NSU Art Museum Fort Lauderdale is making big plans for its future with the launch of a new Planned Giving Advisory Board (Advisory Board) that will assist its Board of Governors and staff with strategic planning for legacy gifts and identification of future legacy donors. Nine prominent business leaders with expertise in financial planning as well as significant experience in industries including wealth management, estate planning and event planning have been appointed as the Planned Giving Advisory Board’s inaugural members and include: Elliot Borkson, Andrew Britton, Mary Fanizzi Krystoff, Elissa Mogilefsky, Tunde Ogulana, Yolanda Perez, Laura Raybin Miller, Steve Schermer and Marc Shuster.
Legacy gifts include bequests in a will or trust, life insurance, retirement assets and charitable gift annuities and charitable trusts. These gifts are essential to the Museum’s continued growth and long-term financial stability. Donors to the Museum’s endowment can take pride in how their support will help elevate the profile of the Museum and perpetuate its position in South Florida as a preeminent cultural and educational center.
“The new Planned Giving Advisory Board draws special attention to the importance of endowment and planned giving in the longevity of our Museum and of all arts and cultural institutions in Broward County,” said Bonnie Clearwater, NSU Art Museum director and chief curator. “Committee members are business professionals who were selected based on their commitment to the Museum and leadership in their respective fields. They will work together to raise awareness of the great work the Museum does to bring art to the Broward County community and beyond, and we extend our thanks to them for dedicating their time and expertise to the Museum’s future.”
NSU Art Museum is a prominent division of Nova Southeastern University, which is providing extra incentive for attracting new endowments for the Museum by matching the interest on these funds up to five percent annually through 2025. The Advisory Board will ensure that the Museum’ s efforts in planned gifts achieves its endowment goal of a $20 million by 2025.
NSU Art Museum Planned Giving Advisory Board Members:
Elliot Borkson
Elliot Borkson is Shareholder at Elliot P. Borkson, PA in Fort Lauderdale, focusing on tax and estate-planning. He is also trustee of the Leo Goodwin Foundation. Mr. Borkson specializes in the areas of estate planning and administration; business, corporate and partnership planning; and succession planning for businesses. For more than three decades, he has guided many families, including some of the most notable in South Florida, in structuring diverse estate plans and providing for future generations. He is a founding member of the Broward Partnership for the Homeless and has served on the boards of Kids In Distress, Anti-Defamation League, Jewish National Fund, American Israel Public Affairs Committee, Children’s Services Council, Broward County Charter Review Commission, and many others.
Andrew Britton
Andrew Britton is a Financial Advisor for Wells Fargo in Fort Lauderdale. During his extensive career in the financial services industry, Mr. Britton has endeavored to provide exceptional professionalism while providing financial strategies for high-net-worth individual, family and corporate accounts. He joined Wells Fargo Advisors in 1997, after having worked for two years at Merrill Lynch. Dedicated to community and philanthropic leadership, Mr. Britton provides charitable contributions to the United Way of Broward County, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, Junior Achievement of South Florida, and SIDES.
Mary Fanizzi Krystoff
Mary Krystoff is President at Fanizzi & Co. based in Fort Lauderdale. She is the executive mind behind some of the largest and most elegant corporate events, weddings, and parties worldwide. Her company is a full- service Event Planning and Logistics organization with over 30 years of experience in producing national and international events.
Elissa Mogilefsky
Elissa Mogilefsky has been one of NSU Art Museum’s most dedicated docents. She is a retired executive of Raymond James Trust with over 20 years of experience in trust new business both in South Florida and in New York City. She has a thorough understanding of the tri-county South Florida wealth market and state of Florida. Ms. Mogilefsky has a passion for establishing rewarding, long-standing relationships with financial advisors and clients. She is fluent in American Sign Language. She also serves as a board member of the Jewish Federation of Broward County.
Tunde Ogunlana
Tunde Ogulana is Partner and Family Wealth Advisor of Axial Family Advisors, which he founded in 2015, after having spent his career employed by one of the world’s largest financial services firms. He has had extensive community and non-profit involvement and has served on the boards of the National Association of Black Accountants, the National Basketball Retired Players Association, City of Fort Lauderdale Community Service Board, Opa-Locka Community Development Center, and Broward Health Foundation Planned Giving Committee. He currently serves as a member of the board for the American Committee for the Weizmann Institute of Science, located in Rehovot, Israel. He also played NCAA Division I basketball while attending Florida International University, where he studied finance in the School of Business.
Yolanda Perez
Yolanda Perez is the Managing Director and Wealth Director at Fiduciary Trust, where she is responsible for the development of new investment and trust relationships with individuals, families and foundations. She has over 15 years of experience working with high-net-worth clients in various wealth management roles in North America and Europe. Ms. Perez previously worked at Scotia Wealth Management in Miami. Earlier in her career, she held senior roles with Lombard Odier Transatlantic LP in Montreal and at JPMorgan Chase Bank in New York and England in their wealth asset management and investment banking divisions. Ms. Perez is fluent in Spanish and French and proficient in Italian and Arabic. She is a member of numerous local community organizations, including the United Way Women United for Miami- Dade, Funding Arts Broward and the University of Miami Planned Giving Advisory Board.
Laura Raybin Miller
Laura Raybin Miller is a commissioner of the South Broward Hospital District. She recently earned the prestigious status of “fellow” from the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD). In the last 20 years, she has been involved in public and community affairs in South Florida, making a positive impact in the lives of many residents through her leadership and participation in civic, and healthcare organizations. Throughout her career, she also has garnered a series of political appointments that has allowed her to make significant changes and improvements in governance, implementing best practices in the boards she has served.
Steve Schermer
Steve Schermer is Co-Founding Partner at Silverman Schermer in Fort Lauderdale. Mr. Schermer focuses his practice in the areas of taxation, private client services, estate planning and mergers and acquisitions. Super Lawyers and Florida Trend’s Legal Elite have recognized him as a preeminent attorney. He serves on the University of Miami’s Planned Giving Advisory Board, volunteers his time to the Greater Miami–Miami Beach Police Foundation, Inc., a public charity that he assisted generous clients create, and is actively involved with Make-A-Wish as a Make-A- Wish Champion.
Marc Shuster
Marc Shuster is a partner at Berger Singerman Law Firm in Fort Lauderdale. His main practice focuses on representing family offices (international and domestic), HNP, private equity funds and syndicators in commercial real estate, and corporate joint venture work relating to the structuring of business transactions. Mr. Shuster also has substantial experience in cross-border transactions, including marina development and hotels. Mr. Shuster routinely assists his clients with sourcing and managing capital and deal flow. He was recognized as one of The Best Lawyers in America®, 2019-2021.
About NSU Art Museum Fort Lauderdale
Founded in 1958, NSU Art Museum Fort Lauderdale is a premier destination for exhibitions and programs encompassing many facets of civilization’s visual history. Located midway between Miami and Palm Beach in downtown Fort Lauderdale’s arts and entertainment district, the Museum’s 83,000 square-foot building, which opened in 1986, was designed by architect Edward Larrabee Barnes and contains over 25,000 square feet of exhibition space, the 256-seat Horvitz auditorium, a museum store and café. In 2008, the Museum became part of Nova Southeastern University (NSU), one of the largest private research universities in the United States. NSU Art Museum is known for its significant collection of Latin American art, contemporary art with an emphasis on art by Black, Latinx and women artists, African art that spans the 19th to the 21st-century, as well as works by American artist William Glackens, and the European Cobra group of artists. Two scholarly research centers complement the collections: The Dr. Stanley and Pearl Goodman Latin American Art Study Center and the William J. Glackens Study Center.
Exhibitions and programs at NSU Art Museum Fort Lauderdale are made possible in part by a challenge grant from the David and Francie Horvitz Family Foundation. Funding is also provided by the City of Fort Lauderdale, AutoNation, Community Foundation of Broward, the Broward County Board of County Commissioners as recommended by the Broward Cultural Council and Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau, the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs and the Florida Council
For more information about NSU Art Museum’s Planned Giving Advisory Board, please contact Bonnie Clearwater at [email protected].
