Announcing 2024 Fall Board Institute Graduates & Applications Open for 2025

Twenty-three dynamic community leaders from across the region graduated on Friday, November 1 from the Fall 2024 Gulf Coast Board Institute. The group made up the 18th class to participate in our successful longstanding board development initiative. 

“This graduating class will take best practices in board governance, newly acquired skills, and tools back to their nonprofit boards. We are grateful for their pursuit of exceptional board service and their unwavering dedication to our community,” said Invest In Incredible Director Betsy Steiner.

The following individuals who completed the 2024 Fall Gulf Coast Board Institute are:
•    Annie Berkness, ALSO Youth
•    Nicole Britton, The Twig Cares, Venice YMCA
•    James Caldwell, Conservation Foundation of the Gulf Coast
•    Nicole Carney, United Way of South Sarasota County
•    Joanna Cumiskey, Charlotte County Society for Human Resource Management (CCSHRM)
•    Michael Donnellan, Venice Area Historical Society
•    Tom Edwards, SRQ Strong, Sarasota County School Board
•    Chaplain Kelvin Foster, American Red Cross, Resilient Retreat
•    Christine Griffith, Venice Art Center & Laurel Civic Association
•    Beth Hirsch, Asolo Repertory Theatre
•    Deb Metzler, Literacy Volunteers of South Sarasota County
•    Peter Offringa, The Hermitage Artist Retreat, Bridge Angel Investors, 26 West
•    Jackson Pitts, Florida Highway Patrol Auxiliary
•    Eli Rapaport, Jewish Congregation of Venice
•    Rita Rikka-Williams, Literacy Volunteers of South Sarasota County
•    Ferris Rinko, Jewish Congregation of Venice
•    Bruce Roorda, Bay Point Church
•    Robin Schoenewald, Jewish Congregation of Venice Sisterhood
•    Tracy Spalsbury, Spalsbury Marketing, LLC
•    Gareth Stevenson, Easterseals Southwest Florida 
•    Jaime Still, Sarasota Contemporary Dance, Urbanite Theatre
•    Kristen Theisen, Amplify Connections Consulting
•    Sandi Wall, Sarasota Rising

"I found Gulf Coast Community Foundation’s Board Institute training to be incredibly valuable,” said Peter Offringa, 2024 Fall graduate of Gulf Coast Board Institute. “As a new board member, I was unsure of the expectations, structure, and standard operations for a nonprofit board. The Board Institute's comprehensive training provided me with a solid foundation. The instructors are all experts in their fields and were able to share real-world experiences that helped connect concepts to actual application. Additionally, the other attendees are local board members, supplying a ready-made network of peers that I can lean on for insights and advice. As a Board Institute graduate, I feel better equipped to maximize my impact as a nonprofit board member. I highly recommend the course."

The institute provides interactive, high-level board governance training to new and veteran nonprofit board members to increase their governance best practices.

We are now accepting applications for our Winter 2025 Gulf Coast Board Institute (GCBI). The online application and overview for the program are available at www.gulfcoastcf.org/GCBI. This high-demand program is delivered through our Invest In Incredible consultants to active and prospective nonprofit board members in the region. The deadline to apply for this governance training series is Sunday, December 15. Thus far, over 450 individuals have graduated from Gulf Coast Board Institute.

The group will participate in four training sessions in February 2025 at our Sarasota Philanthropy Center, 1549 State Street, Sarasota. Topics will include fundamentals of nonprofit board governance, becoming an ambassador for your organization, financial and legal oversight responsibilities, fundraising and resource development, and more. The training is led by certified consultants who are part of our Invest in Incredible nonprofit capacity-building initiative.

Participants will be selected through a competitive process with the intent of creating a group of individuals with a variety of experiences. We provide all training and resources at no cost to participants in exchange for their commitment to serve as advocates for good board governance in current and future nonprofit board roles. Applicants are encouraged to be current, active board members at a nonprofit in the region, although prospective board members will also be considered. Because of strong demand for this high-quality training opportunity, applicants also must sign a commitment that they will attend all four days of training if selected.