Joni Wallace, President
Joni Wallace is a Colorado native and graduate of University of Colorado, Colorado Springs. She moved to Niceville, Florida in 2013 for what was her husband’s last Air Force assignment.
As a military spouse moving around the country, Joni had the opportunity to lead multiple volunteer organizations and activities supporting military families, local schools and booster clubs. Once her husband retired from the Air Force, Joni wanted to stay involved in the local community but in a different way from what she’d known as a military spouse. She served as the first Board President of a local non-profit that is a past recipient of an Impact100 NWF grant and is still involved in the organization in various ways.
It has always been important to Joni to do what she could with the time she was given in each place she called home, and she was excited to join Impact100 NWF in 2020 and be part of the difference it’s making in the community. Since becoming a member, she has served on various Focus Area Committees, as Grant Committee Co-Chair and as Vice President. She considers it an honor to serve as the Impact100 NWF President for 2024 & 2025.
Mary Tinsley, Vice President
Mary is originally from Pensacola, FL, graduating from the University of West Florida in 2003. After marrying her husband Kent Tinsley in 2006, she moved to Fort Walton Beach, and they have spent the last 19 years growing their family’s roots in this community.
Mary and Kent are the very proud parents of two sons, William and Brooks. William is a senior at Fort Walton Beach High School, while his little brother Brooks is in 7th grade at Liza Jackson Preparatory.
Mary’s career as an Independent Financial Advisor has blessed her with flexibility in her workday that not only supports her clients but also her non-profit passions. She is dedicated to “making a difference in the lives of others”. In this pursuit, she has served on several local non-profit and community boards, to include the Greater Fort Walton Beach Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, The Emerald Coast Science Center Board of Directors, and the Arc of the Emerald Coast Board of Directors.
Mary joined Impact100 NWF in 2018 and currently is in her “Fifth Year of a Three-Year term” on the Impact100 of Northwest Florida Board of Directors. She serves Impact100 NWF as the 2025 Vice President for the Board of Directors.
Robin Donlon, Treasurer
Robin Donlon is the Market Leader at Origin Bank, covering the Florida Panhandle. Her father was in the Air Force when they relocated to Eglin Air Force Base when she was 3-years old. She currently lives in Fort Walton Beach with her husband, Nathan Kelley and their three kids, Carsen, Keanan and Kaylin. Robin has been in the banking and lending industry for 16 years.
She is on the Board of Trustees for Bridgeway Center and also serves on the board for Community Solutions of the Emerald Coast (One Hopeful Place). She has previously served on the board for the Fort Walton Beach Chamber and as Treasurer for the Early Learning Coalition of Okaloosa and Walton Counties. In her spare time, she enjoys being out on the water with her family.
Schala Duckett, Secretary
Schala was born to an Air Force family, traveling continuously and eventually landing in Shalimar, graduating from Choctawhatchee Senior High School in 1982. She graduated in 1986 from Florida State University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing on an Air Force scholarship. While active duty, she met her husband Kelley (also from the FWB) and after retiring from the Air Force they moved back home.
Still actively working in the nursing field, Schala is currently a Case Manager/Discharge Planner at HCA Florida Fort Walton-Destin Hospital. In addition to her professional career, Schala has been a busy mother of three children, now in their early 20s. She is an active member of The Church at Shalimar, Republican Women of Florida, the Krewe of Bowlegs and supporter of Opportunity Place.
Schala joined Impact100 several years ago with the intent of becoming more involved in the local community. From day one, she has served in several areas such as Grant Review Committees, Annual Membership Meeting Committee, Mentorship program, Membership/Events Committee and as liaison to the 2021 PAWS Grant Recipient. This is her third year as Secretary and has been an Evergreen member since joining!
Carly Barnes, Past President
Carly Barnes is the Executive Director of Caring & Sharing of South Walton. She moved to the area fifteen years ago after graduating from Florida State University with a Bachelor of Science in Family and Child Sciences.
She currently lives in Santa Rosa Beach with her husband Geoff, daughters Millie and Alice, and their Labradoodle Sunny Cha Cha.
Carly is very involved in the nonprofit community along the Emerald Coast serving and volunteering with multiple organizations. She currently works with The Walton Area Chamber of Commerce and is a Sustainer in the Junior League of the Emerald Coast. Carly joined Impact100 NWF as a NextGen member in 2017.
Sandy Sims, Founding Board Member
Sandy Sims has been a member of IMPACT100 NWF since its inception and was a founding board member. She served as president in 2013 and 2014 and in several other positions through the years. She is a strong believer in the power of women and the impact of IMPACT in our community.
Sandy moved to the area in the early 70’s and graduated from FWBHS and the University of West Florida. She worked for Gulf Power (now FPL) for almost 40 years across northwest Florida and retired as Senior Director of External Affairs in 2012. A strong community advocate, she continues to serve on several non-profit boards in the region.
She enjoys spending time with her grandchildren in Birmingham and Sarasota, traveling with her husband and friends, and watching sunsets on our beautiful beaches.
Carol Merkle, Membership
Carol Merkle was born in Valparaiso, Florida in a 7-bed hospital that would later become the Heritage Museum of Northwest Florida—an Impact100 grant recipient in 2023. She left the area as a small child growing up in Alabama, but the emerald coast drew her back and she returned in 1985 to set up a dental practice with her husband Art. After doing root canals for 36 years, she has retired and truly misses her wonderful patients and staff, but now enjoys the freedom to travel and pursue other interests.
Carol has been an Impact100 member since 2013, and has met many amazing women in our two-county area who are committed to the Impact mission. She has previously served on the board of directors as co-chair of Community Engagement. She has also co-chaired a grant review committee for the past three years and is passionate about expanding our membership to enable us to award more grants to deserving non-profits. So she is delighted to rejoin the board to focus on membership.
Belinda Muir, Membership
Belinda came to the area as an Air Force dependent in 1972. After college, the decision to return to the area was easy, due to love of the area and nearby family. She soon met her husband, Nick, and they raised two children. After 43 years working as a RN, the last 26 years in the specialty of Oncology, she retired. She now enjoys the time with family, friends, and her dogs. Also, anytime she can spend being active, in the outdoors.
Belinda has been an Impact 100 member since 2014. Due to her work schedule, she was not able to participate as much as she would have liked. Since retiring, she has served on three grant committees. She has loved meeting all of the dedicated women, sharing a common goal, of giving back to the community. She is very excited to join the board and work towards expanding the membership of this exceptional organization.
Carrie Brewer, Membership
Inspired by Christopher Reeve's belief that "you've got to give more than you take," Carrie strives to live an exemplary life focused on giving back to her community. Growing up, her family benefited from various nonprofits, which ignited her passion for service.
Married to a retired military member, Carrie and her family have had the opportunity to live and travel in many different places. However, after over 15 years on the Emerald Coast, she now proudly calls it home. Carrie has built an active career in construction administration and development over the past 10 years. Along with her experience in construction and development, she also brings valuable knowledge from the child welfare and education sectors. She has been fortunate to volunteer with organizations like Toys for Tots, Take Stock in Children, The Early Learning Coalition of the Emerald Coast, United Way, and several military-focused initiatives.
In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her growing family, attending live music events, spoiling her dogs, reading, and taking plenty of photos.
Georgia Henderson, Communications & Marketing
Born and raised in Fort Walton Beach, Georgia is a true Emerald Coast Native. After graduating from Choctawhatchee High School, Georgia attended Auburn University and received her bachelor’s degree in Education. She was very involved in student government activities and her sorority, serving as President. She then moved back to Fort Walton Beach and taught for several years at Bruner Middle School – primarily math, science, and technology classes.
Georgia first begin her career in Real Estate in 2016, and is now the Broker/ Owner of a local Real Estate brokerage, Gulfside Haven. She truly enjoys serving others and helping them with all of their real estate needs, ranging from first time homebuyers, military relocations, to investment purchases. Georgia treasures her family and spending time with her husband Nathaniel and their three elementary aged kids – whether on the water, the baseball field, the tennis court, or in the dance studio.
Joining Impact100 in 2020, Georgia has served on the Education Grant Review Committee, Events Committee, and has been the Annual Meeting Co Chair. Georgia also serves the area through many service projects through nonprofit organizations and is involved at her church and as well as at Liza Jackson Preparatory School – where she was thee parent organization President. Georgia is excited to serve on Board for Impact100 and help our membership grow and flourish as we partner together to make a difference in our community!
Deborah Busby, Tech Support
Deborah Busby has lived in the Fort Walton Beach area for the past 47 years with a few exceptions. She moved here with family when her father was assigned to Hurlburt AFB, and proudly graduated from Choctawhatchee High School. While in college, she met and married the love of her life. They enjoyed the local area as they raised a family, while Deborah completed a master’s degree and continued her career. She retired in 2020 as an Air Force Civilian working at Eglin AFB as an Operations Research Analyst.
Deborah stays busy with her husband & family, playing with grandkids, and volunteering at the Salvation Army. Her hobbies include lace making, sewing, crafts, gardening, cooking, Pilates, and yoga. She joined Impact100 in 2022 and enjoyed working on the Family Grant Review Committee, served as 2023 co-chair for Family, and is looking forward to supporting the organization as a board member.
Denise Greene, Grants
Growing up in rural Wisconsin, Denise Greene turned to the University of Minnesota to pursue her undergraduate education. She spent more than 25 years in the financial services industry before parlaying that expertise and her love of homes and real estate into a successful career as a Realtor with Scenic Sotheby’s International Realty. After vacationing in northwest Florida for years, she and her husband, Kevin, and their two children relocated to our Emerald Coast from Boston in 2006.
In her free time, Denise helps build community through charitable organizations. In addition to being on the Board of Directors for Impact100 of Northwest Florida, she has served on the Northwest Florida Ballet board and as board president, Seaside Neighborhood School board and she has contributed time to Green Thumb Garden Club, Dog Harmony, Butler Elementary, NWF Ballet Académie, Food for Thought and various ministries within her church.
Denise enjoys time off with family, hanging out at the beach and partaking in the area's outdoor activities. She is SCUBA certified and likes to read, boat, travel, play Mah-Jongg and attend cooking and yoga classes. She and her family have a dog, Teddy, who they adopted from Alaqua Animal Refuge in 2011.
Allie Noah, Grants
Allie was born to an Air Force family and has called Northwest Florida home off and on her entire life. She graduated high school in Pinehurst, North Carolina and attended college in Valdosta, Georgia. In 2009, she graduated with her Bachelor's Degree from Valdosta State University in Communications with an emphasis in Public Relations. In 2011, she graduated with her Master's Degree in Public Administration, also from VSU. Allie has worked in the past for Children in Crisis as the Development Director and currently sits on their Board of Directors.
Currently, Allie is enjoying staying home, chasing around her busy two year old, Rhett. She resides in Freeport with her husband, Robin, Rhett and lab, Emma.
Allie joined Impact 100 in 2023, wanting to serve her community in a greater way. Last year, she served as Co-Chair for a Grant Review Committee and is excited to be involved on a greater scale as a member of the Board of Directors.
Tara Pierce, Member at Large
Tara Pierce is a seasoned Vice President of Operations driving operational performance, organizational development, and continuous financial improvement for the organization. Over her 25-year career, Tara has been able to leverage her broad corporate acumen and strategic and business management expertise to ensure growth and sustainability. In 2021, she pursued her dream of entrepreneurism and started two LLCs focusing on helping small, local businesses with financial, operational, and HR efficiencies.
She holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Northern Michigan University in Financial Management and a Master of Science in Finance degree from Walsh College, with a concentration in Corporate Finance.
Tara got involved with Impact100 NWF after moving to Destin in 2021 and served on the Financial Review Committee.