The Ponte Vedra Beach Division of the St. Johns County Chamber of Commerce recently welcomed two new ambassadors. They are as follows:
Trudy Toche
Trudy Toche moved to Ponte Vedra Beach from New York City/New Jersey in 2011 to return to the beach lifestyle. A Mississippi Gulf Coast native, she grew up with a love for the beach.
Toche graduated in 2005 from the University of South Alabama in Mobile, Alabama, with a degree in recreational therapy and a minor in special education. After college, she had an opportunity to move to New York City to further her work experience in the clinical field. She held the position of director for recreational therapy for Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation. She worked directly with patients who suffered from major traumas such as traumatic brain and spinal cord injuries.
Toche moved to New Jersey when she accepted the position of the health and wellness director for Atlantic Healthcare Hospital-Overlook in Summit, New Jersey. The position allowed her to develop and implement wellness programs in the hospital and community setting. In 2003, Toche decided to leave her career and start a family.
In 2004, she decided to join Mary Kay Cosmetics as a consultant. There, Toche has earned multiple top awards over the last 15 years. She recently has accepted a leadership position and will be assisting in developing the Mary Kay brand in the fast-growing market in Jacksonville and across the country.
In addition, Toche launched a public speaking business in January 2019 called “Positively Profiling,” which provides customized training topics for small and medium-sized businesses. She is also a 2018 participant of Lifework Leadership First Coast and serves as active alumni.
She is currently on staff at University of North Florida with developing community outreach programs. Additional community nonprofit outreach includes volunteering at the PACE Center for Girls, the Hubbard House and Transformation Jacksonville.
Toche and her family attend Redeemer Church in Ponte Vedra. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her family and friends, the beach and traveling.
David Godwin
Born in Mobile, Alabama, and raised on Dauphin Island, Alabama, David Godwin moved after graduation to Santa Rosa Beach, Florida, where he enlisted in the U.S. Navy.
While in the Navy, Godwin served in a special operations force as an aviation combat rescue swimmer/antisubmarine-antisurface warfare petty officer stationed at NAS JAX with HS-7 the Dusty Dogs. He was tasked with managing flight schedules and communications while executing all missions with H-3 and MH-60 helicopters doing maritime search and rescue, ship takedowns, small arms and light/heavy machine guns, vertical onboard delivery in flight and logistics. Throughout this experience, he held a secret security clearance. Overall, he participated in multiple campaigns with the Navy.
After leaving the Navy, Godwin joined the Army and served with the Florida National Guard for two more years before returning to Naval Reserves.
Godwin later moved to Atlanta and worked for Jim Ellis Volkswagen for five years as the internet manager. While managing a small effective team, he was responsible for 40 percent of company sales.
Godwin left Atlanta and returned to Santa Rosa Beach, Florida, where he started as the co-owner of a standup paddleboard/surfboard manufacturing company. He was chief designer and handled public relations for the company. They opened a brick and mortar location in April 2013, allowing Godwin to run all rental operations and train staff. He sold countless boards across the country and was later bought out by his partner in June 2015.
After being recruited by an oil and gas recruiting firm, Godwin found himself back on the East Coast living in Ponte Vedra Beach, where he met his wife, Toni Boudreaux. After the oil and gas bubble burst, he found himself looking for a new purpose and a new job. He found his purpose in life insurance and annuities with Transamerica Agency Network and has been with them just shy of a year.
Outside of work, Godwin enjoys volunteering in the community with Toni, as well as surfing, paddleboarding and playing golf.
