Leadership Pasco Newsletter - Spring 2021

Newsletter
Spring 2021
Tourism Day
Leadership Pasco's First New Program Day in 15 years

To Our Leadership Pasco Family,
As my Leadership Pasco board presidency nears
the end and I reflect on the past year, I must begin
by acknowledging the remarkable individuals that
comprise our Board of Directors, including ex
officio members, which together make Leadership
Pasco possible. I feel blessed to work with such a
fine group.
While we are grateful to our very competent and
extraordinary Executive Coordinator in Jason
Longo, Class of 2017, it is the working Board that is the muscle behind the many responsibilities
that go into producing a comprehensive and complete leadership program. In addition
to the Board, we are blessed with active alumni, program day leaders, committee members,
vendor partners, and not to be forgotten, our many financial sponsors.
In my last letter I spoke of the unprecedented times and the challenges we faced because of
the pandemic. While times were daunting, and even intimidating, your leadership team rose
to the occasion and forged a path ahead. Specifically, our board:
• Continued to meet monthly via Zoom
• Launched our new Leadership Series, with our first speaker Mike Napier, Class of
2014 and Health Officer, Florida Department of Health-Pasco County
• Developed our first new Program Day in 15 years, Tourism Day
• Conducted a large-scale call for applications for the Leadership Pasco Class of 2022
Soon, we will return to having alumni networking opportunities again, so stay tuned to your
emails, this newsletter, and our social media channels. We also look forward to introducing
the new board of directors and officers as well as announcing the Leadership Pasco Class of
2022.
It has been my honor and privilege to serve alongside our Board, program volunteers,
alumni, partners, and Jason, to face the challenges of a world experiencing a pandemic.
Through collaboration, partnership, and innovation, your Leadership Pasco network met the
challenges head on with results of which we can all be proud.
Thank you to each of you for your extraordinary support, patience, and most importantly,
your active participation in Leadership Pasco.
Don Anderson, Class of 2016
President, Leadership Pasco
CEO, Coalition for the Homeless of Pasco County, Inc.
SPRING 2021 NEWSLETTER
Leadership
Pasco
Newsletter
SINCE 1991, THE MISSION OF LEADERSHIP
PASCO is to identify and recruit current or potential
leaders of Pasco County, facilitate the development
and interaction of those leaders, and to foster
an issues-oriented learning environment for these
leaders and the citizens of Pasco County in order to
encourage an exchange of ideas and generate enthusiasm
for community growth and development.
The Leadership Pasco Newsletter is published quarterly.
Please direct correspondence about this publication
to Leadership Pasco, P.O. Box 695, Elfers, FL,
34680. Readers also may reach staff by sending an
email to administration@leadershippasco.com.
Editorial Staff
Carla Armstrong '14
Editor
Amanda Hart '14
Editor
Jason Longo '17
Design
Photo Credits
Jason Longo '17 (Tourism Day),
J. David Wright '20 (Pages 12-17)
Board Members
Don Anderson '16, President
Manny Long '16, President Elect
Tara O'Connor '16, Secretary
Chuck Anderson '20
Nichole "Nikki" Alvarez-Sowles '13
Carla Armstrong '14
Stefanie Ambrosio Pontlitz '13
Angel Cook '18
Angie Gardner '11
Brendan Gorman '18
Kim Hamm '15, Immediate Past President
Amanda Hart '14
Crystal Lazar '13
James Mallo '12
Tara O'Connor '16
Thomas O'Connor Bruno '20
Leah Peake '19
Joseph Poblick '14
Laura Raposa '19
Kim Rymanowski '19
James Walters '15
John Willis '15
© Leadership Pasco. All rights reserved.

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Features
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6
8
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Alumni Spotlight: Chuck Anderson '20
Alumni Spotlight: Kurt Browning '96
Alumni Spotlight: Tom Ryan '14
Alumni Spotlight: Wendy Longman '15
Tourism Day: Bringing the Sports Coast
to the Leadership Pasco Class Program
Alumni Spotlight: David Wright '20
Sponsors
Bay to Bay Roofing
Bene's Career Academy
Blackjack Media Group
Centennial Bank
Clearwater Gas System
Duke Energy
Greater Dade City Chamber of Commerce
Greater Pasco Chamber of Commerce
Jarrett Ford
Land O' Lakes High School Culinary Arts Program
Laporte, Mulligan & Werner-Watkins, P.A.
Medical Center of Trinity
Micro Solutions
O'Connor Law Group, P.A.
Oliver & Fox PA
Olympus Limo, Inc.
Pasco County Clerk & Comptroller
Pasco Economic Development Council
Pasco Education Foundation
Pasco County Sheriff's Office
Pasco Hernando State College
Pontlitz Asset Advisors
Ralph the Lawyer
Regional Medical Center Bayonet Point
Saint Leo University
Simpson Environmental Services, Inc.
TECO Energy, Inc.
Time Trap Escape Room
United Way of Pasco County
Leadership Pasco
LEADERSHIPPASCO.COM
1

Chuck Anderson '20, President/CEO, United Way
of Pasco County and Leadership Pasco Board
By Laura Raposa ’19
Tell us a little about yourself and your family.
I am a native New Englander, grew up in Connecticut. I
started in Social Work, earned a master’s degree in Social
Work, and happened into a United Way career that has
lasted a long time. Along the way, I got married and had
four wonderful daughters – one in Virginia, two Connecticut,
and one in Washington. I moved to Land O’Lakes in
2019 and love the 20-minute commute (when not working
remotely).
How was 2020 for you, personally and professionally?
Personally, I became a grandfather for the first time in
2020. Because of COVID-19, I had not had a chance to
meet my grandson, Ryan, in person for quite some time.
He is a cute little devil. I met someone special in my life
and it has been great at this stage in my life. Professionally,
2020 was one of the hardest years for me. I find it
harder to be productive while working remotely. It is
especially challenging not connecting with people. I think
we all have adjusted, but it is still taxing in many ways.
How did you spend your time during quarantine/lockdown?
Did you pick up any hobbies or binge anything
noteworthy?
I was able to do lot of walking and exercising. I have
been trying to stay healthy, eat a little healthier and check
in on people. I love mysteries so I read a lot of mysteries.
I read Kristin Hannah’s Nightingale and would highly
recommend it. I did binge watch BOSCH on Amazon
Prime, which is based on a Michael Connelly book
series.
This year marks two years since you have been with
United Way Pasco. What changes have you seen in
Pasco County since you moved here?
Everywhere I look I see more buildings going up and I
have never seen anything like it. It is fun to be in a growing
community. I spent some time in Flint, Michigan
and there were no buildings going up or any growth. At
the same time, the problem with growth is that it puts
stress on things like infrastructure and human services.
2 SPRING 2021 NEWSLETTER

In my career, I have worked in several different cities with
various communities and has been a pleasure to work in a
county like Pasco.
How has COVID-19/the pandemic affected your work
at the United Way?
One of the things I really believe in is the United Way’s
mission to respond to unmet community needs. When we
got into the pandemic, we started looking at what we could
do. Early on, we were able to pull from some of our emergency
reserves to help agencies. Another thing that happened,
is we entered a partnership with the county to start
the “Operation Feed Pasco” program to utilize CARES
funding to distribute meals through restaurants. We were
able to invest in a dozen or so local restaurants to purchase
meals for $9/meal and then those meals were brought to
agencies such as One Community Now and Volunteer Way.
If you tally up all the numbers, it is close to 230,000 meals
that went to people in need. I am particularly proud because
Operation Feed Pasco helped people in need, helped
restaurants, and helped these agencies serve their community.
The United Way of Pasco was able to respond and
help and I am particularly proud of the organization and
our team. It was never what we intended, but it was what
the community needed. My team are the ones who rolled
up their sleeves, got to work, and learned more about running
a restaurant that we ever wanted to know. If we are
not going to respond to unmet needs at a crisis point, then
why are we doing this?
What was your inspiration to continue from the Class
of 2020 to the Leadership Pasco board?
To me, it was a logical continuation. The people in this
organization are some of the community’s best and brightest
individuals and it is great to work with the other board
members. Serving on the board is also an opportunity to
give back to the community. The program gave me so
much and it is great to be able to give back.
Chuck Anderson '20 and his four daughters, pre-pandemic.
What brought you to apply for Leadership Pasco?
When I came to work at United Way Pasco, there were two
to three organizations everyone said I needed to apply for.
Leadership Pasco was at the top of the list. If you want to
learn quickly about a community, which is what I needed
to know about for this position, you need to know what is
happening behind the scenes. I have done other leadership
programs, but Leadership Pasco is so uniquely Pasco being
that Pasco is more self-contained and Leadership Pasco
adds a great flavor.
What stood out for you in your experience as a Leadership
Pasco experience when you were a class member?
I met some fantastic people. SIMSOC was a great experience,
but I quickly learned that I was going to be greatly
challenged as a member of my team. I think the simulation
of society was eye-opening. Going through the SIMSOC
experience, I learned that I need to look at things through a
different lens. I am also very proud that our class was still
able to raise just under $20k for Suncoast Voices for Children
even without having the Taste of Pasco event. Our
class never stopped working to meet that goal and Thomas
and Kera were great leaders.
Chuck Anderson '20 loads meals as a part of the "Operation Feed
Pasco" initiative.
Leadership Pasco
LEADERSHIPPASCO.COM
3

Kurt Browning '96, Pasco County Superintendent
of Schools
By Jason Longo ’17
that I saw what was on the other side of the tracks and it
opened my eyes. When I applied for the program, we had
a great class. It was fun because you engaged with people
that you normally don’t come into contact with and made
new friendships.
Do you remember having a favorite class day or
Leadership Pasco experience?
There are two experiences really. The ride along was like
the TV show Cops. I was with the Sheriff's Office and we
drove in some neighborhoods in areas where you would
see folks dealing drugs in the headlights of the patrol car
we were in. I could see the problem first-hand in combatting
this because you can arrest them, but they are going
to be back out doing the same thing. Then we went to a
domestic call. The deputy I rode along with, Roger Mills,
said as we approached this house, to stay in the car. I
said, "Don't worry, I'm not moving." It was a very eyeopening
to see what our deputies go through every day,
all hours of the night.
Meeting was conducted in February 2021 on Zoom.
When you were the Pasco County Supervisor of Elections
and you went through the program, why did you
apply, and what surprised you about it?
At that point, the program was five years old and a lot of
my friends and colleagues had gone through the program.
The surprising thing was that being raised here, growing
up here and going to school and working here, I really
thought I knew everything there was to know about Pasco
County. Where my office was in Dade City, I could look
out the window and there was a railroad line that went
north and south, and I never knew what was on the other
side of the rail- road tracks. I tell that story because it
wasn't until we took the bus tour, and then later when I
did my ride along with Pasco County Sheriff's Office,
The second experience had a lot to do with that too. It
was on law enforcement day when we went to the correctional
facility in Land O' Lakes. To know that you
were inside that facility and in the general population … I
don't know if they still do that today, but I just wish more
people could do it to really get a better sense of what
these law enforcement folks and corrections officers deal
with every day.
I don't think we will be having a Youth Leadership
Pasco class this year, but can you talk about the
significance of that program?
I love that program. Rob Aguis, Director for the Fred K.
Marchman Technical College, has invited me for many
years to speak to the students. I always enjoy speaking
to those students- They’re smart and they're engaging. I
give them an overview of who I am and my role in the
School District, but then I stop. I really want to hear back
from students and it's interesting to hear the things that
they tell you that are going on in some of our classrooms,
both good and not so good. We take copious notes, and I
address those issues that had been brought to my attention.
If our students, who are our customers, don't feel
like they're getting what they believe they ought to be
4 SPRING 2021 NEWSLETTER

getting, then something’s not right. It's just like a business,
if you go into a store and you can't find what you want or
you get a poor quality product, you're going to go someplace
else. It's the same thing with education, as much as
people say education is not a business, it is a business in
many regards. It's a $1.5 billion business in Pasco. So I use
that opportunity when I talk to students to find out how
they like the product we're producing. I always appreciate
their experience and honesty.
What you have been working on while social
distancing. Do you have any hobbies?
During COVID, when we were really relegated to being
home after work, I had to have something to do. So, I
picked my beekeeping back up. When I was a kid, I kept
bees, so I'm a beekeeper. I have two hives at home and
they're fascinating creatures. It's very cathartic when you
can open a hive to see all of the bees busy doing what they
do and how they do it with such precision. I've also been
able to do a little more gardening. I love being outside,
I love getting my hands dirty and I love seeing things
grow. My wife gets on to me all the time about "If you dig
something else up just to plant something else ... you know
you've got to quit this." I keep finding projects to do, but I
love it.
Have you harvested any honey?
Well, I haven't yet, but they're almost there at a year old.
I have a peach orchard with about 1,500 peach trees and I
don't need bees to pollinate them because they are self-pollinating.
But when I walk through the peaches, which are
blooming now, the bees are tearing them up. It's my hope
that by summer, I will be able to get a little bit of honey
out of those hives.
Are you in the peach business?
A friend of mine and I do the “you pick peaches” for three
or four weeks late March through early April. It's just a
hobby to have something on the piece of property that we
own. We certainly don't make a living at it.
Peaches aren't a typical Florida crop right?
That's right. The peaches we have were developed by the
University of Florida. Peaches need chill hours between 45
and 33 degrees, and not between 46 and 32 degrees. That's
what throws blooms out on trees and then the blooms are
what throws fruit out, so it's a big experiment. But hey,
what else should I do on my weekends, you know? I play
around and love the outdoors. If I had it to do it over again,
I’d probably be a teacher and a farmer.
Leadership Pasco
LEADERSHIPPASCO.COM
5

Tom Ryan '14, Director of Business Development,
Pasco Economic Development Council
By Carla Armstrong ’14
Tell us about your experience with the class project
and the community service.
The class project was Taste of Pasco before it became
the official Leadership Pasco project and I admit it was
challenging. I'm in business development and have been
in sales in one form or another my whole career and I had
to go door knocking for sponsors. I had to get over that
dread of being told “NO” directly to my face. I enjoyed
the challenge because it forced me to go back to an “old
school” way of selling and it was for a great cause, so
never be afraid to ask for help for a worthwhile cause.
What stood out for you and your leadership experience
when you were a class member?
I thoroughly enjoyed it. I tell people all the time - it was
the most enjoyable year that I did not expect and one of
the best experiences I’ve had personally in Pasco.
Everybody was so professional, and I was really impressed
with what they brought to the class. I learned
about how the county operates and still share stories that
Harold Sample told on the bus tour. I often use what I
learned in Leadership Pasco in my presentations and tours
to businesses that visit Pasco. I highly recommend it to
anybody that asks and tell people it is well worth the time.
What was your favorite part about Leadership Pasco?
There really wasn't one part that I can say that I would
put above the rest, but I do have to say the bus tour is the
most memorable. I didn't know 90% of what I learned on
that bus tour. I'm from Ohio and moved here in 2006 and
was in the LP class of 2014, so within that seven years I
really hadn’t learned the history of Pasco. After the bus
tour, Pasco’s landscape and growing communities just
made sense to me. The fact that I got to sit with all of my
classmates was very enjoyable and I thought it was great.
The event was a HUGE success! I was scheduled during
the second half during the live band and what was amazing
was that my boss at the time, John Hagen, played
bass guitar; he was rockin'. I had a blast and it’s always
fun raising a lot of money for a very good cause. Then,
out of nowhere, our classmate Karen Alexander Petrie
was able to get a matching gift from her employer Florida
Hospital (now AdventHealth) and I thought it was like icing
on the cake! We bought an ultrasound for a pregnancy
center which was very much needed and appreciated.
That’s a great example of a classmate leveraging their
business connections to help the community. Can you
share how the Leadership Pasco program helps its
members leverage business connections?
Well, it definitely allows for an easy phone call or an
email because you already know these friends and colleagues
and I've never felt that it's ever been abused. It's
more about collaboration and there's always something
to talk about and the door is always open. The key is
making the effort to get together. That's the hard part after
you graduate is you know everybody so well and then
there's a period afterwards that you stay with it. But then
you drift apart, and so the real challenge is to come back
together to get updates on everybody's life, their families
and their career.
What is your role in business?
My official title is Director of Business Development
at the Pasco Economic Development Council (Pasco
EDC). My job is to be out of the county visiting target
industries, and showing them the business opportunities
and advantages of locating and expanding in Pasco. I’m
6 SPRING 2021 NEWSLETTER

also in charge of the Pasco Ready Science Program – a
program funded through the Penny for Pasco. I recruit
property owners to submit their site into the program to be
evaluated as to its “readiness” for light industrial development.
We use these sites to assist us in recruiting major job
producing projects to Pasco. We currently have seven sites
totaling 2,183 acres with videos and interactive maps on
www.PascoEDC.com.
How has COVID-19 impacted your area and your
profession?
When COVID-19 forced a shut down in March, it was a
shell shock. We asked what can we do as an organization.
Our President/CEO, Bill Cronin, decided that we should
immediately get money out on the street through a small
business grant. The Paycheck Protection Program was already
in play but we found small businesses needed money
fast to pay business expenses such as rent and utilities. The
Pasco Emergency Business Grant was funded by Pasco
County and administered by the Pasco EDC. $5,000 grants
were given to Pasco based small businesses with 25 or
fewer employees and we found that there was tremendous
demand. In fact, the county stepped up and funded it twice.
Many businesses told us they were able to use the money
to stay afloat and it was meant for that reason, especially
when everything looked like it was sinking.
What was happening in my area of the responsibilities was
that inquiries started coming in from businesses wanting
to move here. They were getting positioned to try to take
advantage of the fact that, regardless of COVID, they still
had capital to invest in their businesses, and surprisingly,
found the business environment was very healthy in Pasco
and throughout Florida. The time was right to make long
term investments and for some odd reason, COVID-19
motivated people to make phone calls.
The phones never stopped ringing and it was “Where in
Pasco should I locate? Where are vacant buildings? What
kind of services are available for my business?” Inquiries
were coming from all over the country and we're still getting
those phone calls. I think it has a lot to do with Tampa
Bay's growth and reputation for being a friendly place to
live, a great place to raise a family, and very receptive to
business. People hear that and if they hear it enough, they
want to learn more about it. We are very blessed to be busy.
Would you like to share anything about your family?
My wife Caitlin and I had our 25th wedding anniversary
last May. We have lived in Wesley Chapel since we moved
here 15 years ago. We have twin boys who are 21; one is at
USF and the other finished at Pasco Hernando State College
and is taking a break before going to USF.
Leadership Pasco
LEADERSHIPPASCO.COM
7

Captain Wendy Longman '15, Windsong Charters
By Angel Cook ’18
You were in the Class of 2015, what made you want to
be a part of Leadership Pasco? And what is the biggest
impact for your business from Leadership Pasco?
“Class of 2-0-1-5 Glad I made it out alive!” I’m joking!
I always wanted to participate in the program for years.
Every year since 2009, Bob Memoli asked if I had applied
yet. Finally, in 2015, I made some changes to the business
that allowed me the time, discussed it with my hubby and
asked for his support. He said “Ok Darling, whatever you
like,” in that adorable accent of his.
The biggest impact to the business was a hurricane shortly
after graduating Leadership Pasco. The county came to
me for canoes and kayaks to help with rescue efforts. They
would not have even known about me or Windsong had it
not been for the contacts made through Leadership Pasco.
I really don’t look at it as what Leadership Pasco has done
for me -- it’s what can I do for my Community. Leadership
Pasco fostered how to be a better community leader.
What were you and your husband both doing prior to
Windsong and where did the idea come from?
Windsong Charters is actually my company. My husband,
Bruce, owns a web design company. We actually work for
each other. I pay him but he doesn’t pay me! (Insert aghast
sound here LOL!) Bruce worked for a car rental company
as VP of Sales & Marketing. I had a private practice
in Maine as a therapist specializing in children with
autism and other severely “differently abled” children.
I was considered the therapist of last resort for children
that couldn’t get help elsewhere or other therapists just
couldn’t “reach”. I consulted with 17 school districts
and two military bases. Due to extensive relocation and
traveling Bruce’s job required, I couldn’t open my own
practice when we left Maine as we weren’t in one area
long enough. So, Bruce went to his company and told
them, you have to give my wife a job -- any job -- driving
a shuttle bus, sales, anything, just give her a job. They
said ok, but I stipulated I will only office from home. They
8 SPRING 2021 NEWSLETTER

were less than impressed to say the least however, in 3
months I brought the area from a negative 40 percent down
in sales to a positive 30 percent growth. We were living
in Dallas at the time and every weekend we were flying
to Tampa to look at homes. We both had then developed
the eCommerce department and our plan was to move to
Tampa and work from home. It worked.
After moving to Port Richey in 2000, I wanted to open
my own practice again. Unfortunately, after researching
the regulations and licensing requirements of Florida, I
decided it was not a fiscally viable option. Until I figured
out what I wanted to do when I grew up, I worked as a
substitute teacher for special needs classes in the Pasco
County School District as well as consulted to the eCommerce
department for the car rental company.
When we first moved to Pasco, everyone on our canal had
a boat – except us! (Insert sad sound here! LOL) So, we
used our mortgage payment to buy an old boat we found
on the side of US 19, put our mortgage payment on a credit
card and ate peanut butter sandwiches for months. We
loved our boat and went to the island every weekend! We
met a retired aerospace engineer who wanted to start a
sailing business. We agreed that we would help him with
marketing and he would teach us how to sail. VOILA!
Windsong Sailing Charters was born over cheap beer and
cigars on Anclote Key in 2002. After a horrendous year
of non-stop hurricanes in 2004 our friend’s boat sustained
some damage. He was done with Florida and moved
back to San Diego. Before he left, I had him sign over the
county and state business paperwork to me. I worked too
hard on his business just to see it sink! We got our personal
sailboat legally documented as a commercial charter vessel
by the United States Coast Guard, I went to Captain’s
School and Windsong operated with little interruption. In
2005, I bought another sailboat, and every year after that.
Now, in 2021, I have 53 rentable assets ranging from pontoon
boats, to paddle craft to boat trailers.
Where do you see the most struggle for your business
and what makes Windsong successful?
Every day is a struggle, and you learn through it. Last
year, hiring employees was a big issue. The pandemic
made it really hard to find people that wanted to work. No
one had been through something like this and the rules
changed every day. The best thing COVID has taught me
is that you just can’t sweat the small stuff. When someone
tells me they are having a bad day, I ask, “Did a boat sink,
did anyone die? No? Then it’s the best day ever!” Everything
else can be fixed. What makes Windsong Charters
successful? Hard work and teamwork! We’re a family at
Windsong. We spend our holidays and time off together. I
would not have a successful company without my crew.
You and your husband travel a lot, tell us how many
countries have you been to? Which trip was your
favorite and why?
We’re travel junkies. Some people collect chachkas, we
collect pins in a map. We have traveled and/or lived in 47
US States. We’ve extensively explored 68 countries and
all 7 continents. My favorite trip was taking my Mom to
South Africa to meet Bruce’s family. She had done some
1 and 2 week vacations to Europe and the Caribbean, but
With COVID taking over 2020, can you tell us how it
has affected Windsong Charters and what you did to
adapt?
2020 was an amazing and challenging year for Windsong.
It forced us to focus on being more efficient with less
employees. We went completely paperless and purchased
a real-time online reservation system (Just like Expedia!
We’re in the big leagues now! LOL). 2020 was also one of
our most successful years. We expanded the business with
purchasing more new boats and also purchased land for a
Workshop as well as starting a new public boat and trailer
storage yard just minutes from the marina.
Leadership Pasco
LEADERSHIPPASCO.COM
9

this trip was different. This was a 19-hour direct flight for
6 weeks with only carry-on luggage visiting South Africa,
Zimbabwe, Namibia and Botswana with a 70-year-old
three-time cancer survivor. My mom is a total Badass –
and my greatest inspiration!
What is your balance with work, volunteer, personal life?
No balance at all! I totally WING it! Bruce and I have
been married for 23 years and we don’t have young
children. I really don’t know how I balance my life. I just
know that when I’m passionate about something, I go for it.
What advice would you give someone thinking about
signing up for Leadership Pasco?
“Don’t get stuck in the Red Room!” Seriously,
though, have an open mind. Look at the full experience
and the lessons learned. It’s about working together as
a team and being an integral part of your community. I
promise it will be an extremely rewarding experience and
you will form friendships that will last a lifetime.
PS – Really, The Red Room is fun!
You are the Vice-Chair for the Pasco County Tourism
Development Council. Tell us about this Council and
how you got involved with it?
The Tourism Development Council (TDC) is comprised
of 1 County Commissioner, 2 elected city officials, 3 hoteliers,
1 representative from Pasco Economic Development
Council and 2 tourism industry leaders. We administer
the funds collected from the 4% tourist development tax
on transient lodging such as hotels, motels, and campgrounds,
along with condo and home rentals of six months
or less. The funds are designated to promote Pasco County
as a tourist destination. For years I wanted to be a part of
the TDC and was thrilled when I received an invitation
in 2018. Appointments are four years and it is my hope
I will be re-appointed as it truly is an honor to serve. It’s
amazing and humbling to have and be a voice growing
tourism in our beautiful county.
Captain Wendy Longman '15, Bob Memoli '05, and Kim Ham '15 share a smile at a past event.
10 SPRING 2021 NEWSLETTER

Tourism Day: Bringing the Sports Coast to the
Leadership Pasco Program
By Jason Longo ’17
This was also my first trip to AdventHealth Center Ice, in
Wesley Chapel and it was tremendously impressive. They
have an Olympic rink, which was being used by skaters
training for national and international competitions, as we
watched. Other rinks, hosted hockey, curling, and public
skating. The facility can be rented for teams, parties, corporate
events, and even dry-floor events. It is also a destination
for sports performance and recovery, and participants
can see why.
The Leadership Pasco Board of Directors is thrilled to be
bringing Tourism Day, the first new program day in fifteen
years, to the class of 2022. In 2019, Pasco County was rebranded
as Florida's Sports Coast, and participants of this
day will learn how this is funded, to what extent, and how
it leads to tourism and growth.
Captain Wendy Longman ‘15, CEO, Windsong Charters
and Boat Rentals and Adam Thomas, Tourism Director
are the hard-working and creative team that put this day
together with board support.
Our day ended with a Gulf boat trip from Island Paradise
Charters. We cruised out to our famous and historic stilt
houses, and had views of Anclote Key, and the sandbar.
Class of 2022 will learn why so much of West Pasco’s tourism
involves boating, fishing, and our beautiful Gulf. Great
way to end the day.
We all learned so much about the county, the tourist 'bed
tax', and how much impact these facilities and their significant
events bring sport tourism to our County. These guests
also shop, lodge, dine, and contribute to the local economy
in many ways.
On March 22, 2021 a handful of alumni Board Members
and I met up at our first stop on a trial run of this program
day, the Sarah Vande Berg Tennis and Wellness Center in
Zephyrhills, established in November 2020. This amazing
facility has memberships and offerings for those interested
in tennis, pickelball, fitness, and a sport growing in interest,
padel. They are also a wellness destination with stateof-the-art
services in cryotherapy, salt therapy, massage,
and sports counseling. The restaurant is open to the public.
The second stop was the Wiregrass Ranch Sports Campus
of Pasco County / AdventHealth Sports Arena in Wesley
Chapel, which opened in August 2020. This facility is
98,000 total square feet with 8 basketball courts convertible
to 16 volleyball courts. There is a dedicated cheer
area with spring floor and tumble run, athletic training and
conditioning space, a VIP sky deck viewing area and some
great concession spaces.
Leadership Pasco
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David Wright '20, Primerica Vice President and
Photographer
By Jason Longo ’17
liked to do it. When digital first came out, our friend had
a digital camera and he didn't use that much so I would
borrow it from him. It was one third of a million pixel
camera. If you took a picture it would go to a floppy
disk. It would take two or three seconds to record these,
but I would analyze what I was doing and that helped
me to get a lot better.
Once I got a better camera, I would go to church and
take it there. The Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art had
just opened and I knew Allen Leepa. When they did
the dedication, I went to take pictures of him and then
became very closely linked to the museum so started
doing more photos there. This, this is my learning curve
doing that kind of stuff.
I've seen your wildlife photography on Facebook.
How do you get those shots at the right place and
time?
I had an older dog, and when I first got the better
cameras, I would take it on our walks. The main thing
about having photography is, if you want to capture the
adventure you have got to bring the camera.
Meeting was conducted in January 2021 on Zoom.
Do you remember how you heard about Leadership
Pasco before you signed up?
I had heard about it for probably, seven, eight years
because I know a lot of the alumni. It was time for me to
do finally do it and I got a scholarship too. I had been to
several Leadership Pasco events and taken photos.
Do you have a photography business? How did you get
into photography?
It’s not really a business. I do family portraits and small
weddings, but most of my income comes from Primerica
Financial Services.
I had a film camera, took pictures, and enjoyed it. Looking
back on it now, they were pretty crappy pictures, but I
Of course, you meet people when you walk the dog, as
they always want to talk to your dog. On one walk this
guy came running out of his house saying you’ve got to
see these baby owls. So, I ran over there, took a picture
of these three baby owls sitting on a branch, very close
and that was one of the things that really, really hit me
that that I really enjoyed doing that. I captured something
special.
In life, like in financial services, you can sit down and
work with a family, they can do the investments do the
life insurance, but it is going to take 20 or 30 years to
build up an account really where they become financially
stable. I mean you know what you are doing you
know you're doing good for the family, but when you
take that picture boom it's right there. It’s that self that
that satisfaction of you captured something very quickly,
I think that was one of the big things for me. Then I
started taking more pictures and got better cameras over
time.
I got a photo of a dolphin mother and a baby jumping in
the waves, and that was exciting, for me, having taken
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a picture as good as that. But then just I started shooting
all the time, my camera stays with me. My wife gets mad
with me because I take it in the car every in the summertime.
I know you are a part of many organizations and
fundraising events. How has that been going during
COVID?
Well Wheelchairs 4 Kids is my charity of choice. That’s
the one where I do most of most of work with and the
director was able to do some really great things. We
had Bail and Jail, which is that one raises about sixty to
eighty thousand a year.
And we had to cancel it first of the year, as we didn’t
know what was going on, but we were able to do it in
August. The ones who came really did a great job.
We had our annual fundraiser which is always in November
and we were able to go from Ruth Eckert Hall to
Innisbrook which is a much bigger facility and we raised
a little bit less money than normal; but still it was it was
it was well over a year ninety thousand for that event.
Do you want to share how you got an interest in that
charity?
I joined the Tarpon Chamber was looking to do more
in life. I met the director and she had just begun her
organization and she said, “We're going to be doing a
chair lift presentation, do you want to come down to take
some pictures?” So I did and I saw the impact it made
on the on the family, just a little chair lift on the back
where they can put the wheelchair. Then I went to her
first fundraiser and we had like twenty or thirty people
there and did a couple more. We did one presentation of
a chair for a girl who was thirteen or fourteen years old,
and it was a very expensive forty-thousand-dollar chair.
That was just powerful to watch this girl go from a really
bad regular wheelchair to this wheelchair that she could
actually stand up in. Instead of looking up at people or
people looking down on her all the time she can shift to
where she was face to face with people. And the family
was very excited about getting it, and of course she was
she was very excited.
I found that the director Madeline Robinson was in it one
hundred percent. She used her own money to start the
start group. I saw how she raised money, how she put her
total effort into it. It is her life and I saw the impact that it
had on the kids.
The diversity of what we did for the kids was amazing.
I mean it wasn't just wheelchairs. One of my first ones I
took pictures of was in new port Richey where a grandmother
had been raising her grandson because her daughter
was in jail. They lived in this this this trailer which was
up a couple of blocks. When he was a baby she was able
to carry him up and down the stairs but he now he was
seven or eight and going to school, so every day she had
to drag that wheelchair up and down the steps twice a day.
This is what really impressed me with the director. She
got an architect to help with the permits and the design,
she got I think Lowes to donate the lumber, and she got
a group of kids from University of South Florida, one of
the fraternities to come out and do the labor. It didn't cost
her anything but a lot of time and a lot of effort. But now
for this grandmother to be able to take his wheelchair up
the ramp and go in the house was a life changing thing. At
that point in time, it really locked me into Wheelchairs 4
Kids. I take photos at all the events and I beg people for
money.
When you went through the Leadership Pasco program,
what class spoke to you, or what surprised you
about Pasco County?
I really had not that much time in East Pasco so that was
kind of neat. Infrastructure day was good. You never think
about sewage plants and roads. Law enforcement day
was really, really, nice. Meeting new people, and these
figureheads become real people, and you get to know that
they're in it for the community.
David's photos have been a great contribution to this
newsletter since his time in Class of 2020. See pages 14-
17 for a gallery of David Wright's beautiful photography.
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Photos by J David
Photos by J David

Leadership Pasco
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Leadership Pasco
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Photos by J David

Leadership Pasco's
Leadership Series
In March, we launched our Leadership Pasco Leadership Series to provide online, engaging
and informative programs for local leaders. Look for details on two more events this year.
Leading through a Crisis
Presented by Mike Napier, Health Officer, Florida Department of Health-Pasco County.
The COVID-19 pandemic tested public health leaders and Napier took center stage,
leading Pasco County’s efforts. His presentation examines various aspects of the
pandemic response from getting the first positive case to organizing mass vaccination
clinics in the County. Napier also highlighted how communication and local
relationships play a key role in managing the fears and expectations of the public.
March 9, 2021 – On Demand Recording Available
Sponsored by United Way of Pasco
Leadership Series - Upcoming Event
The next online program will feature Dan Biles, Pasco County Administrator, as a
speaker. The topic will be announced this summer.
September 21, 2021 – 8-9 a.m.
Sponsorship Opportunities Available
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www.LeadershipPasco.com/Leadership-Series