Suzanne McCormick in September will take over as president and CEO of the United Way Suncoast. McCormick comes to Southwest Florida by way of Maine, where she served 13 years in the United Way of Greater Portland, most recently as CEO. 

"I have come to realize that I have a deep personal commitment to helping improve people’s lives," McCormick said. "I am excited to bring that passion to the growing and vibrant Suncoast community, which offers me a wonderful opportunity to build on my commitment and help make an even larger positive impact." 

United Way Suncoast Board Chairman William W. Merrill, III, a Sarasota attorney and shareholder at Icard Merrill, said McCormick would prove a sound leader for the organization, which serves Sarasota, Hillsborough, Pinellas and DeSoto counties. "McCormick’s passion and experience are a perfect complement to our strategic plan to break the cycle of poverty through educational and financial stability programs,” Merrill said. "She has a proven record facilitating change and building relationships that will continue the tradition of outstanding community work the United Way Suncoast leads across the region.”

An executive search committee headed by Carlton Fields Jorden Burt president Gary Sasso has been reviewing candidates for the post since the spring. He said it was McCormick's work establishing solid community partnerships that set her apart. 

Current United Way Suncoast CEO Diana Baker, who announced in January that she would retire from her post after 35 years in the organization, will continue in her post through September and be available to McCormick afterward during the power transition. Baker was first named CEO of the United Way Suncoast in April 2003. Before running the regional organization, she oversaw the consolidation of the United Way organizations in Hillsborough and Pinellas county into the United Way Suncoast, serving as the new organization's first chief operating officer.