Jennifer Jorgensen, the City of Sarasota's director of governmental affairs, has been appointed deputy city manager by city manager Karie Friling.

Virginia J. Haley, former president of Visit Sarasota County, was inducted into Destinations International’s Hall of Fame, the global association for destination professionals’ highest honor.

The Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives has awarded Zach Henkel of the Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce the Dana Ketterling Lifetime Sales Achievement Award. 

Second Heart Homes has added five new members to its board of directors: Paul Zak, Matthew Straeb, Dionysios Skaliotis, Norman Vaughan-Birch and Veronica Brandon Miller. The organization also added Diana Wyatt and Wayne
Lorentzen to its property management team and Derrick Boyd to its case
management team, and hired Brianne Schuler as annual fund and growth manager.  

Marketing and media agency MagnifyGood has promoted Branan Jacobs to vice president.

Sarasota Opera has announced its board of trustees leadership for the 2026-
27 season: David Chaifetz has been elected chair and Syble DiGirolamo has been elected vice-chair.

Leadership Sarasota, a program of the Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce, will recognize five community members with Celebrate Outstanding Leadership Awards: Lucy Nicandri (Lifetime of Leadership Award), Fiona Farrell (Impact in Action Award), Kari Queen (Leadership Sarasota Dedication Award), David Verinder (Community Catalyst Award) and Heather Todd (Civic Champion Award).

Leadership Sarasota also recently announced the members of its Leadership Sarasota Class for 2027:  Kimberly Allison, Sarasota Performing Arts Foundation, Inc.; Victoria Avila, HBKS Wealth Advisors; Liz Barker, School Board of Sarasota County; Jess Blagdon, Gulf Coast Community Foundation; Connie Boros, Humane Society of Sarasota County; Candy Brooks, Boys & Girls Clubs of Sarasota and DeSoto Counties; Lizzie Carey, Tandem Construction; Casey Carter, Elling Eide Center Research Library and Preserve; John Chopka, Ringling College of Art and Design; Ashley Cole, Shumaker, Loop & Kendrick, LLP; Luke Darnell, Kerkering, Barberio & Co.; Chris Denise, Four Winds IT; Karla Detert, Atlas Insurance; Grier Ferguson, Church of the Redeemer; Mya Giles, Tommy's Express Holdings; Suzanne Hackman, Visit Sarasota County; Trey Hammett, The Bay Park Conservancy, Inc.; Matt Hess, Gulfside Bank; Kevin Huebschman, PNC Bank; Jessica Janota, CBIZ CPAs P.C.; Fayth Jenkins, Innovation Academy SRQ; Trevor Johnson, Williams Parker Attorneys at Law; Sage Kamiya, City of Sarasota; Elizabeth Karp Hauser, Arthur S. Karp Family Foundation; Yulia Kuzenko, Merrill Lynch/Bank of America; Annie Landry, BoaLytics LLC; Melissa Laughlin, Rosemary District Association; LaShawn'te Lee, Children First; Amy Leithauser, Gecko's Hospitality Group; Bradford Lemmons, Sarasota Memorial Health Care System; Bethany Lynch, American Cancer Society; Madeline Mangas, State College of Florida Foundation; Jillian McClure, Drybar Sarasota; Gary Meskil, Titan Placement Group; Diego Milara, Willis Smith Construction, Inc.; Chris Miller, PCS Florida; Michael Moench, Keiser University; Brian Morrison, Sarasota Clerk of the Circuit Court and County Comptroller; Ali Orme, Caldwell Trust Company; Kirsten Pedersen, Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Sun Coast; Jessica Polk, Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation; Nicole Rissler, Sarasota County Government; Marianne Sibille, HOME Agency; Anastasia Stefanou, Stefanou Law, PLLC; Melissa Warthen, The Pops Orchestra Bradenton and Sarasota; Leah West, Icard Merrill Cullis Timm Furen & Ginsburg, P.A.; Jessie Wilson, Wharton Smith Inc.; Cameron Wilson, Ian Black Real Estate; Candace Yaeger, The Rotary Club of Sarasota; and Andrew Zimmerman, Regions Bank.

All Faiths Food Bank has been named one of "Florida’s Best Companies To Work For" by Florida Trend magazine for the fourth year in a row.

Fergeson Skipper has announced the addition of three new associate attorneys: Carolina Zaccari, Eric Lipomi and Morgan Waltimyer.

Marie Selby Botanical Gardens has named Melody Hardin of Parrish as the recipient of the 2026 Virginia B. Toulmin Leadership Scholarship.

The Sarasota Chorus of the Keys has announced the recipients of its 2026 Sheridan E. Brown Memorial Scholarship: Jack Christie of Lakewood Ranch High School and River Rogers of Sarasota High School.

The Library Foundation for Sarasota County recently added two new board members: Alison Gardner and Leslie Pemberton.

The Hermitage Artist Retreat announced that Jonathan Coleman, Larry Haspel, Helen Morrison and Maria Wynne have been elected to its board of trustees.

Williams Parker president Michael J. Wilson has begun his term as chair of The Florida Bar Tax Section.