Compassion, determination, and integrity are attributes necessary to deal with the housing crisis in Immokalee. Dr. Arol Buntzman, whose life has revolved around helping others, heads up a team of people who believe that safe, affordable housing can and will lead to a much better life for the people of Immokalee and our community as well.

His resume highlights a long career of responsibility and success. With a B.S in Real Estate, an MBA from Arizona State University, and a doctoral degree from Fordham University, he has been responsible for planning and overseeing the development of industrial parks, office buildings and housing projects. Dr. Buntzman started and/or acquired and successfully turned around eight companies in fields ranging from real estate development and property management to higher education and education-technology, including founding and serving as Chairman and CEO of a public company listed on the NASDAQ stock exchange (Educational Video Conferencing, Inc.). His customers included Prudential, AIG, Merrill Lynch, Lockheed Martin, the New York City Police Department and multiple Colleges and Universities. For his work in interactive multipoint video conferencing, he has been recognized as a Smithsonian Laureate.

In the field of education, he served as Chancellor of three colleges that specialized in serving high school dropouts and immigrants from the Caribbean and Latin America. Under his leadership, thousands of minority high school dropouts earned their high school equivalence and associate degrees, while graduating free of education-related debt.

Dr. Buntzman has also found time to dedicate his talents to a variety of charitable organizations. In addition to serving as Chairman of the Immokalee Fair Housing Alliance, he also serves as President, We Can’t Have That Foundation, Inc., a non-profit, 50l(C)3 dedicated to using education to help break the cycle of poverty and to supporting disaster relief efforts in Immokalee.

While his many accomplishments are commendable, what you don’t see on his resume is the heart of a man who is taking on this project at full throttle, and whose tireless efforts are leading to substantial change in the areas where he applies his expertise.