The University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee was named CareerSource Suncoast Education Partner of the Year during the 2019 State of Talent Conference Innovation in Workforce luncheon. 

USF Sarasota-Manatee regional chancellor Karen A. Holbrook, Ph.D., accepted the workforce excellence award, which recognizes USFSM’s outstanding commitment to building a stronger community and workforce through a multitude of academic programs and hands-on learning experiences.  

USFSM actively partners with businesses and organizations to identify their employment needs, and tailors programs and services to train students to meet those needs on an ongoing basis. Many of these partnerships result from the work of the USFSM career services team, led by Toni Ripo. 

USFSM was among three organizations and one individual honored during Thursday’s luncheon by CareerSource Suncoast. The other winners are SouthTech (Business Partner of the Year), Gulf Coast Builders Exchange (Community Collaborator of the Year) and Manatee Community Foundation's Susie Bowie (Leader in Action Award).