Gene Jones, Chairman
Gene is a founding member and current Board Chairman and President of Florida Veterans for Common Sense Fund. He served in the Air Force as a linguist and analyst (1964-1968). Gene practiced law in Sarasota, Florida until his retirement in 1999. He wrote the books Adventuring in Paradise, a non-fiction outdoor recreation guide for Southwest Florida and Suwannee Divide, an historical novel about Florida during the Civil War. The Sarasota Herald Tribune and other Florida media have published his guest columns. He is a frequent speaker about Florida during the Civil War as well as veterans and national issues for Florida Veterans for Common Sense.
Michael T. Burns, Vice Chairman
Michael was a founding member and is current Board Vice Chairman and Vice President of FLVCS Fund. He graduated from DePauw University in 1966, joined the USAF and volunteered for Vietnam. After pilot training, Michael flew F-4 Phantom jet fight while stationed at Ubon, Thailand. He was shot down on his 18th mission over N. Vietnam and captured. Repatriation came 56 months later, in March, 1973. Michael practiced law in Sarasota, FL for over 30 years. He practiced in the area of family law and criminal defense.
R. Douglas Brough, Board Member
Doug came to Sarasota, Florida, in 1965 from New Jersey as a student at Ringling School of Art. In 1968, he earned a BFA degree and was drafted into the US Army. Upon completion of Military Police Training, Doug worked as Associate Editor and Illustrator at the Military Police Journal at the United States Army Military Police School (USAMPS) at Fort Gordon, Georgia. The Military Police Journal circulates internationally to over 35,000 law enforcement agencies and servicemen.
After leaving the service, he returned to Sarasota to start a design studio with three other Ringling graduates. In 1982, Doug was asked to teach a class in the newly formed Continuing and Professional Education Department at the art school. Although retiring from teaching in 2004, he continues to be active as a designer/photographer through his business Positively Main Street Graphics.
Always involved in community affairs, Doug was a charter member of the original Downtown Merchants Association (DTA) in the 1970’s and is a current member of the Sarasota Downtown Merchants Association (SDMA). He is also a member of American Legion Post 30 and the Sarasota Alliance for Historic Preservation. Since 1975, in addition to the design studio and teaching, Doug has been operating a mobile Disc Jockey Service for parties and events.
Doug has served as Treasurer and as a member of the Board of Directors of Florida Veterans for Common Sense since 2014.
Philippe Koenig, Secretary
Philippe Koenig was born in Paris, France, and spent his childhood in Normandy during WWII before emigrating to the U.S. at the age of 12. Following high school he enlisted in the U.S. Army Airborne. Phillipe served three years mostly with the 11th Airborne Division in Augsburg, Germany, which included a stint in Beirut, Lebanon, in 1958, with the 187th Airborne Battle Group. Following his Army service, he attended the University of California (Berkeley) and Harvard Law School. Phillipe spent the following 45 years as a lawyer based in Boston specializing in antitrust and patent litigation throughout the United States. He and his late wife, Sydelle Pittas, (also an attorney) retired to Sarasota in 2013. Phillipe actively participates in the Rotary Club of Longboat Key (founded by his wife in 2014), and currently manages its food pantry at Tuttle Elementary School.
Geoffrey Morris, Board Member
Currently serving as an officer on FLVCS Board of Directors. He was a medic w/DMZ Dustoff (237th Medical Detachment,HA) for 13 & ½ months from 1970/71. He is a retired Board Certified Civil Trial Lawyer and practicing law in Venice, FL.
Hector Muñiz, Board Member
Hector Muñiz attended college at Queens College in Queens, NY. He has been a marketing and sales professional throughout most of his career. As a real estate salesperson in New York City, he excelled in one of the most challenging markets in the country. Hector has always been a student of an ever-changing marketplace that has allowed him to be successful in a variety of different industries. Using an engaging and team oriented management style, he has successfully managed a results oriented sales and marketing force that has been recognized with numerous awards.
Hector has been living in Bradenton/Sarasota for over 25 years. He is currently a Realtor with Rose Bay International Realty. He served in the US Army from July 1969 to June 1971 and received an honorable discharge upon separation. As a member of the Vietnam Veterans of America, he served on the board of directors of two different chapters. Hector contributed greatly to their success.
Dennis Plews, Board Member
Dennis J. Plews is a founding member. Dennis is a retired trial attorney who practiced law in Sarasota where he has resided since 1975. Prior to re-entering college he volunteered for active duty in the U. S. Army, serving as a forward artillery observer and fire direction control specialist with “C” Battery, 3d Battalion, 82d Artillery, 196th Light Infantry Brigade, Americal Division, MACV from December, 1967 – December, 1968.
Rich Scissors, Board Member
Rich Scissors grew up in Saint Louis, Missouri. He graduated from University of Missouri with a B.S. in Education specializing in Mathematics in 1973. Rich went on to earn a Ph.D. in Mathematics from University of Minnesota in 1979. He then went to work for the Department of Defense as a Cryptomathematician. Rich’s career spanned 37 years. He had a wide range of experience as both a Cryptomathematician and manager in Signals Intelligence, Information Assurance, and Security and Counterintelligence. Rich was a Senior Executive for eight years Senior Technical Leader for an additional seven years.
Some of Rich’s jobs and responsibilities included: SIGINT Foreign Partner Strategist, Cryptanalysis Expenditure Center Manager, Chief Signals & Physical Sciences Center, and Technical liaison on 3-year tour with a foreign partner.
Rich gave back to the DoD community serving on the Mathematics Hiring Advisory Board, Resident Signals Engineering Governing Board, DoD Software Protection Initiative Governing Board, plus five others. He was a Senior Executive mentor for five Senior Technical Development Program participants and a Senior Advocate for the LGBT & Allies Employee Resource Group.
Dave Siegwald, Treasurer
Dave Siegwald graduated from Loyola University (New Orleans) in 1965 and joined the Marine Corps in early 1966. He graduated from OCS and was commissioned as a 2nd Lt. in June 1966. After an additional year of training, he volunteered to serve in Viet Nam. In June 1967 he was deployed there. He was a Combat Engineer Officer and served with B Co, 9thEngineer Bn, 1st Marine Division. He was a platoon leader, the company executive officer and the company commander during his tour. Upon returning to the U.S. he was stationed at MCRD Parris Island where he trained recruits until September 1969, when he returned to civilian life. He married Jolley in 1970 and they lived in New Orleans until they moved to Tampa in 1972.
After having various jobs, he joined the Treasury Department as a Special Agent with the IRS Intelligence (Criminal) Division in 1974. He worked as a Special Agent (criminal investigator) in Tampa and then Sarasota, until his retirement in mid 1994. A month later, he opened a private investigative agency and specialized in white collar crime investigations. In 2000 he was re-hired by the Treasury Department as an instructor at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Glynco, Georgia, where he trained new agents in various aspects of criminal investigation. In 2002 he joined Chase and Associates, a private investigative agency, based in Tampa, and worked at Chase until he retired again in 2017.
In 2008 he and Jolley began volunteering annually at a home (el Hogar San Francisco de Asis) for sick and destitute kids, in Chaclacayo, Peru. The home is funded by Villa La Paz Foundation, Inc., which is a Florida non-profit corporation.