Pictured: Photo Caption: Graduates from the 2024 Fall Gulf Coast Board Institute gather outside of Gulf Coast Community Foundation's Venice Headquarters.

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 Gulf Coast Community Foundation’s (Gulf Coast’s) successful longstanding board development initiative. 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. Gulf Coast is now accepting applications for its 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 Gulf Coast’s 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 Gulf Coast’s Sarasota Philanthropy Center. 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 Gulf Coast’s 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. Gulf Coast provides 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.

Pictured: Photo Caption: Graduates from the 2024 Fall Gulf Coast Board Institute gather outside of Gulf Coast Community Foundation's Venice Headquarters.