“I am extremely pleased to join the Everglades Foundation board which has become an important voice in Tallahassee and Washington advocating for America’s Everglades,” said Dr. Ferré. “As someone steeped in science, I am particularly impressed by the fact that the Foundation is a science-based organization that relies on independent research to achieve its goals.” In 2004, Dr. Ferré became the founding President and Chief Executive Officer of MAKO, which developed innovative techniques for robotic orthopedic surgery. In 2011 Deloitte recognized MAKO as the fastest growing technology company in North America. In December 2013, the South Florida based robotic surgery manufacturer was sold to Stryker Corp. of Michigan, a Fortune 500 company, for $1.65 billion. Prior to MAKO, Dr. Ferré founded Visualization Technology, Inc. in 1993, a medical device company for image-guided surgery, where he served as Chief Executive Officer until April 2002 when Visualization Technology was acquired by GE Healthcare. In 2007, Dr. Ferré received the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year award for emerging companies in Florida. Dr. Ferré received his Medical Degree and a Master’s Degree in Public Health from Boston University. His grandfather, Jose A. Ferré, was an industrialist who built one of the largest cement/concrete companies in the United States. His great-uncle, Luis A. Ferré, was Governor of Puerto Rico. Dr. Ferre’s father, Maurice A. Ferré, served as Mayor of Miami for 12 years.