Three New Members Join IRSC Foundation Board of Directors

February 9, 2021 Robert Lane

The Indian River State College (IRSC) Foundation is pleased to announce new appointments for three distinguished community members—Ryan C. Abernethy of Fort Pierce, Douglas J. Marcello of Stuart and Milo Thornton of Vero Beach—to its Board of Directors. Abernathy is an estate planning attorney at Abernethy Law Group in Fort Pierce, Marcello is a Certified Financial Planner with Edward Jones in Stuart and Thornton serves as Deputy Chief at the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office.

"The IRSC Foundation is thrilled to welcome these three distinguished individuals as the newest members on our board," shares Ann Decker, IRSC Foundation Executive Director. "We know that each of these men will provide innovative perspectives on how to further the mission of the IRSC Foundation to serve our students and our community."

Ryan Abernethy works for his family law firm, Abernethy Law Group. Abernathy is a University of Florida graduate, where he earned his Master's Degree in Tax Law (LL.M. Taxation). He is a founding member of the Estate Planning and Elder Law Society at Florida State University College of Law and a member of the Real Property and Probate, Tax Law and Young Lawyers sections of the Florida Bar Association. Abernathy’s family has longstanding ties with the College and the local community. His grandfather, Bruce R. Abernathy, Sr., served with distinction on the IRSC District Board of Trustees. Abernethy is honored to continue his family’s legacy of service at IRSC.

Doug Marcello, AAMS, CRPC, CRPS, is a Certified Financial Planner with Edward Jones in Stuart. Marcello joined Edward Jones in 2014 after a career as an educator. His passion for education carries into financial advising leading him to host educational events for clients. He enjoys helping people understand their investments and how they align with their financial goals. Marcello is an active member of his community and serves as a coach for multiple teams, assists with the retired educator association and is a member of the Kiwanis Club of Stuart. He has additionally taught several classes for the IRSC Fielden Institute for Lifelong Learning.

Milo Thornton, Deputy Chief, Indian River County Sheriff’s Office is an alumnus of IRSC—earning both is Associate in Science and Bachelor’s degrees in Criminal Justice from the College. For the past 15 years, Thornton has also served as an Adjunct Instructor at the IRSC Treasure Coast Public Safety Training Complex. His instructional disciplines include Law Enforcement Training, Correctional Officer Training, and Advanced Financial Fraud Investigations. He is an active member of the Gifford Youth Achievement Center, New Horizons of the Treasure Coast, Crossover Mission, Sunrise Rotary, Head Start, Dodgertown Elementary Community Partnership and Substance Awareness Center of Indian River County.

About the IRSC Foundation

Since 1965, the Indian River State College Foundation has been enhancing access and quality of education for IRSC students. Its focus is to attract and manage private contributions from individuals, organizations, businesses, and private foundations to support IRSC's mission. Managed by a voluntary Board of Directors of business and civic leaders from all four counties served by IRSC, the Foundation is a private non-profit entity recognized by the Internal Revenue Service as a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization and by the State of Florida as a direct-support organization for the benefit of IRSC. As a partner in building a better community, the IRSC Foundation promotes higher education with student scholarships, support of instructional programs, technology grants, and new and improved facilities.