The Suncoast Aquatic and Nature Center Associates (SANCA) has announced that Tomás Herrera-Mishler is  its new president and CEO for Nathan Benderson Park. Herrera-Mishler will lead the enhancement and implementation of the park’s long term vision and strategy; he arrives in Sarasota from San Diego, Calif., where he served for more than five years as president and CEO of the 1,200-acre Balboa Park Conservancy. He brings to SANCA a history of successful fundraising, major community programs, design and construction efforts. At Balboa, he managed a $4.3 million operating budget with a staff of 26. Prior to Balboa Park, Herrera-Mishler was president and CEO of the  890-acre Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy.

Nathan Benderson Park is a public-private partnership in which SANCA, a non-profit, operates the 600-acre park on behalf of Sarasota County. SANCA has generated $176 million in economic impact for the area in its five years of operations, and the organization held 131 events in 2019.