During his years at the Community Foundation of Sarasota County, John Annis developed a strong reputation for building collaboration among local philanthropic forces. Now, he takes on a role with one of the region’s newest high-profile private foundations, and hopes his knack for building bridges proves as useful as ever. 

Annis on Jan. 1 will start working at the Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation as senior vice president of Collaboration and Impact, a role similar to the one he has held at the Community Foundation since 2012. “I want to make this transition as smooth as possible,” Annis says. “When you take a job focused on collaboration and impact, that’s a pretty good start.” Annis will continue his work at the Community Foundation through Dec. 15 before taking a vacation between filling the executive roles. 

During his time at the Community Foundation, he attended a fellowship program with the Aspen Institute and developed pioneering techniques locally with TwoGen philanthropy and impactful giving. But while a community foundation serves an important role handling efforts of a number of small foundations—in his case about 1,400 funds—the chance to work with a large private foundation with a focused mission proved enticing. “I read something about how if you are making a big decision and thinking of flipping a coin, don’t bother; you’ve already made the decision,” he says.

The Barancik Foundation launched three years ago to create initiatives and awards grants in the areas of education, humanitarian causes, arts and culture, the environment and medical research. The organization garnered particular public attention funding advanced efforts in area public schools through the creation of TechActive classrooms.

Annis says that during talks with Barancik Foundation President Teri Hansen, he learned the private foundation would soon seek to grow both its assets and its staff. Getting in at a time of expansion offered an allure to Annis, known in philanthropic circles for launching creative initiatives. He became excited by the possibilities, and conversations soon started about Annis taking on a new position. “We will increase our impact on the Sarasota community as we expand our work in 2018, and John will play an important role in helping us fulfill that mission,” Hansen says.  “His experience with our nonprofit community and passion for strategic philanthropy makes him a perfect fit with our team.”

While he’s anxious to jump into his new work, Annis says he wants to make sure nothing gets abandoned when he leaves the Community Foundation. “I can see the initiatives they have funded and I can’t wait wait to work on this thing or that thing,” he says. “At the time, we are working on a lot of cool and exciting things here. My goal is not to lose focus, and to make sure my last impression is a lasting impression.”