On Friday, October 31, SRQ MEDIA hosted its Tenth Annual Women Who Roar Leadership & Awards Luncheon at Michael's on East, recognizing exceptional women in the region. The event featured a pop-up boutique salon with gifts from Bia Candle Co., Camilyn Beth, Discover Sarasota Tours, Mahalla Wild, Manatee County Habitat for Humanity, Simply Jo's Boutique, Figgy & Co and Salt of the Earth. This year's luncheon also introduced the inaugural Women Who Roar Leadership "Her Story: Moments That Made Her" exhibition, where members of the Leadership Circle were invited to share parts of their journeys in a powerful, tangible way, offering a glimpse into the courage, creativity and resilience that shaped their stories.

The ceremony opened with welcoming remarks from Lisl Liang, President, CEO/ Editor in Chief of SRQ Media Group, who thanked event sponsors, including Michael’s on East, Dolphin Transportation Specialists, Leaders Uplifted and Diamond Vault. She introduced Champion Partner/Sponsor, Steve Altier of United Community Bank and Leadership Sponsor, Michelle Grimsley Shindana of Manatee County Habitat for Humanity and then went on to recognize the current members of the Women Who Roar Leadership Circle from 2014 to today who were in attendance at the event.

Ashley Grant, SRQ Media’s Senior Vice President of Strategic Partnerships and Engagement, took the stage to introduce the 2025 Trailblazer Award Recipient, Katie Nelson Thomson, a woman who has forged a fearless career in media and journalism, bringing the world stories about the most notable people and issues of our times. Currently, she is the powerhouse Senior Talent Producer of HBO’s Last Week Tonight with John Oliver.

Thomson spoke of her upbringing in Winter Park, Florida and her rise and success in the fast-paced world of broadcast journalism. “In the jaded media world, I often felt as naive as the movie character, Forest Gump,” she said. “I didn’t know how things worked so I didn’t always recognize limitations. I wasn’t worldly or judgy–I tried to approach every subject with curiosity and empathy. I didn’t always know where I was going, but no matter the obstacles, I just kept on running. The result was that I unwittingly stumbled into history, just like Forest Gump, with my unknown face popping up in news photos and videos next to famous people that I reported on.”

Following Thomson’s speech, Blair Bloomston of Leaders Uplifted led the audience in an interactive presentation, bringing lots of cheers and camaraderie. The special afternoon concluded with the presentation of the 2025 Leadership Circle awards. 

Pictured: The 2025 Trailblazer Award Recipient, Katie Nelson Thomson. Photo by Wyatt Kostygan.

After eight years of planning and design, Florida Studio Theatre broke ground on the McGillicuddy Arts Plaza last Wednesday. The Plaza will feature a new mainstage theatre, two cabaret theatres, on-site artist housing and three parking floors.

The project, Producing Artistic Director Richard Hopkins says, was born simply out of a need for increased artist housing. Throughout its time in Downtown Sarasota, FST had acquired a number of properties to house artists, but Hopkins says these properties were increasingly far from FST and in need of significant renovation. “We did an analysis that told us, if we renovated these properties, it would cost a lot of money. It would be less expensive to build from scratch and sell these properties. That's what led us to the first stage in this project, and defined that we need a new building for artist housing.” That housing will be affordably priced and feature 57 units, split between apartments for artists who permanently reside in Sarasota and apartments for visiting artists.

Richard says this initial need prompted him and the team to consider what other needs a new development could meet for FST. Those other needs included increased theatre space and parking.

“We build organically based on need, step by step. This building, as big as it is, actually follows that and is the final piece of the puzzle to secure FST for the next 50 years,” says Managing Director Rebecca Hopkins. She says that the new space will contribute significantly to the theatre’s mission. “We're based on being affordable and accessible to as many people as possible, and tied into that is really the intimacy of our theaters and the relationship between the actor and the audience. Instead of building bigger theaters, we'll build more in order to continue to grow and serve but also maintain that really close relationship with our audience.”

Richard and FST’s architect, Alan Anderson, have collaborated on the facility’s design every step of the way. “For the last eight years, Richard and Alan have been working on this design together. And I don't mean once a month. I mean, once a week, they have hours-long meetings where they have put these designs together. Richard has been integral to creating the design of this, of all our spaces, but especially this new one,” says Rebecca.

Phase one of the project — which includes the housing and parking — will be completed in two years, while phase two will focus on the theatres and is expected to be finished four years from now. 

Pictured: The new FST facility will feature artist housing, three new theatre spaces and three floors of parking for audience members. Credit: Wendy Kiesewetter

Sarasota Memorial Health Care System marked a century of service with a special reception held Thursday in the courtyard of its flagship Sarasota hospital. With approximately 200 guests that included past and present hospital board members, local and state elected officials, community leaders, physicians and staff, Sarasota Memorial CEO David Verinder reflected on SMH’s historic milestone and recognized its longest-serving physicians, staff and volunteers.  Back in 1925, the new hospital got off the ground thanks to the support of citizens and businesses who helped fund the $40,000 facility. The 32-bed hospital, which opened Nov. 2, 1925, had about a dozen physicians and 10 nurses and staff, serving a population of roughly 12,000. The hospital had the capacity to treat a few hundred patients a year. Today, SMH is the region’s largest employer, with more than 2,500 physicians and advanced practice providers, nearly 11,000 staff and about 2 million patient visits a year. 

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Come from Away tells the inspiring true story of 7,000 airline passengers stranded in the remote town of Gander, Newfoundland in the aftermath of September 11, 2001. With nothing more than their carry-on items and no idea where in the world they were, these accidental refugees were forced to seek shelter from total strangers.  As fear and uncertainty gripped the world, the people of Gander responded with open arms providing food, a roof, clothing, and companionship to all. Beautifully imagined by Asolo Rep Artistic Director Peter Rothstein, this story is timelier than ever for our own community, which was also thrust unexpectedly onto the world stage that fateful day. Through music, humor, and heart this hit Broadway musical celebrates the power of human connection, reminds us that kindness can bring people together in the unlikeliest of times, and affirms that hope can arise in the unlikeliest places. 

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Caldwell Trust Company proudly marked a major milestone with the grand opening of its newest office in Vero Beach, officially expanding its trusted services to Florida’s east coast for the first time. The celebration, held earlier this month, brought together company leadership, community members, and esteemed guests to commemorate the occasion under the campaign theme: Legacy Has a New Address. The Vero Beach office represents a significant expansion for the independently owned trust company, which now manages over $2 billion in assets. The event was a resounding success, featuring remarks from several key leaders, including R.G. “Kelly” Caldwell, Jr., President, CEO, and Chairman of the Board. Caldwell was joined by Vero staff members David L. Osgood, AWMA®, Executive Vice President and Director of Vero Beach, Jamie Bryan, Assistant Vice President and Trust Officer, Rebecca Lachance, Trust Associate, and corporate team members Jan Miller, Senior Executive Vice President and Trust Officer, and Sheryl Vieira, Vice President of Marketing and Communications, all of whom played instrumental roles in bringing the new office to life. 

Florida Sarasota Doctors Hospital has achieved numerous distinctions for exceptional clinical performance from Healthgrades, an organization that rates hospitals based on patient outcomes and data from Medicare claims. Among the recognitions are three America’s Best Specialty Excellence Awards in orthopedic surgery, joint replacement and vascular surgery, which place the hospital among the top performers nationwide. The hospital earned top honors for surgical care as well. 

Sarasota resident Paul Lidskey has been appointed CEO of Diversified, a leading global technology solutions provider. Paul, who has served as chairman of the board since 2023, brings over four decades of leadership across IT solutions and technology services. Before joining Diversified, he held CEO roles at Core BTS, Datalink Corp., and Calabrio, leading enterprise technology firms across cloud, data, and collaboration solutions.In his new role, Lidsky will lead Diversified’s global growth and strengthen service delivery, following a year of strong momentum marked by the company’s new EMEA hub in Germany. 

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After 33 years of tremendous service to WUSF, General Manager JoAnn Urofsky announced that she will soon retire from the public media organization at The University of South Florida, capping a career of 45 years in radio and public media.Over the last three decades at WUSF, Urofsky steered the organization through some of its most consequential technology and public service advancements, including the acquisition and launch of WSMR, the state’s only 24-7 classical music station; digital media platforms including websites, podcasts and newsletters, the expansion of local news teams and the development of the WUSF Advisory Board. During Urofsky’s tenure, WUSF has won countless awards for journalistic excellence, including most recently the prestigious national Edward R. Murrow Award for Overall Excellence in the large market radio division. Urofsky will continue to serve in her current post through early January. USF will identify a transition plan before Urofsky’s final day at USF.  

On November 6 at 6 PM, League of Women Voters of Florida president Jessica Lowe-Minor will present a special program on Florida’s current and past redistricting efforts and explain the League’s position against mid-decade redistricting. Ms. Lowe-Minor will also share actions the League is taking and suggest ways that listeners can voice their concerns. This Zoom presentation, organized by the Sarasota League, is open to the entire community as a public service.  The League of Women Voters is a non-partisan, non-profit political organization with a 105-year history of empowering voters and defending democracy. The League encourages informed and active participation in government through its educational programs and advocacy efforts. Go to lwvsrq.org to register for this program and to learn the full scope of the Sarasota League’s programs and activities.