Board Members

Chess has all the beauty of art - and much more. It cannot be commercialized. Chess is much purer that art in its social position.

Marcel Duchamp
French-American painter, sculptor, chess player and writer; (1887 – 1968)


OUR DYNAMIC BOARD MEMBERS:

Strong governance is essential for a successful non-profit and our board members ensure that Polk Scholastic Chess operates with integrity and accountability. The board members are drawn from a diverse constituency of technocrats, professionals, medical practitioners, school board specialists, parents and entrepreneurs committed to student academics. The board members have contributed in maintaining Florida's largest scholastic chess tournament framework for over 30 years with their experience, commitment, diverse opinions and connections, while keeping one common mission:
encouraging academic growth through the game of chess”.

ARLENE GABLE

ARLENE GABLE

Board Member

Arlene has been on the board since more than a decade and has been involved in many different work areas like promotion, volunteer coordination, vendor coordination and fund raising. She is a dedicated Realtor and manages her company www.ArleneGable.Realtor.   She has been involved with school PTA and other academic activities, and brings that rich experience and connections to the board.

RUPAL SHAH

RUPAL SHAH

Technology Director

Rupal is a HFMA, NAMSS and NHCAA certified professional, consultant and InfoTech entrepreneur with over 25 years of experience. Rupal is the visionary and solution architect of all the healthcare software products developed at Rimage Solutions. Her passion is in creating unique and user friendly interfaces for our products. She enjoys all creative arts/crafts and loves to travel.

DR. FAEZA KAZMIER

DR. FAEZA KAZMIER

Board Member

Dr. Faeza Kazmier joined the Polk Scholastic Chess Board in 2016 and hopes to bring her passion for education and love of math, science and chess to the group. She is particularly interested in seeing continued participation in the tournaments from the elementary to middle and high school levels, especially by young women. She is an active member of the community, plastic surgeon at Watson Clinic, wife and mother of 4 children.

SUNIL PATEL

Board Member

Sunil is a Software Engineer, working at Publix in IT Department. He graduated from the Florida Institute of Technology, Melbourne, FL, USA with Master in Software Engineering. He has more than eighteen years of IT experience. He lives in Lakeland with his wife and two boys. Sunil plays chess, cricket, soccer, and tennis. Sunil joined the Polk Scholastic Chess Board in 2016 and has been actively working with us since

ABHAY SHAH

ABHAY SHAH

Treasurer/Board Member

Abhay retired recently as a senior pharmacist from Walmart, with an illustrious career spanning over 35 years in USA and abroad. He joined the Polk Scholastic Chess board in 2018, and brings 20 years of volunteering experience as Treasurer at various 401(c)(3) non-profits. For him, "volunteering is giving back to the community". His passion is split between music and travelling. He lives in Lakeland with his wife.

ARVIND SHAH

ARVIND SHAH

Past President

Arvind is the senior-most board member with over two and a half decades of service and continues to guide and mentor the board members. He is a retired businessman and is currently a senior strategic advisor with New York Life. He enjoys social service at community events in Orlando and Polk County and is a veteran board member at various Indian community centers.

MALAY SHAH

MALAY SHAH

President

Malay is an InfoTech entrepreneur and engineer with over 25 years of experience in software development for Healthcare, Legal, Government, Social Services and E-Commerce industries. He lives in Lakeland with his wife and two kids. Apart from chess, Malay enjoys wildlife photography and volunteers at the “Polk's Nature Discovery Center”.

ABHAY SHAH

JOHN MILLER III

Honorary Board Member

John is a Curriculum Specialist (Accelerated Programs) at Polk County School Board. He works on behalf of students, parents, teachers, and school administrators in the areas of Dual Enrollment, Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, ACCEL legislation, acceleration in elementary and middle school, and STEM. He is involved in assisting schools and establishing common district protocols in these areas and works with several departments within the Polk County School system, College Board, Polk State College, and other organizations.