JACQUI KAPINOWSKI
Founder/President – Shifting Gears United, Inc.
Founder- Freedom Team of Wounded Veterans & First Responders
Coach, Mentor and Speaker
jacqui@shiftinggearsunited.org | 561-831-8887
Jacqui is a two-time Paralympian for Team USA in both winter and summer games. With nine World Champions in four sports, curling, triathlon, wheelchair racing, and rowing. Jacqui was inducted into the Paralympic Sport Hall of Fame in 2021. Jacqui has been an avid runner and athlete most of her life. She has competed in 90 marathons, 19 as a runner and 71 in her racing wheelchair and handcycle.
In her early twenties, Jacqui was diagnosed with bacterial meningitis. She fought the disease, recovered, and returned to competitive marathon running. Five years later Jacqui was impacted by a second diagnosis of bacterial meningitis.
Surviving two bouts of meningitis, that has left Kapinowski living with a progressive disease that affects 1 in 1 million with no cure called “Stiff Person Syndrome”. Jacqui is a cancer survivor.
Jacqui founded Shifting Gears United on September 11, 2019, with the purpose of sharing her passion and years of experience in sports and mentoring wounded veterans, first responders and individuals living with various disabilities.
It is the power of sports and community that bring us together as a family. “The Only Constant is Change”.
FRANCINE PRESCOTT
Director – Shifting Gears United, Inc.
A founding board member of SGU, Fran was instrumental in the creation of SGU. Having a disability, SGU provides a venue to participate in what was not possible on her own. She had been injured in a car accident years earlier and was left with multiple problems including CRPS (Chronic Regional Pain Syndrome), multiple back fusions, and a foot drop. Several years later, Fran was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia.
Fran has come to terms with her own injury and can help others. “I love to be with the “can do” group we have, and watching and participating in events where you just leave pain and disability at the start and just go.
BRIAN PHILLIP PANDISCIO
Director of Marketing – Shifting Gears United, Inc.
Adaptive Paddle Board Coach
brian@shiftinggearsunited.org | 561-352-7326
Brian is a seasoned creative professional with over 38 years of experience in design and marketing consulting. As the owner of Pandiscio Design, he has been serving Shifting Gears United with innovative solutions, specializing in website management, blog and news platform oversight, social media coordination, and the creation of promotional materials. His expertise extends to coordinating email marketing platforms and handling sponsorship presentations.
A graduate of Erie State College, Bryant Stratton Art Institute – Marketing and Design, Brian has honed his skills in both creative and strategic marketing over decades of work. In addition to his design career, he has been involved in the marine industry as a broker/agent and is also a soon-to-be author. His passion for giving back to the community is reflected in his nonprofit work. He has been actively involved in organizations such as Shifting Gears United, the Chasin A Dream Foundation, and Crossing for Cystic Fibrosis, to name a few, where he has used his professional skills to support various causes. Personally, Brian was born in Western New York in 1962 and is a proud father of three children. He is an avid outdoorsman with a love for water sports and enjoys paddleboarding, which he also teaches. His dedication to both his craft and his community continues to inspire those around him.
Layla Elshimy
Secretary – Shifting Gears United, Inc.
lelshimy@rlacademy.org
Layla earned her degree in Health and Physical Education from West Chester University of Pennsylvania. During her time at the university, she coached middle school club volleyball and Girls on the Run. After graduating in 2019, she relocated to Florida to embark on her teaching career.
Today, Layla serves as the Adapted Physical Education teacher for The Learning Academy at the Els Center of Excellence in Jupiter, FL, where she works with students diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Her mission is to equip each student with the skills to develop lifelong physical confidence and competence. She has pioneered several school-based programs, including Special Olympics-Rising Stars, Best Buddies, and Bike Club, all aimed at helping students explore diverse avenues of physical activity.
Christina Ford
Regional Director of South Florida – Shifting Gears United, Inc.
cfrdm@me.com
We are so excited to welcome Christina Ford to our board of Directors. Christina has been a lifelong advocate for accessibility across many platforms. Over the last ten years, she has been working diligently in the adaptive sports arena. She has been very active in the adaptive SCUBA diving community, not knowing that her first dive ten years ago would lead to a passion and a lifelong career.
As co-founder of Thresher Aquatics Inc. She has done so much to move the sport into a more accessible future, and we are excited to have her here to help us do the same for our endeavors. She excels in fundraising, changing views in accessibility (not only in sports, but was instrumental in making Bimini, Bahamas, into the accessible travel destination it is today), and never accepting “NO” as an acceptable answer.
We look forward to the impact she will undoubtedly help us make.
Beverly Barker Caruso
Treasurer – Shifting Gears United, Inc.
beverlycarusocpa@gmail.com
After graduating from the University of Florida with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting, Beverly went to work for Coopers & Lybrand where she specialized in audit, accounting & taxes for nonprofits. While pregnant with her first child, she started her own firm. When she sold the firm five years later the firm had over 500 clients and offices in four states. Beverly had earned the distinction of Certified Public Accountant as well as Certified Financial Planner but she had always wanted a large family and had realized this was not going to be possible owning the firm.
Beverly went on to have 7 children. She and her children have lived a life of volunteerism. She used her accounting background; helping to start several nonprofits, as a forensic accountant for people who could not afford one & were being treated unjustly, and after the 4 hurricanes of 2004 as a public adjuster before there was a formal name for helping people that were being treated unfairly by their insurance company. Her work secured hundreds of thousands of dollars for local businesses enabling them to reopen after recovering from the hurricanes.
One of Beverly’s first clients when she opened her firm was the National Center for a Barrier Free Environment. This nonprofit was one of the first organizations to develop standards and designs to give the disabled access to public buildings. They were instrumental in writing what would eventually be known as the American Disabilities Act. She finds it beautiful that in retirement she can once again use her skill set to benefit the disabled.
Beverly cherishes time with her 7 children and their families including 6 grandchildren which are her joie de vivre. She enjoys hiking, paddle boarding, kayaking, snow skiing and most anything that puts her in nature.
HARRY KAPINOWSKI
Director of Operations – Shifting Gears United, Inc.
Equipment Logistics
Retired Newark, NJ Fire Department
2010 Paralympics -USA Curling Team /Technical Asst.
2016 Paralympics -USA Rowing Coach
Harry has been involved with disabled athletics for more than 30 years. He’s full-time, hands-on in the daily operations. He assist in all aspects of the South Florida Programs and events, clinics, camps, training, and race season. He was instrumental in assisting with getting the Shifting Gears United Programs off the ground and running for our Freedom Team of Wounded Veterans and First Responders
