you’re news Accolades ■ Manatee County Neighborhood Connections Division Manager Debbie DeLeon has been selected to receive this year’s President's Award from the Manasota Black Chamber of Commerce (MBCC) for her service and commitment to our community. The award highlights Debbie’s tireless efforts to help in the Rubonia Community following the flooding impacts of Hurricane Idalia—and more recently—a “noname” storm which threatened the low-lying neighborhood in December 2023. DeLeon, who has worked with Manatee County for more than three decades, was quick to point out that her work, which included going door-to-door to assess individual neighbor’s needs, is just a part of a group effort. A past Employee of the Month for August 2019 and ACE Award winner, Debbie has been recognized before for her commitment to the community. Last fall, Bay News Nine highlighted Debbie and her work during Hispanic Heritage Month. She is a member of the Community and Veterans Services team that has been instrumental in providing support that fills gaps in Manatee residents’ lives to help them remain employed or become reemployed, stay in school, rehabilitate, gain new skills or simply make ends meet. The MBCC Gala will be held at 6:30 p.m. on March 22, at the Lakewood Ranch Golf & Country Club, 7650 Legacy Blvd., Lakewood Ranch. For up-to-date information about Manatee County Government, visit mymanatee.org or call (941) 748-4501. Appointments ■ Northern Trust Wealth Management has announced that Kirstin Fulkerson has joined the Sarasota team as a Wealth Strategist in the Sarasota- Charlotte market. Fulkerson is a wellknown through Kirstin Fulkerson her career at Gulf Coast Community Foundation for over 20 years. Most recently, she served as Senior Vice President for Philanthropy, working closely with donors to structure and execute complex financial plans that incorporate estate, tax, wealth and philanthropic goals. ■ Child welfare organization Safe Children Coalition (SCC) has hired Sarah Hawk, Esq. as its new vice president of programs. In this role, Hawk will be responsible for providing leadership, supervision and management of the community-based care foster care programs in Florida’s Circuit 12 (Sarasota, Manatee and DeSoto counties) and oversight of all contracted entities. She will also be responsible for ensuring programs achieve established outcomes, comply with related federal, state and Sarah Hawk local laws and rules, and meet all contractual requirements. Hawk has spent her entire career as an attorney in the child welfare realm: she comes to Safe Children Coalition after a decade with Children’s Legal Services, Department of Children & Families, where the bulk of her work was within Circuit 12 but her final role was serving as managing attorney for one of the largest Children’s Legal Services offices for the state: Florida’s Circuit 13 (Hillsborough County). Prior to that, she was an attorney with the Guardian ad Litem Program for Circuit 12. For more information, visit sccfl.org. ■ Halfacre Construction Company, a Lakewood Ranch-based commercial construction company, added four new hires to its team: Chris Moorefield, Rachel Preston, Tammy Fero and Joe Dutton. Moorefield joins the commercial construction company with over 25 years of industry experience. In his new role as superintendent, Moorefield is tasked with scheduling, jobsite documentation, compliance and safety standards, and quality control and assurance, among other duties. Most recently, Moorefield served as a project superintendent for Marand Builders in Tampa. Fero and Preston join Halfacre Construction as project administrators tasked with providing administrative Rachel Preston Tammy Fero assistance to the superintendents, project managers and assistant project managers, scheduling conferences and meetings, utilizing Procore, and working with vendors and subcontractors, among other responsibilities. Fero has more than 25 years of construction industry experience. Most recently, she was the warranty coordinator for Neal Communities in Sarasota and prior to that, she was a project coordinator and expeditor for Westra Construction Corporation in Palmetto. Preston has a background as an executive assistant. Prior to Halfacre, she was a corporate administrator for Divergent Dental Group in Tampa. Dutton joins the commercial construction company at its Punta Gorda office. As project manager, his day-to-day responsibilities include scheduling, budgeting, cost estimating and value engineering services throughout the projects. He has over 25 years of experience within the civil construction and engineering industry. ■ Camille Cline has been named the Director of Advancement for Venice Theatre. She previously led the theatre's capital campaign before Hurricane Ian severely damaged the Jervey Theatre. Cline will now concentrate on raising funds to Camille Cline renovate the three-building campus of Venice Theatre and raising awareness for the second-largest community theatre in the nation. Cline succeeds Eric Watters, who served as the Director of Development since 2015. Cline is eager to continue the work started by Watters and others who have raised funds for the theatre since its inception in 1950. Cline succeeds Eric Watters, who served as the Director of Development since 2015. Cline is eager to continue the work started by Watters and others who have raised funds for the theatre since its inception in 1950. Cline’s development and engagement experience includes leadership roles at the University of Virginia, Education Foundation of Sarasota County, the Friends of the Venice Public Library, and The Loveland Center. She served as President of the Pine View Association, chairs the Authors Committee for the Venice Book Fair and Writers Festival, and is a member of the Finance Committee of Grace United Methodist Church. Venice Theatre’s Executive Director, Kristofer Geddie, says the decision to recruit Cline was crucial to maintaining continuity with supporters. “Camille did tremendous work for us in the past, securing gifts from individuals, families, corporations, and foundations to purchase the Carole Freeland Raymond Center. She also raised funds to renovate the Technical Arts Center and rejuvenate the main lobby and its adjacent spaces. As we rebuild and enhance our 432- seat Jervey Theatre and begin to renovate the Raymond Center into a state-of-the art Theatre Education facility, Camille is without a doubt the person to lead the effort.” Community members interested in contributing to the theatre’s rebuilding campaign or learning more about supporting the theatre can visit venicetheatre.org or contact Camille Cline at camille@ venice theatre.net. ■ Sarasota County Utilities has appointed Brooke Bailey as Director of Public Utilities. Brooke has served as their interim director since November 2023 and was formerly Water Division Manager. Public Utilities provides drinking water to over 128,000 Sarasota County customers. Running for Office ■ Alexandra Coe, who served two terms on the Sarasota County Charter Review Board, has announced her candidacy for Sarasota County Commission, District 1. Coe has been a resident for three decades in Alexandra Coe Sarasota and over 40 years in Florida. Coe is an applied anthropology researcher with a focus on critical areas such as food systems, agriculture, liberty, and environmental stewardship. Her background includes managing a family coop farm and a rooster rescue operation. Coe’s campaign will center on the principle of “good common-sense governance,” with a focus on crafting growth plans that prioritize the needs of current residents, especially seniors. “Sarasota County is home to some of the nation’s oldest populations. Our current development trajectory does not serve our seniors well,” Coe stated, emphasizing the need for a shift away from developer-driven agendas towards a more community-centric approach. “We cannot afford more of the same. It’s time for governance that values people over tax base expansion.” Coe believes in the interdependence of Sarasota County’s ecology and economy. She argues for a balanced approach to growth that safeguards essential habitats, such as wetlands and uplands, to maintain the county’s ecological integrity. For more information on Alexandra Coe’s campaign for Sarasota County Commission, District 1, visit www. LetsgowithCoe.com. Chair Emeritus Brock Leach, Vice President of Programs Kathleen Sullivan, Board Chair Keith Johnson, and Vice President of Philanthropy Jessica Rogers Board News ■ Children First, Inc., the exclusive provider of Head Start and Early Head Start services for Sarasota County, has announced its slate of board leadership for 20<strong>24</strong>, and the addition of two new directors. At the agency’s annual board reception, Keith G. Johnson, Managing Director & Senior Wealth Advisor with Truist, was formally welcomed as Board Chair. Michael K. Suarez, former Executive Director of Sarasota County Emergency Services, was welcomed as Vice Chair. Elizabeth Stamoulis, Esq., Partner at Williams Parker Attorneys at Law and Lisa Giglio, former Director of Education at Sylvan Learning Center, maintained their executive positions as Treasurer and Secretary respectively. Reverend Brock H. Leach, former executive for PepsiCo, was thanked for his service throughout 2023 as he steps into his role as Chair Emeritus. New directors joining the board for a three-year term are Thomas L. Cunningham, Director of Remarketing Strategies for Ford Motor Company, and Carol L. Kalikow, former Vice President of Oscar de la Renta Studio. The agency also welcomed Ella C. and Roland B. to the Board of Directors through the Boys & Girls Club’s STAR (Students Take Active Roles) Leadership Training program. Other directors on the board include Howard Berman, Kenneth Hughes, Rebecca M. Lieberher, Elenor Maxheim, Linda L. Monda, Robert L. Moulds, and Joe Stephan. The Children First Board of Directors is comprised of community members and leaders from the human services, corporate, investment, and philanthropic sectors of our region. To learn more, visit childrenfirst.net. For information on CPC, visit www.cpcsarasota.org. SEND US YOUR NEWS! 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