MNMW Team Member Spotlight – L. Gail Markham
For more than four decades, Gail Markham has been a recognized leader and pioneer in her community and profession. She is the founding partner of Markham Norton Mosteller Wright & Co., P.A. (MNMW) and has received several honors and awards in business and philanthropy during her successful career. She is no stranger to a challenge, and her skill in forensic accounting is well known, but her professional focus in recent years has shifted more towards family mediation services. She also found that in the pandemic downtime over the last two years, she really wants to spend more time traveling, along with her photography hobby.
Speaking of her love of photography, Gail enjoys spending time outdoors in Southwest Florida when not in the office. She enjoys the solitude of being in nature and capturing the perfect shots of birds, butterflies, bees, orchids, flowers, panoramas, and more. Gail seems to have a refined skill that allows her to bring nature and wildlife vibrantly to life. This is not a new hobby though. If you ever visit MNMW’s offices, you will notice the beautiful and artistic imagery on the walls, all courtesy of Gail and her various international travels. Her photos have also been included in silent auctions, often fetching quite a sum for any charities involved.
Gail is passionate about her community and is involved in numerous professional organizations, supporting a diverse assortment of causes in the 
community. Gail is an outstanding role model and community leader and was honored by the Junior Achievement of SWFL as a Laureate for the 2013 Business Hall of Fame. She has received many other awards, such as the Uncommon Friends Foundation Business Ethics Award, Florida Accountant Advocate of the Year by the SBA, and Lee County Career Woman of the Year. Several other personal awards include the 2013 SWFL Makers Award by WGCU, the 2011 Woman of the Year and the 2010 Philanthropist of the Year by Gulfshore Life magazine, and she received the 2008 APEX Award by the Greater Fort Myers Chamber of Commerce. Additionally, she received the Athena Award in 2000, honoring her for her professional excellence, community service, and actively assisting women with professional goals and leadership.
Gail is a survivor, having overcome a difficult, abusive childhood. Yet, even with her struggles, she persevered and earned scholarships to attend the University of Florida, then transferred to the University of Maryland and graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from the College of Business and Management. Following graduation, she joined a local CPA firm, which was not a good fit, so in 1979 she founded MNMW. Gail’s passion, determination, and leadership have been integral in developing the firm as one of the largest and most respected firms in SWFL, with offices in Fort Myers and Naples.
Due to her abusive childhood history, Gail was motivated to help girls find and create a better path, so in 2006 she founded Lee PACE Center for Girls. PACE’s Lee County center (which is named after Gail) has helped hundreds of at-risk girls locally with a success rate of over 90%. Her advice to these girls is to be assertive, not aggressive, get educated, make good choices, never look back, and always do their best. The success of PACE certainly benefits the community but is also a personal success for Gail, as it has contributed to the healing process from her past.
During her career, she chaired and served on several community boards and committees such as the Lee County Industrial Development Authority, Southwest Florida Community Foundation (Collaboratory), PACE Center for Girls of Lee County, Cape Coral Chamber of Commerce, The Chamber of Southwest Florida, HOPE Hospice of Lee County, United Way of Lee, Hendry & Glades, Lee County Electric Cooperative, FGCU Foundation Board, FGCU Presidential Search Committee, and the Junior Achievement Business Leadership Hall of Fame Committee, to name a few. She is a member of the International Women’s Forum (IWF) and the Women’s Legacy Fund, whose mission is to engage women in effecting change in their community through collective philanthropy. Gail also established an endowed scholarship fund at the Collaboratory to benefit young girls in the community by furthering their education.
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