CO M M U N I T Y
EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP SUMMIT
Lansky and Rodgers Alter Not For Profit Workshop
FIVE YEARS AGO, WHEN
Dr. Zena Lansky and her
husband Warren Rodgers
PHOTO BY WIN WOLLOFF
had the inspiration to create the
first Not For Profit Workshop,
their vision was to develop a
broad-based experience for the
multitude of nonprofits in the
Tampa Bay area that needed
assistance and guidance in areas
ranging from fundraising to
volunteer and board development. The
first event, which was held at Ruth
Eckerd Hall in Clearwater in 2011, was
an incredible success with over 900
participants. The next year, it was moved
to the Straz Center in Tampa, where over
1,200 attended for the opportunity to
listen to top philanthropic leaders and
participate in workshops. The next two
years, the Workshop grew even larger
and drew national interest, as it became a
model for other such events across the
country.
Despite this success, Zena and Warren
decided to change the format this year to
sharpen and hone their own original
idea. Their new concept is an Executive
Leadership Summit. The premise
behind this workshop is to focus on
Not For Profit organizational leadership.
Attendance will be limited to 160
education, as it brings together
those who have the most ongoing
impact in the Not For Profit
world. This idea has attracted
leaders such as Bob Carter, the
former international president of
the Association of Fundraising
Professionals, and former Tampa
Mayor Pam Iorio, who is now
president and CEO of Big Brothers
Big Sisters of America to be
participants during question and answer
portions of the event.
This well-planned effort to improve life
in the Tampa Bay area is bound to have
lasting effects and lead to an increase in
the efficiency and viability of those
charitable organizations that already help
make our area one of the most envied in
the country. The Executive Leadership
Summit’s entire program will be
dedicated to upgrading the skills of
leaders in the Not For Profit world in
order to raise their already impressive
level of service to our community even
higher.
Bravo, Zena and Warren!
9
of the area’s top executives, major
philanthropists, board members,
fundraisers and experts who have
displayed outstanding leadership skills.
On a Wednesday this August, some of
the Tampa Bay area’s most influential
and generous individuals have been
invited to gather at the Straz Center for
networking, lunch and work sessions to
share a rare opportunity to interact with
their peers in a summit of some of the
most brilliant and caring individuals in
our community.
During the previous Not For Profit
Workshops, over 3,400 attendees learned
about giving from 21 corporate CEOs
and philanthropists, as 13 keynote
speakers covered a wide variety of
relevant topics.
However, this fifth Workshop will
have a new approach to leadership
98 TAMPA BAY MAGAZINE JULY/AUGUST 2015