Henry Vales, Executive Director

A proud American born in Merida, Mexico, Henry served as an infantry officer in the U.S. Army. He graduated cum laude with a degree in business from Belmont College in Nashville, Tennessee and received his MBA from the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida. A Miami native for the first part of his life, Henry and his family moved to Orlando in 1989. 

A proud father of five children, Henry is an avid sports enthusiast whose hobbies include tennis and song writing. Before teaming up with the Golden Rule Foundation, Henry and his wife operated a gourmet restaurant in Downtown Orlando, while he also managed the local presence of a major investment firm.

Henry originally pursued a career in music.  After a brief stint as a songwriter-producer, Henry found a new calling in higher education, gaining expertise in assisting students through scholarships and grant programs at the University of Miami and at Vanderbilt University. Still keeping a hand on the pulse of the for-profit world, he remained part owner and consultant in a family-owned transportation business. This led to a senior management position in the banking, insurance and investment industries where Henry spent fifteen years as a principal, owner, and consultant.

An alumnus of The Greater Orlando Leadership Foundation and Leadership Seminole, Henry serves in Rotary and other community organizations.  He is a former Vice President of the University of Miami’s Hurricane Club and is a long-time member of the Miami Alumni Association.

Henry’s love for children and his personal dream originally brought him to the Golden Rule Foundation as a volunteer.   Assuming the Executive Director’s role on July 1, 2004, Henry connects the corporate interest in social responsibility to the importance of developing our children’s character by engaging corporate and community leaders in philanthropic partnerships. 

 
Fusing cause-related synergies within the for-profit and non-profit worlds, Mr. Vales leads The Golden Rule Foundation in growing its mission and programs. His vision for The Golden Rule Foundation’s future is to continue its leading role working with schools and communities across the state of Florida teaching children philanthropy, and secondly, to create a template—replicable anywhere—that can engage and inspire youth, adults, and businesses to  work together on service learning projects that directly meet needs in their own communities.