The Tampa Historic Streetcar (THS) Board of Directors was created on November 8, 1999. It consists of seven Board members, four of which are appointed by the Mayor of the City of Tampa and three, by the Hillsborough Transit Authority (HART) Board of Directors. Each governing body also appoints Alternate members to the THS Board of Directors, with assigned roles and responsibilities. THS Board of Directors is responsible for the operation, management, and maintenance of the Streetcar System
Tampa Historic Streetcar, Inc. Board of Directors
City of Tampa Appointees
Mr. Michael English, President
Brandon Campbell
Mr. David Mechanik
Councilmember Guido Maniscalco
(Charles) Brad Cooke
HART Appointees
Councilmember Gil Schisler
Ms. Melanie Williams
Gary Hartfield
Adam Nebrich – Alternate
Michael English was one of the original incorporators of THS, Inc. in 2000, and has served on the
Board of Directors since then; and has served as Board president most of that time. He was instrumental,
along with Board member David Mechanik, in developing the original THS funding plan for Mayor Dick Greco
and then-CEO Sharon Dent, including the Endowment Fund and the Special Assessment District.
Mr. English, a certified city planner, and urban anthropologist, also serves on Board and Executive
Committee of the Tampa Downtown Partnership, and the Advisory Board of the Florida Center for Community
Design, USF.
Brandon Campbell is the Director of Transportation Services at the City of Tampa, where he oversees the two of the five divisions of the City’s Mobility Department. Among his responsibilities is Tampa’s transportation capital program, currently consisting of $12m in annual local funds and over $50m in federal grant funds. He leads a team of approximately 100 engineers and technicians pursuing safe, context-appropriate transportation options ranging from multi-modal network improvements to smart cities infrastructure while directing his team through planning, design, construction, operation, and maintenance of transportation assets in pursuit of Mayor Castor’s vision to Transform Tampa’s Tomorrow.
Brandon is a licensed Professional Engineer in both Florida and Missouri and is certified as a Professional Traffic Operations Engineer and a Road Safety Professional. He is currently serving as a Discipline Director elected to the Transportation Professional Certification Board. He earned his BS in Civil Engineering and a Master of Public Affairs from the University of Missouri—Columbia. He spends his free time volunteering at his church and pursuing outdoor activities with his wife and three kids.
David Mechanik was one of the original incorporators of THS, Inc. in 2000, and has served on the Board
of Directors off and on since then.
He practices in the areas of land use, environmental, real estate transactions, governmental relations,
local government law and government relations,
including economic incentives. Mr. Mechanik is also a Certified Planner (AICP), as designated by the
American Planning Association and a Florida Supreme
Court Certified Circuit Court Mediator.
Mr. Mechanik has previously served as a Chairman and member of the HART Board of Directors and President of Tampa Historic Streetcar, Inc.is also active in community activities.
He has also served on many other boards and committees, a few of which are:
Guido Maniscalco was born and raised in Tampa and is the son of Cuban and Italian immigrants. Guido
attended and graduated from Tampa Catholic High School, Hillsborough Community College, and obtained
a degree in English from the University of South Florida.
He served as Chairman of the Tampa City Council from May 2020 to May 2021. He was the President of the MacFarlane Park Neighborhood Association from 2013 to 2015, served as a member of the City of Tampa Code Enforcement Board from 2012 to 2015, currently serves as trustee chairman of the Sons of Italy Lodge, past treasurer of the Ybor City Lions, member of the West Tampa Optimist Club, Ybor City Round Table, and member of the Hillsborough County Human Rights Council.
Councilman Maniscalco is appointed to the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO), the Tampa Theatre Board, the Tampa Museum of Art, the Straz Center for the Performing Arts, and the Arts Council of Hillsborough County and previously served on the Hillsborough County Public Transportation Commission (PTC), the Tampa Bay Estuary Program Board, the Hillsborough River Interlocal Planning Board and the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council.
Brad Cooke is a third-generation Tampa resident with a passion for creating transformative urban developments. At Strategic Property Partners, he serves on the executive committee and is responsible for defining and executing the development vision for the company. Before returning home to Tampa, Brad worked in New York City for some of the country’s most innovative architecture and development firms. Brad serves on the Tampa Theatre Board of Directors and is an active voice on urban issues throughout the community. He graduated summa cum laude from The University of Florida and with honors from Washington University in St. Louis and pursued additional studies in real estate finance and development at New York University. Brad, his wife Margaret, and their two children live in Tampa Heights where they enjoy daily urban life in a townhouse project they designed and developed themselves.
Gary T. Hartfield is an award-winning serial entrepreneur, leader, author, and philanthropist. His leadership experience and business acumen have allowed him to impact multiple industries, including education, health care, real estate, and insurance. He is the president and CEO of six Residential Group Homes throughout Florida, delivering personalized and therapeutic healthcare services for the elderly and developmentally disabled. Gary is also the founder and CEO of Serenity Village Insurance & Consulting, a full-service agency providing insurance solutions to clients throughout Florida and Georgia. The company specializes in commercial risks, partnering with hundreds of business owners to deliver the products and solutions that matter most, including liability insurance, workers’ compensation, and auto and property insurance. Gary’s leadership acuity and career efforts have served as an engine for job creation, with his businesses which have employed more than 100 Floridians across the state. Gary’s key business roles and accomplishments extend to the nonprofit realm, where he serves as the CEO and Chairman of Empower Florida, Inc., an association representing the needs of more than 20,000 business owners who serve the intellectually and developmentally disabled throughout Florida. He also serves on multiple boards and councils, including the Tampa Bay Chamber, Career Source Tampa Bay, the CEO Council, the Nonprofit Leadership Center, The Skills Center, Live Tampa Bay, and the Tampa Organization of Black Affairs. He received his Master’s in Business Administration from the University of West Florida and an Executive Leadership Certification from Cornell University. Gary earned his Bachelor of Science in Electronic Engineering Technology from Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University.
Ms. Williams is active in the Tampa Bay academic and volunteer communities. Named to the Board of Directors of the Hillsborough Transit Authority by Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn in 2018 and reappointed by Mayor Jane Castor in 2021 and 2023, Ms. Williams has served in many leadership roles such as Vice Chair of the Board as well as Committee Chair to committees including the Strategic Planning and External Relations, and Operations and Safety Committees.
In January 2020, Ms. Williams was invited by The Exceptional women Awardees Foundation to join the 2020 Cohort of Women Leaders, who recognized her for her “persistence, courage, intelligence and ambition.” Ms. Williams is equally dedicated to Frontier’s growth, as she is to celebrating the women who guided and mentored her by paying it forward to the next generation of women leaders. Ms. Williams is also a 2019 ONYX Magazine “Women on the Move” Honoree as one of Florida’s most influential women of color.
Throughout her career, Ms. Williams has focused her considerable energy on business success through transformational leadership, forward thinking strategy, employee training and empowerment, and executing on the basics. Her guiding principle is the response to the question “How can we help?” Ms. Williams received her Master’s degree in Professional Development from Dallas Baptist University, and earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Management from Nova Southeastern University. With her husband Victor, four adult children and their 13-year old twins, Melanie enjoys precious family-time activities, including water sports.
Gil Schisler was elected to the Temple Terrace City Council on November 6, 2018. Mr. Schisler retired from Daniels Education Corporation as CFO and HR Director in 2015. He is currently the owner of GCS Financial Consulting LLC, a local accounting service for small business, and Treasurer for the Board of Terrace Community Middle School. Prior to his election to city council, Mr. Schisler served in many capacities to our city: on the Board of Adjustment; School and Improvement Task Force; as a founding board member of Terrace Community Middle School; on the TTGCC Advisory Committee; as a Orange River HOA board member; assisting with the Temple Terrace Little League and with various local school SACs. Mr. Schisler is a 1989 graduate of USF with a BS in Accounting, he is married to Lisa, and they have two children and four grandchildren, all of whom live in Temple Terrace.
Adam E. Nebrich brings leadership experience, technical expertise, and community dedication to his business and community roles. A U.S. Coast Guard Academy graduate with a degree in Electrical Engineering, Adam began his career serving two years at sea as a junior officer before transitioning into aviation.
Tampa Historic Streetcar Board of Directors holds its monthly regular Board meetings on the fourth Tuesday of every month at 1:00p.m. for matters requiring consent, action and/or presentations.in the HART Administrative Office located at:
1201 E. 7th Avenue 3rd floor
Tampa, FL 33605
*Adjusted due to holiday
*Adjusted due to holiday
Contact Danielle Jackson, HART Board Administrator at JacksonD2@gohart.org or 813-384-6517 for meeting notices and agendas not available above.