Women of Distinction
A Woman of Distinction serves as a role model by embodying Palm Beach Atlantic University’s mission. She is equipped with wisdom, leads with conviction, and serves God boldly.
A Woman of Distinction serves as a role model by embodying Palm Beach Atlantic University’s mission. She is equipped with wisdom, leads with conviction, and serves God boldly.
Upon graduating with distinction from Cornell University in 1980, Kathy Leone began a career in the hotel industry. Locally, her positions included Director of Incentive Sales at The Breakers and Vice President of Sales at The Boca Raton Resort & Club. She is the proud mother of four sons with her husband who is CEO of The Breakers. Kathy has been actively involved in her community for 35 years. While her children were young, she served on the Board of the Academy of The Palm Beaches (now merged with Palm Beach Day Academy) for six years, the last two as Board Chairman. Philanthropic interests have included the YMCA, Alliance for Eating Disorders, and Catholic Charities.
For the past decade, Kathy has served as a passionate advocate for children and families involved in the foster care system in Palm Beach County. Focusing on reform, accountability, and collaboration, she most recently served as Vice Chair of the Palm Beach County Community Alliance whose membership consists of the leadership of all stakeholders who serve the dependency population and is tasked with a “watch dog” responsibility for all children being served in this capacity. She also served as chair of the Community Alliance Strategic Workgroup which is tasked with solving the most pressing issues facing children within the foster system in Palm Beach County.
She is a member of the Women’s Leadership Council, Palm Beach Chamber of Commerce, and has been recognized county wide as a Child Advocate Champion of the Year by Childnet, Friends of Foster Children, Vita Nova, Center for Child Counseling, Children’s Home Society, Lutheran Services, and most recently, received the Hareen Bertisch Children’s Advocacy Award from Legal Aid Society.
Lynne Wheat and her partner, Thomas Peterffy, have called Palm Beach home for nearly a decade, a community they have come to treasure for its extraordinary spirit of generosity, civic engagement, and philosophy.
Raised in Greenwich, Connecticut, Lynne is a graduate of the Convent of the Sacred Heart and Trinity College in Washington, DC. Her life has also had a distinctly international dimension, with years spent living in Brussels, Tokyo, and London before returning to Greenwich, where she raised her three children.
Throughout her life, Lynne has believed deeply in service to community. In Greenwich, much of her energy was devoted to her children’s schools as well as service on the boards of organizations including the United Way, the YWCA, and the Alumnae Board of Sacred Heart.
Since moving to Palm Beach, Lynne has become equally engaged in the civic and cultural life of her adopted community—she serves on the boards of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Palm Beach County, the Preservation Foundation of Palm Beach, and The Society of the Four Arts.
Together, Lynne and Thomas have generously supported many of the institutions that enrich Palm Beach and its surrounding communities. Their philanthropy includes significant support for the new Boys & Girls Club at Dreher Park and the transformative renovation of The Society of the Four Arts, as well as enthusiastic support of the Cox Science Center and the Palm Beach Police & Fire Foundation.
Above all, Lynne is the immensely proud mother of three children and grandmother of six grandsons, who remain among the greatest joys of her life.
For Lynne and Thomas, making Palm Beach their home has been one of life’s happiest decisions.
They continue to be inspired by a community in which generosity, friendship, and a commitment to giving back are not simply ideals, but a way of life.
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Gifts of $10,000 or more will automatically welcome you into the President’s Giving Society. This special group of leadership-level supporters is regularly engaged in unique opportunities by PBA President Dr. Debra A. Schwinn and other University leaders.
For more information on event sponsorships, underwriting opportunities, and student scholarship opportunities, please contact Amy Evans, Director of Foundation and Corporate Relations at Amy_Evans@pba.edu or 561.803.2024.
