as Regional Sales Director for Mexico, Central and South America.
About Nicklaus Children’s Health System
Nicklaus Children’s Health System (NCHS) is the parent organization of Nicklaus Children’s Hospital, South Florida’s only licensed specialty hospital exclusively for children. The 309-bed nonprofit hospital, known as Miami Children’s Hospital from 1983 through 2014, was founded in 1950 by Variety Clubs International and is renowned for excellence in all aspects of pediatric medicine, with many programs routinely ranked among the nation’s best by U.S. News & World Report. The health system also includes Nicklaus Children’s Hospital Foundation, the organization’s 501(c)(3) fundraising arm; a network of nonprofit outpatient and urgent care centers situated in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties; Pediatric Specialists of America, a nonprofit physician practice subsidiary; a managed care plan, and an ambulatory surgery center, as well as an e-commerce line of children’s wellness and safety products that support the hospital’s mission of serving the region’s pediatric population. NCHS is the region’s only healthcare system exclusively for children. For more information, please visit www.nicklauschildrens.org
About Nicklaus Children’s Hospital Foundation:
Nicklaus Children’s Hospital Foundation (NCHF) is a not-for profit 501(c)(3) organization established to support the creation of a world-class pediatric hospital so no child needs to leave South Florida for superior medical care. “Funding World-Class Care” and following the principle that all children deserve state-of-the-art pediatric care, NCHF, now a part of the Nicklaus Children’s Health System, has helped the 309-bed Nicklaus Children’s Hospital become a leader in pediatric healthcare with nearly 800 attending physicians and more than 475 pediatric subspecialists.
