AVCO Executive Board         

President                             
Laura Perdomo
thepeacockcottage@gmail.com

Laura started growing African violets in college in 2001, with a small plant on her windowsill.  She now has 16 lightstands in her garage.  She sells African violets at various plant shows around central Florida with her husband where she enjoys meeting new people and spreading her love of violets.  She is a member of the African Violet Society of America, President of the African Violet Council of Florida and a charter member of the African Violet Club of Ocala.  She lives with her husband and 8 cats in the Ocala National Forest and teaches history at Marion Technical Institute.  Her favorite violet continues to be the first one she ever had on her windowsill, an Optimara variety, Rhapsodie Cora.


Vice President 
Linda Schwambach, PMP

Linda has enjoyed raising various gesneriads including African violets from time to time since she was in college.  She is the webmaster for the African Violet Club of Ocala, as well as a member of the African Violet Society of America, the Pilot Club of Ocala, Project Management Institute, the African Violet Council of Florida and a charter member of the African Violet Club of Ocala.


Secretary                          
Carol Carpenter

Carol was born in Teaneck, NJ, grew up in St. Petersburg, FL, graduating from Dixie Hollins High School, and then graduated from from Central Florida Community College in Ocala.  Hobbies include horseback riding and showing, competition shooting, ceramics, stained glass, reserve deputy sheriff with MCSO, photography, flower arranging and last, but not least, growing African Violets!  She belonged to the Ocala Camera Club, Civitan Club, and currently the Pilot Club and African Violet Club of Ocala where she is a charter member.  Carol was commercial manager and later became general manager for Country Music Station WMOP/WFUZ in Ocala.  Then after the station was sold she started full time real estate with Foxfire Realty to the present time.  She lives with 5 cats, LD, The Princess, Cleo, Jasmine, and yes VIOLET!



Treasurer 
Nancy Frost 


Director
Annette Harris

Annette is a rare Florida native, born and raised in Miami-Dade County, Florida.  She has four children.  She worked as a Physical Therapist Assistant until 2002 when she retired.  We are very happy she moved to Ocala in December of 2006 and is now our Director at AVCO!  She became interested in growing African violets from a co-worker who grew them at work in her office.  When she read about the AVCO meeting in the newspaper she joined us at the African Violet Club of Ocala.  She decided to see if she could learn how to grow them for herself.  Annette entered several beautiful violets in the recent AVCO show in May and received top blue ribbons!!!  She enjoys continuing to learn more about these wonderful flowers.


Immediate Past President
Carolee Carter                                                        
Phone:  237-3308
caroleecarter37@hotmail.com 


Carolee has been growing and showing African violets and gesneriads for 30 years.  She is currently Immediate Past President of AVCO and President of the African Violet Council of Florida and is a Senior Judge.  She has been a member of the Board of the African Violet Society of America, the Northern California Council of African Violet Societies and the Judges Council of Northern California.  She was president of the Violet Patch of South Florida and the San Mateo [CA] African Violet Society.