Comments:
Hans is a Jacksonville “Westside” native, was President of his R. E. Lee High School class for all 3 years and was captain of the basketball team (25-3 season). He entered the University of Florida on a full basketball scholarship. At U of F, his business courses enabled him to become a CPA, a Real Estate Broker, Certified Valuation Analyst and a lawyer who finished in the top 10% of his law school class with a final year to receive a legal master in tax law. Upon graduation, he became an attorney for 5 years with the IRS-Treasury Department in Miami during the South America drug running years and a federal prosecutor with the Department of Justice in Miami’s U.S. Attorney’s office in the public fraud and tax evasion section during early 1980’s.
Hans returned to Jacksonville in 1981 and practiced law for 10 years, was Chairman of the Florida Bar’s Tax Section, and later was recruited to become CFO (later CEO) of a financially troubled company. His mission was to restructure the company financially, managerially and to restore it to profitability. This successful “turnaround” of a troubled 1,500 employee business lead to other corporate “turnarounds” and opportunities to assist companies to achieve maximum value for their shareholders and job security for the employees. These other companies were in diverse industries including manufacturing, software development, international insurance, construction and real estate development.
Hans’ corporate restructuring and turnaround experience was part of his decision to accept the position of Executive Director of the St Johns River Water Management District. The St Johns River Water Management District regulates water supply and real estate development in the 18 county St Johns River basin with a population of 5mm people. Having fulfilled his mission, he left in May, 2015 and is credited with restructuring this governmental agency to have more productivity and greater public accountability, with fewer employees.
Hans has received five Florida gubernatorial appointments from 4 seperate Governors requiring Florida Senate confirmation, including his current position as Trustee of the University of North Florida, and the recent 3.5 year service as Executive Director of the water management and as a Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commissioner (1990 – 1994).
He was recently Chairman of the Finance Committee of the University of Florida Foundation Board (1.4B portfolio), co-founder of Springboard Capital, an early stage investment fund. Mr. Tanzler has also been active for more than 20 years with volunteer and community activities as Chairman of the Florida Bar Tax Section; Chairman of the Jacksonville Zoological Society (1990) and is on the Conservation Trust of Florida Advisory Board.
Hans has been married 44 years to Debbie, Miss Lee High “71” and his R. E. Lee High school sweetheart, and they have two children, a tax attorney son and a medical doctor daughter.
