CEO of Manatee Community Foundation is leaving for a new role in the Sarasota area
Susie Bowie, executive director of the Manatee Community Foundation, has been selected as the new CEO of the William G. and Marie Selby Foundation’s Board of Directors, starting March 1, 2023.
Current Selby CEO Carol Butera will retire in April 2023, as previously announced.
“Susie’s demonstrated leadership in the local foundation arena compliments the values of our founders, Bill and Marie Selby. The attributes of humility, collaboration, stewardship, innovation and social responsibility match well with her style and accomplishments,” Barbara Zdravecky, Selby board chair and lead in the search effort, said in a press release.
“Bowie’s deep experience in working with our region’s nonprofits and developing grants and scholarship programs will be a huge asset for our Foundation,” Butera said.
Bowie said she looks forward to this new challenge.
“I have been privileged to spend the past 17 years in philanthropy at community foundations, immersed in the work of supporting donor aspirations, building strong nonprofits, and bringing people together to contribute their lived experiences to address the challenges of our time,” Bowie said in the press release.
“For me, leading this work has been a function of recognizing the strength and leadership of others, understanding the gifts every community member brings to their rightful seat at the table. It will be a true honor to continue this work in service of the legacy of two extraordinary philanthropists — Bill and Marie Selby — focusing on students as the promise of our future and on the vitality of the charitable organizations in our four-county area,” Bowie said.
Bowie has served as executive director of the Manatee Community Foundation (MCF) since April 2016. Prior to that, she was vice president of philanthropic education and marketing for the Community Foundation of Sarasota County, where she designed and led the first Giving Challenge events in this region.
“I feel grateful to have had the opportunity to work with so many people who truly care about Manatee County. The pride and sense of place residents have in this community are demonstrated by their giving, their involvement and their willingness to step up to challenges. Manatee Community Foundation will remain an important organization to me personally, as I have a donor advised fund here and am a legacy member. The organization’s staff is the very best. Manatee County will continue to be my place of residence,” Bowie said in an email to the Bradenton Herald.
There will be a search to find a successor for Bowie at MCF, Jeanie Kirkpatrick, board chair, said in an email.
”Manatee Community Foundation will take its time with a deliberate and focused search for our next leader. Meanwhile we have an exceptional staff team and a board that is committed to our important role in the community,” Kirkpatrick said.
“The search process to find MCF’s next leader will incorporate our exciting strategic plan that takes donors, the community and our impact into account. We will continue to grow and support positive works throughout the transition and then with our next executive director,” Kirkpatrick said.
At Manatee Community Foundation, Bowie is credited with:
▪ “Growing MCF assets and philanthropic funds to award increased grants and scholarships each year.
▪ “Transforming the organizational culture to better serve the community through an intentional focus on access and inclusion
▪ “Increasing community leadership through regular nonprofit trainings, community education events, collaborations and initiatives
▪ Developing essential partnerships with local community foundations and private foundations to leverage resources, knowledge and support for nonprofits
▪ “Collaborating with local partners to start a new Local College Access Network for Manatee County with the goal of 60% of adults achieving post-secondary attainment by 2030,” the release said.
Bowie is a 1998 graduate of the University of Florida and holds certificates in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in the Workplace and Nonprofit Management from the University of South Florida.
In 2021, Bowie was recognized by the Multicultural Health Institute with their MHI Philanthropic Champion Award. She is a Hull Fellow of the Southeast Council on Foundations and a 2019 graduate of Leadership Florida.
The Selby Foundation is a private foundation founded by William G. and Marie Selby in 1955. It supports Sarasota, Manatee, Charlotte and DeSoto counties through capital grants and scholarships.
For more information on the Foundation’s grant and scholarship application process, including its Small and Mighty Grants program, visit www.selbyfdn.org.
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This story was originally published November 21, 2022 at 1:47 PM.
