ELECTED OFFICERS


PRESIDENT DANNY FUQUA


Danny Fuqua is a retired Army Veteran with 29 years of service, who served a tour of duty in Iraq from November 2010-November 2011. He has resided in Volusia County for over 30 years. Danny and his wife Muriel have two children and three grandchildren. A double-alum, Danny received a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and an M.B.A. from Liberty University. Professionally, Danny has spent countless hours leading financial planning seminars, specializing in budgeting, debt management, and homeownership.

  • Present: President of Democratic Veterans Caucus of Florida
  • Present: President of Volusia County Democratic Black Caucus
  • January 2021 – Present: State Committee Man of Volusia County DEC
  • January 2021 – December 2023: Vice President of the Democratic Veterans Caucus of Florida
  • January, 2019 – January, 2021: President of the Volusia County Democratic Veterans Caucus of Florida (VCDVCF)
  • 2020: Candidate for Volusia County Council District 2
  • 2019: Served as the Co-Chairman of the Midtown Redevelopment Board for the City of Daytona Beach
  • 2018: Candidate for City Commissioner for Zone I in the City of Daytona Beach
  • 2016: Chairman- Midtown Neighborhood Association Daytona Beach, FL
  • Active with the Volusia Democratic Women’s Club
    Went on two trips to Bay County in 2019 with them in conjunction with the VCDVCF to assist the communities which were affected by Hurricane Michael.
  • Active in my local Daytona Beach Democrat club
  • Member of the Volusia County DEC Steering Committee
  • Member of the Democrat Black Caucus of Florida
  • Co-Pastor of Word And Praise Family Church, Inc.
  • Member of the Black Clergy Alliance
  • President of Black Pilots of America (BPA) for the State of Florida
  • Received the Florida Commendation Medal from Governor Jeb Bush
  • Received the Global War on Terrorism Award
  • Received Outstanding Community Service Award – Volusia County

VICE PRESIDENT R. LEWAYNE JOHNSON, PHD, LLM, JD

Dr. Robert LeWayne Johnson was born in rural Mississippi in the 1950s. At just five years old, he was already working as a water boy in the cotton fields with his family.

Dr. Robert LeWayne Johnson is now a 34-year military veteran who served in the US Air Force for four years and the US Army for 29 years. He is a retired Senior Chief Warrant Officer whose last assigned duty was with USAR Legal Command in Maryland, working with the Major General of the US Army Reserve Command. He was awarded a Bronze Star for his heroism in the first Gulf War.

Dr. Johnson has earned a Ph.D., a Master of Laws (LLM) in International Taxation, a Juris Doctor (JD) and has practiced law. He has also earned two master’s degrees. He has said “Education is the great equalizer, and without it we can’t go forward. The message that I have for the younger generation is to get that education.”

Dr. Johnson is recently retired from working for the U.S. Department of the Navy as a program manager with the presidential helicopter program. He founded the Osceola County Democratic Veterans Caucus of Florida in 2019 and is a Board Member of the Democratic Veterans Caucus of Florida. He became Vice President of the Democratic Veterans Caucus of Florida in 2024.

Dr. Johnson is also the Chief Executive Officer of The Florida Coalition to Prevent Veteran Homelessness, Inc., an organization that he founded in 2021. As CEO of the organization, he organized Veteran Jobs Fairs in Kissimmee in June, 2022, and St. Cloud in November, 2022. He recently partnered with the Mercy Foundation, as their Director of the Homeless Veterans’ Program, and the city of Kissimmee to conduct a Veteran Resource Fair in November, 2023. He is in close contact with Congressman Darren Soto to ensure that veterans’ issues are at the forefront of his decision-making policy.

When being honored for his service to the community by the Osceola County Commission, Chairwoman Viviana Janer said “Dr. Johnson has provided invaluable service to our country and community – both as a member of the military and as a private citizen, His dedication to veterans experiencing homelessness and his efforts to assist them are an exemplary example of a citizen inspired to take action to help others. We’re lucky that he calls Osceola County home and we are grateful for everything he contributes to our community.”

Dr. Johnson was recognized in the 116th Congressional Record in 2020 by Congressman Darren Soto for military achievements, leadership and strategic focus. He is listed in Who’s Who in America, 2022-2023.

His wife of forty years has an MBA and is a retired federal employee, while his youngest daughter is a Naval Officer with a medical degree (MD) and his oldest has a master’s degree.

Dr. Johnson has been affiliated with the following organizations:

  • Director: Mercy Foundation’s Homeless Veterans’ Program – February 2022
  • Planning Commissioner for Osceola County District 3 (Vice Chair) – February 2022
  • Committee member: Osceola Sheriff’s Department Veterans Advisory Committee – December 2021
  • Congressional Advisory Council for Justice (Florida Congressional 9th District) – September 2021
  • Director of Compliance: Fulbright International Honors Association – August 2020
  • CEO & President: The Florida Coalition to Prevent Veteran Homelessness – March 2020
  • President & Founder: Osceola County Veterans Caucus of FL – February 2019
  • Veterans’ Liaison: Osceola County NAACP – 2019
  • Communication Chair: OCDEC

SECRETARY HAZEL GILLIS

Hazel Gillis has over 50 years of experience in dealing with the public through positions of increasing responsibilities and diverse functions for the federal government. Hazel Gillis’ background is in hiring, training and supervising personnel. She is familiar with EEO policies and procedures and graduated from Jones College as a Paralegal with a Bachelor of Science Degree, Summa Cum Laude.

Hazel Gillis is currently Secretary of the Democratic Veterans Caucus of Florida. She is a State Committeewoman for Congressional District 4, Duval County, a member of the Democratic Women’s Information Network, Democratic Women’s Club of Florida, League of Women Voters, National Organization of Women, member of the ACLU and member of the Democratic Senior Caucus of Florida.

Past political positions are President of the Duval County Democratic Black Caucus, Secretary of the Duval County Democratic Black Caucus, and Secretary of the Democratic Black Caucus of Florida.

She is married to George Gillis and is the mother of two children, Cassandra, and Ernest.

TREASURER MARIAN WILLIAMS

Former Chair of FDP Committee of Clubs, Organizations and Caucuses, Certified 300 clubs & caucuses for 67 counties in 2019

Founding member of the Democratic Veterans Caucus of Florida

Current Treasurer of Democratic Veterans Caucus of Florida

Current Membership, Certification, and Bylaws Chair of DVCF

Former Vice President of Democratic Veterans Caucus of Florida

Former Secretary of Democratic Veterans Caucus of Florida

Former Congressional Chair of CD7

Former State Committeewoman of Seminole County

President of Seminole County Democratic Black Caucus

President of Democratic Women’s Club of Seminole County

President of Central Florida Democratic Club

President-elect of Seminole County Branch of NAACP

Elected Delegate NAACP National Convention in 2020

Elected Delegate for Joe Biden in 2020

Elected Delegate for Hillary Clinton in 2016

Elected Delegate for Barack Obama in 2008, 2012

Former Candidate for Seminole County SOE in 2004, 2006

 

BOARD OF DIRECTORS


PAST PRESIDENT PHIL GIORNO 
Obama and Giorno 08022012

Phil Giorno was born into a military family at Fort Bragg, N.C. He grew up living at military bases around the world, including Okinawa, Germany and England, until he volunteered for the service in the United States Navy during the Vietnam War.

He graduated from the University of Maryland with a B.S. in Business and Public Administration with help from the G.I. Bill after his military service. After some early Information Systems employment, including with the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve in Washington, D.C., he moved back to Deltona and became a Programmer Systems Analyst for the County of Volusia. During this time he married and had two daughters, Leah, 28, living in England, and Melissa, 26, living in Australia.

He left his position as a Senior Program Systems Analyst to run for election to the Volusia County Council, serving as the District 5 County Councilman and as the first Councilman at Large to be elected from the west side of the county. During this time, he was elected the County Council Chairman by his peers. He worked to establish the county-wide library system and secured donated lands for the libraries in Deltona and DeBary. He also voted for the establishment of many parks, including Gemini Springs.

He established a consulting firm, Phil Giorno & Associates, serving as a liaison between private industry and government. He also owned and operated several successful small businesses in DeBary. He then became first the Associate Supervisor, then the District Administrator of the Volusia Soil and Water Conservation District, working with the County Council and the St. John’s River Water Management to protect Volusia County’s natural resources.

He has served through his volunteer work with many community groups as well. He has been a member of the Lake Helen/Cassadaga/Deltona American Legion for 31 years. He has also been a member of the VFW for 25 years and is a member of the Disabled American Veterans. He has also been President of the Lake Helen Jaycees and he is a Silver-level Member of the NAACP. He has served on the Board of Directors of the Volusia/Flagler Boys & Girls Club and on the Board of Directors of the Southwest Volusia YMCA. He was the Chair of the Volusia County Democratic Party for thirteen years, until 2013, a record state-wide. He served as the President of the Democratic Veterans Caucus of Florida from January, 2013 – January, 2021 and Vice Chair of the Florida Democratic Party from 2017 – 2021. President of the Volusia County Democratic Veterans Caucus from 2021 to present. Prior to Covid-19, he enjoyed touring the world and has been doing so once again.

AMBASSADOR MILDRED SMITH

Milli Headshot (Updated)

Ambassador Mildred “Milli” Smith is the CEO & founder of Veterans Development Group, LLC. and Veterans Development Foundation Corp, (non-profit)/ She was appointed Global Union Ambassador for the United States for Security & Peace of Women and Children in March 2020 by the Foundation organization based in Geneva Switzerland for the work she has done with humanitarian efforts.in the United States, Africa, and the Caribbean.

Ambassador Smith entered active duty Navy in 1978, during the President Carter administration after serving at Marine Corp,  Headquarters Support Command in Okinawa, Japan and El Toro, California; she was transferred to SUBBASE Pearl Harbor where she worked with the Quality Assurance Team for Submarine Repair in Logistics and Procurement. President Carter’s expertise in nuclear science influenced her advocacy for nuclear safety and nonproliferation, which required then Petty Officer Smith to trained in OSHA and repair of Non-Destructive Materials for Submarine Repair.

Ambassador Smith is a charter member of Women in the Military Service Memorial, a living memorial of military women in Arlington, Virginia. She has been a member of Congressional Black Caucus Veterans Braintrust, since 2004 when she became an honoree of this committee, which gives reports to Congress on the status of African American Veterans. She has received a Florida State Conference NAACP Veterans Meritorious Award and a Miami-Dade County Status of Women Trail Blazer Award. Along with former- Congresswoman Karen Thurman (Florida), she organized the Democratic Veterans Caucus of Florida while serving as Director of Affairs at the Florida Democratic Party from 2007-2013.

Ambassador Smith graduated from Barry University with a Bachelor of Public Administration
and received a Master of Business Administration from Liberty University. She is currently a
candidate for a Ph.D. in Philosophy of Business Administration studies specializing in Public
Administration at the National University to further her education on the national and
international housing crisis.

COLONEL DAVID R. MCDONALD, JR., (US Army Ret.)

Previously Director, Vets for Val, Demings Senate Campaign
Chairman, Every Voter Counts Political Committee
Broker/Owner, McDonald Realty


David and his family actively supported a wide range of Florida Democratic campaigns since 2016. He worked all levels of Joe Scott’s successful 2020 campaign for Broward County Supervisor of Elections and helped him turn-out the vote for the entire ticket across Broward County.

David also established the Every Voter Counts Political Committee and then the Count Every Vote educational non-profit in 2020 and 2021. Their charters are to further Supervisor Scott’s and wider voter education and motivation efforts, fight vote suppression and enhance election security and efficiencies in Broward County and all Florida.

In 2022, David joined the Demings Senate Campaign as Director of Veterans Outreach, Vets for Val, working under the PoliticalDirector. In 2024 helped Tom Keene flip a FL House seat via special election.

David is a retired US Army Military Intelligence Officer with over 25 years of service in command and staff positions throughout the United States, and in Germany, Panama, Korea, and Haiti. He served three assignments in Washington DC with the Joint Staff Director of Intelligence and the Defense Intelligence Agency, including as an anchorman and then director of the Pentagon Defense Intelligence Network, a classified, CNN-style, video intelligence organization.

Early in his career, he faced the Soviet Union and its Warsaw Pact across the border of a divided Germany during the Cold war, helped establish the US Pacific Command’s Counter Terrorism Directorate after 9-11 and established and led the Intelligence Directorate of the United Nations Military Force in Haiti. He culminated his service as Deputy Director of Intelligence for US Southern Command in Doral, Florida, overseeing US military intelligence operations, analysis and planning military, interagency and international operations and cooperation across Latin America and the Caribbean.

David is the fortunate husband of Dr. Gulay T. McDonald, Ph.D. (Economics and Finance), a naturalized Turkish-American originally from Salihli, Turkey. He is also the proud father of US Army 1LT David R. McDonald III, USMA (West Point) 2022 and Sarah McDonald, Mechanical Engineering, Harvard, 2024. Both David III and Sarah were born at Tripler Army Hospital, Honolulu, Hawaii while their Dad was assigned to US Pacific Command.

Upon retirement from the Army, David joined his wife in a successful real estate business. After leading top producing teams for Keller Williams and REMAX, they established their own real estate brokerage, McDonald Realty, handling a full range of real estate services including homes for veteran and active-duty families and meeting Section 8 and other low-income community housing needs.

David was an undefeated Connecticut State Champion in wrestling for Darien High School, set since-broken records for wins in a season wrestling for West Point, won multiple US Army Europe Championships and was invited to join the US Olympic Trials. He is also an Eagle Scout and member of the Order of the Arrow, lifetime member of the American Legion, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the Disabled Veterans of America, past Vice Commander of Legion Post 385, a coach for multiple youth sports teams, and was often the only Dad among many awesome Moms leading a host of elementary, middle and high school parent teacher organizations.
United States Military Academy, West Point NY
-Bachelors of Science in General Engineering, Economics Concentration
Defense Intelligence College, Washington, DC
-Master of Strategic Intelligence, Collection Management Concentration
United States Army War College, Carlisle Barracks, PA
– Master of Strategic Studies