a look at...
Beth and John England
photography by Win Wolloff
Beth and John England, active supporters of Ruth Eckerd
Hall in Clearwater, moved to the Tampa Bay area in 2010
after living in New York City and Atlanta, calling this the
first place that feels like home.
The couple co-chaired “Wine & Chocol’Art,” the Margaret
Acheson Stuart Society’s Wine Weekend St. Pete 2017, which
benefited the Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg. John and
Beth also chaired Ruth Eckerd Hall’s 2018 Grand Gala, raising
funds for its Marcia P. Hoffman School of the Arts in Clearwater.
Later this year, Ruth Eckerd Hall plans to open the England
Family Music Garden, an outside music and entertainment
venue that will complement the hall’s other indoor stages.
Beth was born and raised in the Philadelphia suburbs
and graduated from St. Joseph’s University with a degree in
business management, spending the majority of her career
in the human resources field. After working for companies
such as Towers Perrin, QVC, Inc. and Avon Products,
she retired from IBM in 2012 to devote more time to her
favorite charities. She serves on the boards of Academy Prep
Center of St. Petersburg, where she also is a member of the
advancement committee, and Ruth Eckerd Hall, where she
is on the executive and governance committees. She also is a
member of the Margaret Acheson Stuart Society.
John, who describes himself as a vagabond, was conceived
in Canada, born in the U.S. and grew up in various places in
Canada and New England. He attended Connecticut College
for his bachelor’s degree and earned his MBA at Dartmouth’s
Amos Tuck School. Seventeen years in Philadelphia were
followed by stints in Brussels, New York, and Atlanta,
before moving to Tierra Verde in 2010 after retiring from the
company where he was a partner for 27 years. He founded a
new consultancy, Pay Governance LLC, which ten years later,
employs 57 people and advises boards of directors around the
world on compensation matters.
John brought three children to their marriage, and Beth and
John now have six grandsons, plus two rescue dogs.
What do you like most about the Tampa Bay area?
Beth: You could never be bored here.
John: The amazing number of things to do
What is your favorite word?
Beth: Thanks.
John: I rarely get to use it, but would be “mellifluous.” Just
rolls off your tongue so, well, mellifluously!
What are you famous for?
Beth: Dark and Stormy beverages
John: My “British car disease” – I have six little British sports cars.
140 TAMPA BAY MAGAZINE | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020
What is the best advice you have ever been given?
Beth: There are only four things in life you can control: what
you say, what you do, how you act and how you react.
John: Treat people as you would have them treat you.
Why do you do what you do?
Beth: Because of the feeling I have when I hear 100+ Academy
Prep scholars in unison proclaim their school pledge that ends
in “WE ARE THE GREATEST!”
John: I still find the science and art of motivating and
rewarding people to be fascinating.
What don’t people know about you?
Beth: Even though I am a poor golfer, I had a hole-in-one.
John: I could possibly win Name That Tune or a trivia contest
about 1970s-1980s classic rock.
What is your motto?
Beth: Everything happens for a reason.
John: Press on regardless.
How do you think other people would describe you?
Beth: As someone who can get things done
John: Quiet, thoughtful and slightly introverted in my
personal life, and in my business life, I have strong
convictions, am a leader and am slightly extroverted.
What would you like to do that you have never done?
Beth: Visit the pyramids in Egypt
John: Take our boat to Key West and back
What is your pet peeve?
Beth: When spellcheck incorrectly replaces or misspells a word
John: Well, cars and bicyclists need to share the road…let me
leave it at that.
What talent do you wish you had?
Beth: Speaking multiple languages
John: Playing the piano – I’ve stopped and started learning too
many times.
What is your most treasured possession?
Beth: That would be a picture that my grandfather painted in
1917 when he was 17 studying in Italy.
John: Probably my first fun car, a 1958 Austin-Healey 100-6
What did you want to be when you were younger?
Beth: A ballerina
John: A member of an Olympic ice hockey team
How would you like to be remembered?
Beth: As someone who left the world a better place than I
found it
John: As someone who became a great dad and grandfather 9